Hon. Iris G. Petten, of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, introduced between Hon. Marc Gold, P.C., and Hon. Fabian Manning.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, on behalf of the Government Representative Office, I rise today to welcome Senator Iris Petten to the Senate of Canada.

Senator Petten holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Vocational Education from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Later, her alma mater would honour her with an honorary degree, a Doctor of Laws.

An important part of Senator Petten’s previous career was defined by her time in the business world and her success as an entrepreneur. In 1984, Senator Petten began her career in the fishing industry with Fishery Products International. She would then be a founding shareholder and serve as Vice-President of Grand Atlantic Seafoods. In 2000, she would co-found Ocean Choice International, where she remained until 2008.

It was as early as her childhood that Senator Petten began her apprenticeship in the world of fishing. Her father was a fisherman and a boatbuilder, as were generations before him.

Senator Petten, your deep roots will prove invaluable in advancing matters of importance to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, but I suspect much of your knowledge and skills of the fishing industry are transferable, and they will surely serve as a boon and an asset to the Pacific and Arctic coastal regions and the maritime challenges that we know they face.

[Translation]

In addition to a long and brilliant career in the Atlantic fishing industry, Senator Petten has been an active member of her community, namely by serving three terms as the chair of the Board of Regents of Memorial University of Newfoundland from 2013 to 2022.

[English]

Senator Petten, once again, welcome to the Senate of Canada. We are honoured to count you among our colleagues. I speak for all of us, but I’m especially sure that Senators Manning, Marshall, Wells and Ravalia will ensure that you’re made to feel very much at home here in Ottawa, as will we all.

Welcome, and thank you very much.

Hon. Iris G. Petten, of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, introduced between Hon. Marc Gold, P.C., and Hon. Fabian Manning.

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. 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.

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. 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]