Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Budget 2023 clearly expresses the government’s intention of making this change to put credit unions on an equal footing in the tax system. The government is taking the time necessary to draft the legislation to roll out this change properly.

As noted in the 2023 tax supplement, the amendment would apply in respect of taxation years of a credit union ending after 2016, providing retroactive support to credit unions.

Hon. Claude Carignan: I think it is important to come back to this country’s shortage of judges, which can be attributed to the inertia of the government you represent.

When the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada takes the liberty of publicly rebuking your government, it’s a sign that the situation has become intolerable and that it’s jeopardizing timely access to justice.

Senator Gold, you know how the selection process for judges works. I am familiar with it, having spent three years on a judicial advisory committee. There is a pool of potential judges who have been pre-approved by the committees, so all your Prime Minister has to do is use the list of recommended candidates to fill the 85 judicial vacancies.

I can’t help but remember Radio-Canada’s exposé from October 2020 about how the judicial selection process was being politicized by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Leader, can you assure us that the reason the Prime Minister isn’t filling this country’s judicial vacancies isn’t that there aren’t enough card-carrying Liberals among the candidates pre‑approved by independent committees? If that’s not the reason, then can you tell us what is?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. No, that is clearly not the case. Despite the fact that your leader addressed me as the “Liberal leader”, I am the government representative. Resolutions adopted by the Liberal Party, and those adopted by your party as well, colleague, are quite obviously supporters’ resolutions, and the government is in no way obligated to take them up.

The Prime Minister made it very clear, as did Minister Seamus O’Regan, that the government has no intention of implementing the proposed resolution. The Government of Canada respects journalism. That is quite evident in the bills under consideration, and it is clear to everyone.

The answer, once again, is no.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, and for underlining the important contribution that our veterans have made, as well as the important support that they deserve.

The government continues to work assiduously to provide appropriate benefits to veterans. The pacing and timing of expenditures are a function of many variables. In that regard, I would certainly be happy to take your concerns and transmit them to the appropriate minister.

Hon. Andrew Cardozo: Thank you, Government Representative.

This question is on the same theme of solutions to complex issues, and it relates to the watermark-style pictures in the new passport. Let me approach it quite differently than was earlier discussed. I do believe those symbols are important. As you know, I’ve raised the issue of ensuring that Parliament Hill and Wellington Street are reformed in a way that will highlight that icon for all Canadians.

I want to ask the government to take a step back from this issue, and consult with Canadians once again in order to develop a new proposal by the fall. Given that Canadians will be applying for passports online, I wonder if we can provide applicants with a choice of the art they would like for their passports. Passports are not a document to be weaponized. Can we find an amicable solution as soon as possible?

Hon. Andrew Cardozo: I have a two-part question for the Government Representative in the Senate. Out of respect for this institution, I will use your proper title: Government Representative.

My question relates to two current controversies, and, rather than complaining or accusing, I will propose that my theme is solutions to complex issues.

On the matter of foreign interference and parliamentarians, while I compliment the government on the new policy announced this week that requires the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service, or CSIS, to brief up all intelligence regarding parliamentarians, can you confirm that CSIS will brief individual parliamentarians directly when there are any intelligence issues concerning those individuals going forward, as well as that CSIS will also brief them on intelligence received in recent years?

Hon. Leo Housakos: My question is for the government leader in the Senate. We just found out yesterday that Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino — who helps Canadians sleep so comfortably at night — has announced that this country is not going to see a foreign influence registry before next fall.

This is another example — despite the urgency by both the public and the media — of so many cases where we currently see our national security has been compromised, yet your government continues to vacillate on this issue and bury its head in the sand, always taking an extraordinary amount of time to respond to the globe’s biggest bully: the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.

Why is the government so reticent in taking a hard stand to protect Canadians of Chinese descent, as well as so many other Canadians of the diaspora who are being intimidated and threatened?

Why doesn’t your government embrace Bill S-237 — a private member’s bill that has been lingering in this house for 15 months? Take the bill, mould it, send it to committee, build in the elements that the government wants and expedite it out of this chamber, which the government can do quickly, given the fact that the majority of senators here continuously vote for what they wish. Get it over to the House, where there is a political will to deal with this. Why are we waiting until next fall? What is going on?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. Colleagues, I’m not in a position to comment on the decisions and actions of CSIS, or any other security agency, with regard to how they may address matters of national security.

As the Prime Minister recently stated, he will be instructing CSIS to lower the threshold in determining what constitutes a sufficient level of concern. Going forward, the government has made it clear to CSIS that threats to any parliamentarians, regardless of the level of threat, need to be fully briefed up.

I would certainly be happy to bring the concerns and suggestions that you have raised to the attention of the Minister of Public Safety.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): My question is for the government leader in the Senate. It was mentioned earlier that the Royal Canadian Legion expressed its disappointment when the Trudeau government removed the image of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, as it signifies the sacrifices made for the very sort of freedom that the passport provides.

In March, the Legion said it wants assurances from the Trudeau government that the money announced in this year’s budget to tackle the backlog in disability benefits will be spent. The Legion pointed to the most recent public accounts, which show that Veterans Affairs Canada did not spend $920 million in 2022. Leader, when I raised this issue with you a year ago, the amount of funding lapsed by Veterans Affairs Canada in 2021 was over $634 million.

Why has your government allowed over $1.5 billion to lapse at Veterans Affairs Canada in just two years — when thousands of applications remain in the backlog?

Hon. Marilou McPhedran: I have a question for Senator Gold, please. Senator Gold, less than a month ago, on April 17, Vladimir Kara-Murza, one of the Kremlin’s most prominent critics, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after the court found him guilty of treason, spreading false information about the Russian army and being affiliated with an undesirable organization. What was his actual crime? Defying Putin.

Mr. Kara-Murza’s wife has noted that her husband’s sentence far exceeds the Russian criminal code’s penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment for the most severe crimes. The trial — behind closed doors, despite no state secrets being implicated — has been likened to Stalin’s sham trials of the 1930s to eliminate dissidents.

Mr. Kara-Murza is no stranger to this chamber, having played an instrumental role in our Parliament’s unanimous adoption of the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act in 2017, also known as the Sergei Magnitsky Law. In 2016, he testified before our Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade on increasing erosion of fundamental elements of a functioning democracy, including free media, free and fair elections, an independent judiciary and an active civil society, as well as repressive persecution of pro-democracy defenders, including himself.

Now Vladimir Kara-Murza is locked away, and he will not be the last to be silenced and abused by Russia.

Senator Gold, what is the Canadian government doing to call out human rights violations by the Russian state against its own citizens?

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Are you, Senator Plett, raising a point of order?

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Would any other senators like to speak on this point of order?

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: I did not understand Senator Carignan to say that he was rising on a point of order, but I will ask for the sake of argument and openness.

[Translation]

Senator Carignan, do you wish to raise a point of order on this matter?

Hon. Leo Housakos: In his ruling.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): I find it strange, Your Honour, that you would make a ruling on something without even allowing anybody else to get up and say anything. The fact of the matter is the Speaker last week made a ruling calling the government leader, the Liberal leader, calling him the Leader of the Government —

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Senator Carignan, I respect the point you have raised, which is nearly a point of order. I would remind you that Speaker Furey delivered a ruling on this matter last week.

[English]

Hon. Claude Carignan: Madam Speaker, during question period, I always make a point of addressing the Leader of the Government as “government leader.” Earlier, a senator stated that he would call the leader by his title, “Government Representative,” implying that calling him “government leader” shows a lack of respect.

I would like to point out that rule 4-8(1) of the Rules of the Senate states that senators may ask a question of the Leader of the Government. Throughout the Rules of the Senate, we see the title “Leader of the Government.” The Parliament of Canada Act refers to the Leader of the Government.

Therefore, the Leader of the Government is free to call himself the government go-between, the agent of the government or any other title, but he is the Leader of the Government. I do not see how addressing the Leader of the Government as “government leader” is disrespectful.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Senator Plett, just a second. Let us clarify this.

Senator Carignan didn’t raise a point of order; he just stood up. Are you now raising a point of order, Senator Plett?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. The Government of Canada deplores the guilty verdict handed down to Vladimir Kara-Murza for simply the “crime” of making legitimate political comments aimed at a better and safer future for Russia and for the Russian people. It is another example of Russia’s gross violations of international rights and lack of respect for basic principles of due process. It is clear that Russia continues to completely disregard respect for democratic principles and for universal human rights, including freedom of speech, in relation to its own people and others around the world.

Canada has always stood for the protection and promotion of human rights around the world. We’ve done so for decades now and will continue to do so. The Senate can be reassured that this government is seized with this issue and is doing what is necessary to call out the government of Russia for these violations of human rights.

[Translation]