Senator Gold: I’m not in a position to answer that specific question, but I’ll make inquiries regarding the government’s intentions in the days and weeks ahead. I will get back to you with an answer shortly.

[English]

Senator Gold: Again, senator, I do appreciate your question, and, more importantly, I empathize with those who are waiting.

I have no way of explaining why the data points have changed over this time. I repeat my undertaking to try to find an answer as quickly as I can.

Senator Gold: Thank you for the additional information. My answer remains the same: I’ll have to look into it.

Senator Ataullahjan: Senator Gold, you talk about the process being faster, and it has been digitized; yet, between last Thursday and this Wednesday, the wait time has gone up to 802 days.

Senator Gold, I want to read to you one of the messages I received:

Why are we suffering the most? We are contributing to the workforce, paying taxes and yet no one is helping us. The Canadian United Arab Emirates visa office is the most painful visa office.

What do I say to this gentleman and others who feel abandoned by this Liberal government?

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. I continue to endeavour to get answers to all questions, and the answers will be forthcoming when this chamber and I are provided with them.

Senator Gold: I have answered every question that you’ve asked me. You may not like my answers, and sometimes I don’t have the answers — and I say so in a spirit of honesty and integrity.

I will repeat this again: I am not aware of, and I have not been made aware of, any other threats, as was also stated yesterday.

Senator Plett, with regard to your assertion that the two statements cannot live together, you will forgive me for being slightly pedagogical in this chamber, but the reference to the CSIS statement was “Any time we receive threats against MPs, we brief the Prime Minister.” And unless I misunderstand your assertion — I don’t have the transcript to which you were referring — there was not a mention of this particular challenge.

The Prime Minister’s answer was with regard to the actions ostensibly taken — or threatened — against the family of Mr. Chong in Hong Kong; that answer was given clearly, and I repeat it here.

[Translation]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question.

As I stated yesterday, the Prime Minister stated clearly and categorically that he was not briefed by CSIS with regard to the coercion threatened against the family of member of Parliament Michael Chong; the Prime Minister said it clearly and definitively. He said that he learned about it from The Globe and Mail story, and that is what the Prime Minister has said to all Canadians — I believe his words stand for themselves and should be taken as true.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question.

Here is the government’s position. The government does a lot in many areas to help women who are the victims of family and intimate partner violence and also to ensure, through bills, that victims’ rights are better protected and respected. That includes the measures set out in Bill S-12, which we are going to debate and examine more closely as of next week.

The budgetary decisions that a government has to make to address the many demands and challenges it is facing have nothing to do with this government’s respect for and commitment toward victims of violence.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. AI technology has enormous potential but also enormous risk, and must be used responsibly and regulated appropriately.

With regard to one aspect of your question, Minister Champagne is already actively engaged with leading experts in the field as well as with counterparts in other jurisdictions. Among many aspects of this, Canadians have to have confidence that the regulation is appropriate and that their data and privacy is being respected.

You referred, senator, to Bill C-27. This is an important piece — not the only piece, but an important piece — in addressing the challenges that AI technology poses. This will ensure that Canadians have first-class privacy and data protection and that companies respect those rules, otherwise facing consequences. On the matter of AI, this bill will also put in guardrails to ensure that AI is built and deployed responsibly as well as provide penalties for non-compliance.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The government is not trying to keep anything. The government is engaged on all fronts with regard to its relationships, in this case with China — in a responsible and prudent way.

Colleagues, this government is committed to ensuring that our infrastructure and our institutions are free from interference from foreign or nefarious actors of any origin. Our relationships with China are complex. The saga of the two Michaels shows how vulnerable Canadians who reside in China or are doing business in China, or companies doing business in China, are to coercive measures.

What the government is doing very often needs to be done both diplomatically and carefully. That’s what the government is doing.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. The short answer is that I don’t know the current status of this, and I will make inquiries.

One can happily celebrate the decrease, and it’s a marked one, of people of all ages — but certainly young people — smoking or burning tobacco to inhale it. One should be — and is — concerned about the rise in nicotine-infused vape products, along with the addiction that inevitably entails.

I’ll make inquiries, senator. I hope to have an answer as quickly as I can.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, and for mentioning this aspect of Canada’s responsibilities with regard to human rights violations and Canadian companies.

I’m not aware of what the office of the ombudsperson is doing. I’ll make inquiries and report back.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The government has deployed significant efforts and resources to speed up the process, which is unacceptably long for far too many applicants and their families.

The government is processing these applications faster than it did before the pandemic; it’s an average — plus or minus — of 200,000 per month over time. This was made possible by digitizing certain processes and hiring new employees.

The figures that you cite are of great concern. I will make further inquiries, senator. We all hope that the situation improves. I hope to have an answer in that regard soon.