The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Pierre Beauregard, Amelia Valdez, Samuel Beauregard and Azfar Adib. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Miville-Dechêne.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Victor Oh: Honourable senators, I rise today in commemoration of Asian Heritage Month.

May is a special month in the Asian Canadian community. This is a time for our country to celebrate the contributions and recognize the sacrifices of Canadians of Asian descent and to reflect on the many challenges faced throughout our nation’s history.

With the one hundredth anniversary of the Chinese head tax and Chinese Exclusion Act this year and the influx of anti-Asian sentiment since the COVID-19 pandemic, this community has not only persevered but thrived and significantly influenced Canada into the prosperous nation it is today.

I was honoured to attend the Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs’ twenty-sixth awards gala in April. This annual event recognizes the significant contributions of nine forward-thinking pioneers of entrepreneurial spirit who have exemplified business success and contributed enormously to the community in service and philanthropy. As they told of their many hurdles, I felt proud to know that we live in a nation that nurtures the spirit of innovation that contributes to job creation and economic growth.

Colleagues, in my closing, I would like to reiterate that Canada would not be the country it is today without the contributions of the Asian Canadian community. However, I stand here proudly to acknowledge that Canada is a beacon of hope and light on the global stage in such a time of fear and uncertainty. It is a haven of multiculturalism and cultural inclusivity as we all strive to commend the contributions of our diverse citizens.

This Asian Heritage Month, let us honour Asian Canadians’ resilience and celebrate our nation’s multi-ethnic mosaic by participating in and supporting our local Asian heritage celebrations.

Thank you. Xie xie.

Hon. Brian Francis: Honourable senators, I rise today to mark Red Dress Day, also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People, which is observed annually on May 5. Red Dress Day is one of several campaigns started by activists to call attention to the staggering number of Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people who are extremely vulnerable to adverse experiences such as abuse, violence and death in Canada. It was inspired by Métis artist Jamie Black’s REDress Project, an art exhibit that continues to see red dresses hung in public places as powerful visual representations of the loved ones who should be wearing them today, as well as of the tremendous pain and trauma survivors and their families and communities grapple with daily.

The day also calls on government, institutions and others to take tangible and immediate action, which is key, given the ongoing failure to fully implement the 231 Calls for Justice identified by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in 2019.

These legal imperatives must be fulfilled to protect and save the lives of Indigenous women and girls and gender-diverse people, who deserve to live in a country where they are safe, secure and supported, no matter where they are.

Colleagues, this Friday people of all backgrounds will take part in marches and other events to remember the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people and to stand in solidarity with survivors, families and communities. I will join a walk in Charlottetown, hosted by the Aboriginal Women’s Association of PEI, the Native Council of Prince Edward Island, the Lennox Island First Nation, the Abegweit First Nation and the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI.

I hope you will also find ways to participate in Red Dress Day, including by reflecting on what you can personally do to transform the strained and damaged relationship of Canada with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Together we can build a present and future where the power and place of Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people is restored.

Let’s stand for, with and by Indigenous leaders and grassroots activists, such as Senator Michèle Audette, who have brought awareness to this national tragedy and continue to demand urgent action and change.

Wela’lin. Thank you.

[Translation]

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: I rise today to commend my guests from Quebec, Pierre Beauregard and Azfar Adib, for their dedication.

Mr. Adib is a PhD candidate in computer engineering at Concordia University. His research focuses on online age‑verification technology in order to ensure both the right to privacy and the safety of users, particularly children.

As for Pierre Beauregard, he’s the person who’s been the most involved in my efforts to advance Bill S-210, which seeks to protect children from exposure to pornography. The trials he has faced in his own life are what made him realize how great a risk these free, easily accessible platforms pose to children.

In 2017, well before I met him, Mr. Beauregard presented a petition to the Quebec National Assembly calling on the Government of Quebec to impose age verification. He has made more and more contacts around the world during the course of his research and activities.

For the past three years, he’s been writing me to keep me informed of all of the developments in the area. In my past career, we would have described Mr. Beauregard as a great source. Today, he’s a valuable ally. Thank you, Pierre. The support of citizens, parents and health professionals has been invaluable to me.

As Bill S-210 begins its journey through the House of Commons, there has been a lot of good news.

In Germany, the courts recently ruled in favour of the government and against MindGeek, the owner of Pornhub, to force it to comply with German law, which requires age verification for all users in that country. The fact that MindGeek houses its servers in Cyprus doesn’t mean it can sidestep German law, which aims to protect its children from serious danger.

In the United Kingdom, a sweeping online safety bill, which mandates age verification for access to pornography and other harmful content, will be passed by July.

In the United States, Louisiana recently became the first state to mandate age verification for online pornography. An additional 26 states, including California, New York and Massachusetts, have passed or are considering passing laws to control minors’ access to harmful online content.

The fight is not over, however. In our country and elsewhere, some people continue to resist and oppose common-sense rules whose drawbacks are minor compared to the importance of the objectives pursued.

Finding the right balance isn’t easy. We need to protect minors, but also protect people’s privacy. We need to protect the innocence of our children, but allow what is legal. We need to regulate pornographic content, but promote modern sex education.

In my view, these challenges are no reason to give up.

Thank you.

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

(On motion of Senator Martin, debate adjourned.)

[English]

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Kutcher, seconded by the Honourable Senator Cormier:

That the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology be authorized to examine and report on the negative impact of health disinformation and misinformation on Canadian society and what effective measures can be implemented to counter this impact; and

That the committee submit its final report on this study to the Senate no later than May 31, 2024, and that the committee retain all powers necessary to publicize its findings for 180 days after the tabling of the final report.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Dr. Christie Newton and Dr. Brady Bouchard. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Osler.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Dr. Christie Newton and Dr. Brady Bouchard. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Osler.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): My question today is for the leader and member of the Liberal government of Canada. Leader, yesterday The Globe and Mail reported on the contents of a top-secret CSIS report from July 2021. This report claims that Beijing’s interference in our country involves a People’s Republic of China — PRC — diplomat in their Toronto consulate targeting family members of a Canadian member of Parliament “. . . to make an example of this MP and deter others from taking anti-PRC positions.”

The Globe and Mail says the member of Parliament who was targeted was Michael Chong, and it named a specific PRC diplomat who targeted Mr. Chong’s family in Hong Kong. This diplomat was also named earlier this year in another The Globe and Mail report on Beijing’s interference in our democracy.

Leader, why is this diplomat still permitted to be here? Why are his threats against an MP’s family of no concern to your government? Is it because Mr. Chong is a Conservative member of Parliament?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The answer is no. Thank you for your question. It is outrageous. Attempts to interfere with our democratic process and elected officials are outrageous, regardless of the party. Michael Chong is a respected parliamentarian. He is respected on all sides in the other place and, indeed, in this place.

As honourable senators would know, the Prime Minister and Minister Mendicino have directed the head of CSIS to follow up with Mr. Chong immediately. This is unacceptable.

Hon. F. Gigi Osler: Honourable senators, it is a pleasure to have representatives of The College of Family Physicians of Canada, or CFPC, join us in the gallery. Here today is their president, Dr. Christie Newton, and their past president, Dr. Brady Bouchard. The College of Family Physicians of Canada represents 42,000 members across the country. They are the voice of family medicine in Canada.

Yesterday was National Physicians’ Day, a day to recognize the work of physicians in caring for patients and building a stronger health care system. This year on National Physicians’ Day, representatives of CFPC travelled to Ottawa to meet with parliamentarians to advocate on behalf of family medicine.

In 2023, the shortage of family physicians across the country suggests that more than 6 million Canadians do not have a family doctor. A study by the Canadian Medical Association shows that, in recent years, the percentage of medical graduates choosing family medicine has fallen from 38.5% to 31.8%.

CFPC has been strongly advocating for actions to improve primary care in Canada. More family physicians are needed to relieve the pressure on those who are currently in practice. There must be consistent, deliberate action to increase supply and enhance capacity, with a focus on underserved areas and populations. This would help relieve the strain on the current health workforce and improve access to care for Canadians. Despite the federal government’s recent federal investment in health, Canada currently funds primary care at about half the level of many other OECD countries.

Family physicians are the backbone of primary care. Many believe that more team-based care, with family physicians partnered with nurse practitioners, physician assistants, social workers and counselors, would improve access to care and better health outcomes. This team-based medicine approach requires governments to rethink health care delivery and further invest in the human health resources needed for comprehensive, high‑quality primary care.

Honourable senators, CFPC is here today to offer solutions they believe will deliver results and improve health. Thank you to my colleagues who have met with them, and thank you to The College of Family Physicians of Canada for your dedication and hard work. Thank you. Meegwetch.

Hon. Leo Housakos: I would like the government leader to focus on today’s candle, and we’ll worry about Rapporteur Johnston for another time.

Back to MP Michael Chong, he and his family were targeted by the Beijing regime because he moved a motion in the House of Commons recognizing the Uighur genocide. A similar motion, sadly enough — it was a sad day in this institution when Trudeau-appointed senators defeated that motion.

Now, if Prime Minister Trudeau did not take action to protect Michael Chong because he is a Conservative and because of partisan reasons, that’s shameful. If it’s because of utter incompetence — as he hasn’t shown any ability to protect Canadians from foreign interference — that’s just as shameful.

Now that the Prime Minister has been called out by the media with concrete information, what does he do, colleagues? He calls for another investigation where now that everyone has resigned from the Trudeau Foundation, he is running out of people he can appoint to investigate all of his various failures. Who is he going to appoint now to investigate this particular failure? Will it be his mother or his brother? Or maybe, colleagues, he might appoint himself. I can just see it now: What did I know? When did I know it? Who told me? Why didn’t I do something about it?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Well, thank you for your question. As I mentioned in my response, Senator Woo, my understanding is that the RCMP is continuing to investigate these matters and, to the best of my knowledge, have not released the findings or the results. Therefore, I’m really not in a position to answer your question.

Hon. Yuen Pau Woo: Senator Gold, you have just heard Senator Housakos make a grave and baseless allegation against Chinese Canadians in Montreal who are associated with certain community organizations. He was referring, of course, to Minister Mendicino’s declaration that all of the so-called Chinese police stations in the country have been shut down, including one alleged to have been located at the Service a la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montréal and another at Centre Sino-Québec de la Rive-Sud in Brossard.

Senator Gold, what evidence did police find to substantiate the claim that there were Chinese police stations in Montreal? What illegal activities have been stopped?

Hon. Yuen Pau Woo: Senator Gold, you have just heard Senator Housakos make a grave and baseless allegation against Chinese Canadians in Montreal who are associated with certain community organizations. He was referring, of course, to Minister Mendicino’s declaration that all of the so-called Chinese police stations in the country have been shut down, including one alleged to have been located at the Service à la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montréal and another at Centre Sino-Québec de la Rive-Sud in Brossard.

Senator Gold, what evidence did police find to substantiate the claim that there were Chinese police stations in Montreal? What illegal activities have been stopped?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Well, I didn’t hear a question, but —

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question, and thank you for acknowledging the work that the government is doing with our allies in trying to get as many Canadians out as possible. Regrettably, circumstances on the ground have made it too dangerous, but efforts are ongoing. As we know, the minister is in Kenya working with allies.

Our traditions teach us that everything has a season. Right now, the focus of the Canadian government is on securing the safety of Canadians in the area. I will make inquiries as to what longer-range plans may be in place to help bring an end to the violence. It’s not obvious that the moment is ripe right now for those efforts as the fighting rages on, and the focus has to be on the safety and security of Canadians, but thank you.

Hon. Mobina S. B. Jaffer: My question is again to the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Senator Gold, I want to congratulate the government in the quick way it has evacuated so many people from Sudan and then asked for help from other countries in the evacuation effort.

Canada has led the way in Sudan with mediation. I know that people will think this time is not the right time to mediate between the warlords, but last time it was even worse. What is Canada doing to bring peace in that area?

Hon. Jean-Guy Dagenais: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. The government reached an agreement that put an end to the strike by 120,000 federal public servants that began on April 19.

I would tell you that after dragging its feet in these negotiations, the government is now giving public servants an 11.5% salary increase compared to the 12.6% they asked for and deserved.

As a former union leader, I’ll forever be surprised to see governments drag things out rather than negotiating seriously with unions. Financial considerations aside, this 20-day strike is now causing delays in issuing passports, visas abroad and processing immigration files, as though the situation weren’t devastating enough for people waiting for these services.

Can you explain why the government, which has never shown restraint in public expenditures, delayed for such a long time before giving public servants what they were asking for? Now, it’s congratulating itself on arriving at a fair settlement, but it only did so after a 20-day strike. This delay has had an impact on the lives of Canadians that could have been avoided. Between you and me, what was the logic behind these negotiations?

Hon. Patricia Bovey: This question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, you know that Winnipeg is hosting the 2023 World Police and Fire Games this July and August. Planning is coming along well, the venues are ready and the hotel rooms are booked, as the city is poised to welcome the second largest international sporting event — second only to the Olympic Summer Games. The athletes are professional police, firefighters and paramedics. In other words, Winnipeg is welcoming first responders and their families to these games — it is an important tourist event, and doubly so coming off COVID.

But they have hit a problem.

Many of the athletes from India are being denied visas out of the apparent fear that they will stay in Canada. Senator Gold, these are professionals with professional careers in their home country. India is looking to host these games in several years and will be sending organizers as well as athletes. Of course, we will want our Canadian police and firefighter athletes to go there.

Can you assure the organizers that visas will be accorded to these athletes so that the games can carry on? When will the visas be given? Time is of the essence, as the games open in less than 90 days.