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.

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]

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.

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.)

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That, notwithstanding rule 3-1(1), when the Senate sits on Thursday, May 11, 2023, it sit at 1:30 p.m.

[English]

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