Hon. Brian Francis: Honourable senators, I rise today to draw your attention to Bear Witness Day, a national event created by the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society that calls on all people of all ages and backgrounds to support the full implementation of Jordan’s Principle, a legal requirement that aims to ensure that First Nations children can access the products, services and supports they need when they need them.

It is named in memory of Jordan River Anderson, a boy from Norway House Cree Nation born with complex medical needs. He died at the age of five after staying unnecessarily in hospital for years while the provincial and federal governments argued over who should pay for his at-home care, which was only an issue because he was First Nations.

Held annually on May 10, Bear Witness Day marks an important date in the history of Jordan’s Principle. In 2016, nine years after a complaint was filed, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal found that chronic underfunding and the structure of child and family services on-reserve constituted systemic discrimination and ordered the federal government to fully implement Jordan’s Principle by May 10.

It took much longer for progress to be made. This April, a revised final settlement agreement was reached to compensate First Nations children and families harmed, including through the unnecessary separation of families and the denial of critical wellness and life-saving care. In addition, negotiations continue on the long-term reform final settlement agreement to prevent further discrimination.

While nothing can undo the harm caused, those developments represent a long and hard-fought measure of justice that was made possible by Jordan River Anderson and his family, along with the representatives’ plaintiffs, including Ashley Dawn Bach; Karen Osachoff; Melissa Walterson; Noah Buffalo-Jackson; Carolyn Buffalo; Richard Jackson; Xavier Moushoom; Jeremy Meawasige; Jonavon Meawasige; the late Maurina Beadle; Zacheus Trout and his two late children, Sanaye and Jacob; along with a coalition of leaders, activists and allies like Dr. Cindy Blackstock.

Colleagues, a lot more needs to change to ensure that Indigenous children grow up happy, healthy, proud and safe with their families and communities. We can and must take action.

Tomorrow, in collaboration with the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, Senators Audette, Klyne and I will mark Bear Witness Day. We hope you will join us to remember and honour the victims and survivors of Canada’s discrimination. Thank you. Wela’lin.

[Translation]

Hon. Lucie Moncion: Honourable colleagues, I rise today to mark, for the second consecutive year, Jury Duty Appreciation Week in Canada, which is taking place from May 7 to 13 this year. It’s an opportunity to recognize and commemorate the experiences of thousands of Canadians.

I want to sincerely thank those who have served as jurors. The purpose of my statement today is to honour them and to express my great appreciation for them.

Serving as a juror requires investing a lot of time and effort during the period of the summons. This experience can also help people gain an appreciation for the justice system and a greater understanding of how it works.

Every year, thousands of Canadians are called to fulfill this civic duty, which depends on the collaboration of many parties. In performing their duties, jurors need the support of their employers, the federal, provincial and territorial governments, the justice system and their communities. The support of each of those parties is important and must be valued.

Jurors make a civic contribution, but it is also important for us to remember that jurors are people. Serving on a jury can often have a negative psychological impact on jurors both during and well after the trial, and many of them suffer in silence. We need to pay attention to these issues so that we can try to meet their needs.

We must also ensure that the administration of justice is fair and equitable, which involves, among other things, convening diverse and inclusive juries that are truly representative of the Canadian population.

[English]

Playing a vital role in the rule of law, the act of serving as a juror is an essential component of both our justice system and democracy. It is crucial for the administration of justice and the judicial system, and in some cases, it is necessary for Canadians to exercise their constitutional rights. In fact, anyone accused of a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment of five years or more has the right to a trial by jury.

I would like to express my gratitude and admiration for Mark Farrant, former juror and the President of the Canadian Juries Commission, for his efforts in raising awareness and bringing attention to the significance of supporting this civic duty among governments, courts of law and the Canadian public.

I have had the opportunity to share my personal experience as a juror on multiple occasions in this chamber. I hope to have conveyed to my colleagues and the Canadian public about the importance of this civic duty, which is shared by many others who have served as jurors. Moving forward, I am hopeful to witness a continued and robust participation in this annual meeting dedicated to promoting and raising awareness of issues affecting jurors and former jurors. Thank you.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Terry French and Darin King, former members of Newfoundland and Labrador’s House of Assembly. They are the guests of the Honourable Senators Wells and Ravalia.

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

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Mark Farrant, former juror and President of the Canadian Juries Commission. He is the guest of the Honourable Senator Moncion.

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 Senator Petten’s partner, Justice Peter A. O’Flaherty; her son, Grayson M. Ewing and his partner, Tara Tobin; her brother, Ross T. Petten and his wife, Christina Petten; and her cousin, Renell Hart.

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 Mark Farrant, former juror and President of the Canadian Juries Commission. He is the guest of the Honourable Senator Moncion.

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

Hon. Salma Ataullahjan: Honourable senators, I rise today to speak on the continued suffering of Afghans since the Taliban took over. I have spoken numerous times in the past about the erasure of women from society, the gnawing hunger taking innocent lives and the complete disregard for basic human rights.

I have also shared with you my memories of Afghanistan, a beautiful country filled with music, art and laughter. Kabul was once our favourite holiday destination.

Recently, when we thought things could not get any worse, we heard of babies dying from preventable diseases across the country. According to UNICEF, at least 167 Afghan babies die on a daily basis from illnesses that could be and should be cured with the right medication. Afghan hospitals are understaffed and overrun, with rooms filled with sick children, often two to a bed, and only two nurses to care for 60 children.

Colleagues, we are witnessing the complete collapse of Afghanistan’s health care, which has relied on foreign funds and is facing dwindling funds since the Taliban banned women from working in NGOs. Health care workers must use what they have on hand, which is very little. Nurses are often working 24-hour shifts and cannot attend to sick babies in critical condition. Some children are dying from a simple lack of oxygen, since the hospital only has power at night and doesn’t have enough supplies of raw materials to produce oxygen on-site.

Some cannot make it to the hospital in time because of the road conditions. Others cannot make the journey. In some cases, parents prefer to take their dying children home as the hospital cannot help them. They prefer to die with their loved ones.

Families are struggling to eat, and one father, watching his daughter struggle to breathe, explained that he cannot even afford to buy a single cup of tea. If it weren’t for a lack of funds, his child would not have had to suffer that way.

Honourable senators, Afghan hospitals are no longer places of care and healing. They are now a place to die. Thank you.

Hon. Peter M. Boehm: Honourable senators, I rise today to call attention to the newcomers to Canada whom we have just recognized in the gallery. Like all refugees who come to our shores, they have stories of enduring hardship, suffering and danger related to their arrival here from their native Afghanistan. We heard a very powerful statement by Senator Ataullahjan just a few minutes ago on that subject.

I want to acknowledge the support of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, a long-time participant in the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program run by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, and the key role played by Robert and Mary Fowler. Mr. Fowler and Mrs. Fowler are distinguished Canadians with great international experience and reputations in facilitating both the processing of applications through IRCC as well as the group’s international travel and settlement in Canada.

Honourable senators, Mr. Amin Sidiqi came to Canada in July 2018, and his family — here with us today — joined him here after leaving Afghanistan on the last Canadian flight out of Kabul in August 2021. Holding a Master of Arts degree from New York University, he is now studying law at the University of Ottawa, as well as working part-time with the research team of the university’s Refugee Hub and also as a court interpreter. His spouse, Nafisa, and sons Mahdi, Abbas and Hussain are settling in and learning our official languages. At school, the boys are enjoying essay writing and debating, and have taken up soccer and, of course, hockey, as one does in our country.

Mr. Yadullah Yasa came to us via Indonesia, and he is looking to continue his university studies in Canada and to work as a filmmaker — which was his passion at university when he was forced to leave Afghanistan.

Ms. Mahmudah Sahar fled her village in Afghanistan and arrived in Canada in November of last year. She attends the Adult High School here in Ottawa. I understand that it took some persuasion to get her here today because it means that she is missing some classes. Mahmudah is working part-time in a store and hopes to pursue a career in nursing.

Honourable senators, as I look around the chamber, I am reminded that several of our colleagues came to Canada from afar, and that many, like myself, are first-generation Canadians — being the children of immigrants or, in my case, refugees. As we have seen since 1867, our country has been enriched by newcomers of all kinds who contribute to and strengthen our society in all its diversity. Canadian society is also enriched by civil society and community organizations. I mentioned the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, but there are other churches and community groups that are particularly active with respect to settling refugees from Afghanistan in this city. Of course, there are thousands of Canadians, like Robert and Mary Fowler, who have given selflessly of their time and energy in order to help newcomers come here and find their way.

May it continue to be so across our great country. Thank you.

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Brigadier-General Roger Scott, Colonel (Retired) Gisele Fontaine, Lieutenant-Colonel Carolyn Blanchard and Lieutenant-Commander Kristi Velthuizen. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Patterson (Ontario).

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 the Sidiqi Family, Mahmudah Sahar, Yadullah Yasa, and Robert and Mary Fowler. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Boehm.

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 Chief Mike McKenzie, Chief of the Innu community Uashat mak Mani-Utenam and Jean-Claude Therrien Pinette, Chief of Staff for Chief McKenzie. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Audette.

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

Hon. Rebecca Patterson: Honourable senators, today I rise in honour of National Nursing Week, which coincides with the birthday of Florence Nightingale — the founder of modern nursing — on May 12. As many of you know, Nightingale is best known as the “Lady with the Lamp,” who nursed British soldiers during the Crimean War and transformed the profession of nursing.

In Canada, the first formal nursing program was started in 1874 at the General and Marine Hospital in St. Catharines, Ontario, which is the same school of nursing that I eventually graduated from — and that’s over 100 years later, if you’re counting.

This week recognizes the outstanding contributions that nurses have made and continue to make to their communities and to Canadians. Wherever the location and whomever the patient, the one thing all nurses have in common is their unwavering commitment to making a difference not just for their patients and their families, but also for their communities and Canada, too.

We celebrate nurses who are leaders in keeping vulnerable Canadians in their homes, and walking with them as they transition through this life. Simply put, nurses are essential health care team members with their own independent body of knowledge and practice who contribute toward making Ontario, Canada and the world a healthier place.

In addition, I would be remiss if I didn’t note that military nurses have also provided care during times of conflict and peace. You see nursing officers, past and present, in the gallery as my guests today — all of whom served in Afghanistan.

Since 1885, thousands of Canadian nurses have provided compassionate care to the sick and wounded in conflict areas around the world, and now even in Canada. In 1904, nurses entered the Canadian Army Medical Corps as Nursing Sisters in France in World War I, where they were the first women in the British Empire to be designated as officers, as well as the first Canadian women to vote federally because of their status.

During the pandemic, Canadian Armed Forces Nursing Officers supported health care workers in providing care to Canadians in seniors’ homes, hospitals and Indigenous communities. They were at the forefront in providing observations and recommendations — at both provincial and federal inquiries — regarding the abysmal conditions in those seniors’ homes. I cannot thank them enough for their courage in stepping up to support our health care workers and our most vulnerable Canadians.

These examples bring us back to Florence Nightingale. She was not satisfied with merely saving the lives of those in her care. She understood the raw power and untapped potential of nursing. As said by Rawsi Williams, who happens to be a U.S. veteran and a registered nurse:

To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through; that is to be a Nurse.

Throughout this week, let’s celebrate and recognize nurses. Thank you.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Brigadier-General Roger Scott, Colonel (Retired) Gisele Fontaine, Lieutenant-Colonel Carolyn Blanchard and Lieutenant-Commander Kristi Velthuizen. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Patterson (Ontario).

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 the Sidiqi Family, Mahmudah Sahar, Yadullah Yasa, and Robert and Mary Fowler. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Boehm.

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 Chief Mike McKenzie, Chief of the Innu community Uashat mak Mani‑Utenam and Jean-Claude Therrien Pinette, Chief of Staff for Chief McKenzie. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Audette.

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

Hon. Leo Housakos: Honourable senators, late this month, from May 21 to 30, the Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly will convene, and, once again, it will do so without the participation of Taiwan.

Once again, I’m appealing to Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly and her government to call for the inclusion of Taiwan in this international forum.

Time and time again, Taiwan has shown its commitment to global public humanitarianism. Days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Taiwan sent 27 tonnes of medical supplies to Poland for Ukrainian refugees, followed by another 650 tonnes of additional supplies shortly thereafter. Taiwan medical professionals have reached out to disadvantaged communities around the world to fight health inequities. Since the 1950s, they’ve provided medical aid and technical services to various African countries to help maintain maternal and child health. In 2022, participating hospitals saw newborn deaths drop from 234 to 189.

Taiwan continues to show its commitment to global public health. Over the past 20 years, the Taiwan International Healthcare Training Center has provided continuing education to more than 2,000 health care professionals from 77 countries. During the worst global health crisis of our lifetime, Taiwan stood at the ready to contribute wherever and whenever possible. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan was one of the first countries to send valuable life-saving personal protective equipment to Canada. We must not forget that.

Unfortunately, Taiwan continues to be excluded from participation in the World Health Assembly, or WHA, and other fora and mechanisms of the World Health Organization. This exclusion is to the detriment of the international community as we are not taking into consideration Taiwan’s success in responding to COVID-19.

It is also to the detriment of the 23.5 million people living in Taiwan, whose welfare must also be taken into consideration. Furthermore, as a like-minded democracy, Canada has every reason to support Taiwan’s inclusion in future WHA functions where Taiwan can be a valuable partner to jointly help improve global health.

Taiwan has proven itself to be an indispensable member of the international community and brings immeasurable value to vitally important global efforts such as the fight against COVID-19.

Canada has before us an opportunity to show moral and meaningful leadership on the global stage. We must act now to close gaps in the international system that jeopardize health, safety, security, prosperity and sustainability created by Taiwan’s exclusion from international fora like the WHA76.

Thank you, colleagues.

Hon. Rosa Galvez, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources, presented the following report:

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

The Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources has the honour to present its

FOURTH REPORT

Your committee, which was authorized by the Senate on Thursday, February 24, 2022 to study emerging issues related to the committee’s mandate, now presents its interim report entitled HYDROGEN: A Viable Option for a Net‑Zero Canada in 2050?

Respectfully submitted,

ROSA GALVEZ

Chair

(For text of report, see today’s Journals of the Senate, p. 1503.)

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]