Hon. Marilou McPhedran introduced Bill S-261, An Act respecting non-disclosure agreements.

(Bill read first time.)

Hon. Ratna Omidvar introduced Bill S-262, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (Oath of Citizenship).

(Bill read first time.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this report be taken into consideration?

(On motion of Senator Galvez, report placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)

[Translation]

Hon. Salma Ataullahjan introduced Bill S-263, An Act respecting the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking.

(Bill read first time.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this bill be read the third time?

(On motion of Senator Gold, bill placed on the Orders of the Day for third reading at the next sitting of the Senate.)

[English]

Hon. Percy Mockler, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance, presented the following report:

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

The Standing Senate Committee on National Finance has the honour to present its

ELEVENTH REPORT

Your committee, to which was referred Bill C-46, An Act to amend the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act and the Income Tax Act, has, in obedience to the order of reference of May 3, 2023, examined the said bill and now reports the same without amendment.

Respectfully submitted,

PERCY MOCKLER

Chair

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this bill be read the second time?

(On motion of Senator Ataullahjan, bill placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading two days hence.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this bill be read the third time?

(On motion of Senator Gold, bill placed on the Orders of the Day for third reading at the next sitting of the Senate.)

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Nora and Marie‑Claire Harmsworth. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Woo.

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

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, senator. The Prime Minister was clear, as was the foreign minister, that they became aware of the specifics from The Globe and Mail article.

When the Prime Minister made his remarks with regard to CSIS to which you referred, at that juncture he had not been made aware that in fact the information, it now appears, was sent to someone occupying the position, albeit on a temporary basis, of the National Security Advisor — not the current incumbent but someone who was there over the summer period. That was made clear and corrected soon thereafter.

The fact is this government continues to act properly, prudently and responsibly with regard to the serious threats of foreign interference and the allegations that have been made through the leaked CSIS documents to The Globe and Mail, and it will continue to do so in the best interests of Canadians.

Hon. Denise Batters: Senator Gold, Canadians are shocked at the reports that Beijing diplomatic officials in Canada targeted MP Michael Chong and his family in retaliation for his House of Commons motion condemning the Uighur genocide. Even more astonishing was that you repeated Prime Minister Trudeau’s assertion last week that CSIS didn’t think the threats to a sitting member of Parliament were “a significant enough concern in their judgment.”

A CSIS intelligence assessment from July 2021 warned of the potential threats against MP Chong’s family. At that time, Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were still held hostage in China. Their sham trials had occurred only three months earlier. In that context, it is unbelievable that CSIS and the PM’s National Security Advisor found threatened intimidation of a sitting MP and his family failed to pose “a significant enough concern” to warrant informing the Prime Minister, the Minister of Public Safety and the targeted MP himself.

Senator Gold, if what the Prime Minister is saying were true — that CSIS didn’t think this threat to a sitting MP was serious enough — why hasn’t anyone been fired for this? Is this because Prime Minister Trudeau has set up his senior security apparatus to treat him as a ceremonial Prime Minister?

Hon. Marty Klyne: Senator Gold, Bill S-241, the Jane Goodall act, proposes the world’s strongest legal protections for captive wild animals. This includes banning unlicensed ownership of big cats and phasing out elephants in Canada. The bill also supports action on wildlife trafficking, including elephant ivory and rhino horn.

As well, with 15 speeches and over four hours of debate spanning 13 months, Bill S-241 is the most debated bill at second reading in the Senate in the 44th Parliament and we await a critic’s speech.

I note that Bill S-241 would fulfill two government election commitments reflected in Minister Guilbeault’s mandate letter, namely, to protect captive wild animals and to curb wildlife trafficking, including elephant ivory and rhino horn.

With Dr. Goodall coming to Canada this month, can you confirm the government would like to see Bill S-241 moved to committee as soon as possible? Otherwise, will the government introduce their own version of the Jane Goodall act to save the bill?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, senator.

Respectfully, the government is not out of touch, on the contrary. The government’s agenda, which I represent here in this chamber, is focused on helping Canadians and transitioning to a cleaner, sustainable energy future.

Simply put, the government is always aware that problems do exist. It is working closely with its provincial and territorial counterparts on the issue of rising street crime in Montreal and elsewhere. It is working hard on all the issues.

That doesn’t sound like what you described. This is the government’s view, and that’s not what being out of touch looks like. This government continues to work hard for the well-being of Canadians.

Hon. Robert Black: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Senator Gold, Canada’s farmland remains a finite and valuable resource for Canadians and the world. Despite your government repeatedly stating the importance and prioritization of agriculture and food security, I remain perplexed by the agreements and policies that we continue to see which undermine the capabilities and capacities of our processors and producers.

In a recent deal, a foreign company was given the green light for the procurement of 1,500 acres — the equivalent of 1,134 football fields — of prime agricultural land in southern Ontario. Around this deal was $700 million from Ottawa to build a plant along with $500 million from the Ontario government, plus $13 billion in federal subsidies for this gigafactory. Let’s not forget as well, colleagues, the $34 million in tariffs taken from farmers’ fertilizer purchases earlier this year, an essential product needed to feed the country and the world, which was not returned to our farmers.

While the province retains jurisdiction of land use planning, governments at all levels have permitted the land that grows our food to be swallowed up by urban sprawl, damaging valuable soils and reducing our food production capacities, all while subsidizing this destruction and financially limiting those who put food on our tables.

My question is this, Senator Gold: When will this government actually prioritize Canadian agriculture and food, stop financially depriving our farmers and stop giving monies to companies that will actively undermine and take away our crucial farmlands?

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

In order to halt the growing global decline of biodiversity, legislation that improves animal protections is crucial. I have been advised that the minister looks forward to hearing the debates around this bill and how it fits within the government’s mandate commitments to protect animals both at home and abroad.

[Translation]

Hon. Claude Carignan: My question is for the Leader of the Government.

Leader, I was reading the news on the weekend and I saw headlines on Radio-Canada’s website such as, “Judge shortage: ‘The current situation is untenable,’ decries Justice Wagner.” He is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

[English]

A headline from The Toronto Star reads, “Bank warns mortgage delinquencies could rise by more than one third as homeowners struggle to make payments.” Further, the National Post states, “Drug fail: the Liberal government’s ‘safer supply’ is fuelling a new opioid crisis.”

[Translation]

A headline in La Presse read, “Beginning of 2023 marked by an increase in crime.” That’s in Montreal.

Meanwhile, at the Liberal Party convention here in Ottawa, the Prime Minister invited Hillary Clinton and Jean Chrétien to attend so they could hear him tell the party membership that everything is just fine and dandy, thank you very much, that there are no problems in Canada, that we are an exemplary country, and we can relax and head off to party in London.

Leader, how can the government be so out of touch with reality and seemingly unaware of all the disasters that are happening, especially in recent years, in Canada?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. Let me answer it in two aspects.

First, the government recognizes the vital importance of a resilient agricultural and agri-food sector, including the need to preserve and protect farmland. Agriculture, as we know, is a shared jurisdiction in Canada. The provinces and territories have primary responsibility related to land use planning and resource management. Through the development of the Sustainable Development Strategy, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada will continue to work with industry, provinces and territories to explore opportunities to improve the resiliency of the agriculture and agri-food sector.

Colleague, though, if it is not unfair for me to parse your question a bit more, I think I understand correctly that you are talking about the recent investment into our economy by Volkswagen and the support that the government gave to that project.

There are a lot of factors that a government must consider when apprising and appraising these kinds of investments. As a whole, upon reflection, the government is more than proud that Volkswagen has chosen Canada for their first-ever battery factory in North America. Volkswagen’s historic investment of $7 billion is a major vote of confidence in Canadian workers and in our battery ecosystem. The deal shows that Canada is a green supplier of choice.

The scale of the site, which you alluded to in your question, will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, and it will renew the auto sector in St. Thomas.

An Hon. Senator: That’s right.

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. The Journal de Montréal has just published a whole section that characterizes the federal government’s immigration goal as a trap for Quebec and an existential threat to the survival of French in America.

I personally reject this perspective, which fuels xenophobia and the fear of immigration in Quebec. That said, I don’t believe that the federal government can simply ignore these alarmist scenarios. Ottawa has the responsibility to rebut these arguments and explain its objectives to reassure people. Senator Gold, what does the federal government intend to do to explain its policies, demonstrate the benefits of immigration and reassure people?