Senator Plett: Someday I’ll try to figure out what your answer will be, and then I’ll ask a question accordingly; that way, at least, we’ll get the question answered.

Leader, why can’t the Trudeau government ever be straight with Canadians about anything — even when it comes to how billions of their tax dollars could be spent in subsidies? They cannot be upfront with Canadians.

Yesterday, when Minister Freeland was asked about the Stellantis project in the other place, her responses did not even come close to answering the questions. I guess you attend the same Question Period prep.

This is what we have all seen publicly over the course of the Trudeau government: higher taxes, more red tape, moving regulatory goalposts midstream, private-sector investment and energy projects evaporating. The list goes on and on, leader.

Leader, when all is said and done, what will be the total cost to taxpayers? Will your government commit to telling Canadians, or will the Trudeau government try to conceal that as well?

Senator Housakos: Yes, you have been clear; the government has been clear. We are going to continue to investigate. We are going to continue to have special or regular rapporteurs, or hire people from the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation to write reports.

At the end of the day, we have had no action. It has been months that we have had these illegal CCP police stations operating on Canadian soil.

We have also seen the government take two years to address the issue of a member of Parliament — him and his family — being threatened by CCP foreign interference. Your government took no action whatsoever. It took two years before we actually expelled somebody who was involved directly in that particular threat.

The questions I have are very simple: How much longer before our government shuts these down? How much longer will it take before the government holds the people responsible for these operations to account, and has them meet the full force of Canadian law? At the end of the day, that’s the only time when we can say the government is serious — when we shut them down, and when those responsible for this illegal operation on Canadian soil face the full force of Canadian law.

The Senate proceeded to consideration of the twelfth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (Bill C-22, An Act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit and making a consequential amendment to the Income Tax Act, with amendments and observations), presented in the Senate on May 11, 2023.

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

(On motion of Senator LaBoucane-Benson, debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Housakos, seconded by the Honourable Senator Wells, for the second reading of Bill S-237, An Act to establish the Foreign Influence Registry and to amend the Criminal Code.

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, on behalf of the Progressive Senate Group, I am delighted to join the other leaders in congratulating the Honourable Raymonde Gagné, who will serve as the Forty-sixth Speaker of the Senate.

As others have mentioned, Senator Gagné is only the third woman to fulfill this role, the second Manitoban and the first woman from Manitoba. This will also mark the first time that both the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker pro tempore are women.

Senator Gagné, when I came to the Senate, Manitoban Gil Molgat was the Speaker, and since I’m due to retire in 2025, it will be another Manitoban when I retire, so I guess I have Manitoba bookends.

Senator Gagné, I know that your background as a teacher will have prepared you well for the task that lies ahead when presiding over our proceedings. With the news of your appointment, the Prime Minister noted your “reputation for productive, objective, and balanced insights,” and from listening to the other leaders, I think it’s fair to say that he is not alone in those views. The Prime Minister has made an excellent choice in appointing you as our new Speaker.

The Senate has been experiencing a period of adjustment, as we navigate various changes and try to find a new path forward. We may not all share the same vision of how to improve, but I do know that we all want to serve our communities as best we can. Senator Gagné, you admirably serve the people of Manitoba, and particularly Franco-Manitobans. In your maiden speech here, you said that Franco-Manitobans have a legacy of defending:

. . . the idea of a Canada that unites and brings its citizens together, while fully respecting their differences and their rights.

I can’t think of a much better sentiment to describe you, our new Speaker. Whether within this chamber or through your various new diplomatic duties, I am confident that you will represent our institution with distinction.

On behalf of the Progressive Senate Group:

[Translation]

Congratulations, Madam Speaker.

Hon. Raymonde Saint-Germain: Madam Speaker, I respectfully refer to you as such as you are the first female Speaker in 44 years and only the third in the history of the Senate, which was established in November 1867. That is something to be very proud of. I note that you will be part of an all-female team together with our Speaker pro tempore, the Honourable Pierrette Ringuette, who, I’m sure, will ably support you in carrying out your new and important duties.

Thanks to your career in this chamber, your integrity, your humility and sense of democracy, you deserve our confidence in presiding over our proceedings. You and your predecessor have solid experience in education, which is an asset for the office of Speaker of the Senate.

Your career was marked by commitment to public service, a commitment that you’ve shown in the Senate since 2016. With this experience, you will now serve the entire institution, and I know that you will do so with your characteristic integrity.

[English]

I would now like to speak to some of the lessons that Speaker Furey left with us in his farewell address:

Honourable senators, let us always remember that our calling to this chamber is an honourable one. Let us always remember in our debates that disagreements must be debated, even vigorously at times, but never — never — personally. Disparaging individuals adds nothing to debate, but indeed denigrates the Senate as a whole.

Speaker Gagné, you embody the spirit of this message with your dignity, humbleness and integrity. I know that these teachings will find their echo with you, and that you will pursue the legacy of our former Speaker while creating your own.

Speaker Gagné, Forty-sixth Speaker of the Senate, please know that you can count on the collaboration, understanding and support of the Independent Senators Group in the fulfillment of your duties. We will stand by your side in contributing to the respect of democratic values, the modernization of our institution, the promotion of collegiality among ourselves and the respect of order and decorum in our deliberations.

Congratulations.

Hon. Scott Tannas: Madam Speaker, on behalf of my colleagues in the Canadian Senators Group, I congratulate you on your appointment as our new Speaker.

According to the Senate’s website, the Speaker “. . . ensures proceedings run smoothly.” At times, that can be a tall order here. Your past experience as chair of numerous organizations — such as the Council of Presidents of Universities in Manitoba and the Association of Canadian Francophone Colleges and Universities — will serve you well as our new presiding officer. However, I think it is your experience in a classroom and as a principal that will give you the best transferable skills for your new job here in the chamber.

As our Speaker, you will be asked to be the public face of the Senate and to act as our chief diplomat abroad. I am certain that you are up to the job and that you will carry out your duties with the same dedication and commitment you have shown throughout your career in this place and before being called to the Senate.

I do have a special wish for you, Madam Speaker. I hope that your transition goes a little smoother than that of your predecessor. I distinctly remember that, by his third day on the job, two questions of privilege and a point of order were raised. It is our hope that we will permit you to ease well into the job.

On a final note, I, for one — and I know others as well — will miss your musical ending of each Senate sitting day with the motion, “that the Senate do now adjourn.”

Congratulations, Madam Speaker. We look forward to working with you.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, on behalf of the opposition and the Conservative caucus, I wish to congratulate you on your new appointment as Speaker of the Senate of Canada.

Indeed, I am pleased to see a Manitoban colleague take on this historical responsibility as Canada’s Forty-sixth Speaker of Senate. As has already been mentioned, you are the second Manitoban to become Speaker. The first was Senator Molgat of Ste. Rose du Lac from 1994 to 2001.

On a personal note, Madam Speaker, because of your new role, I will miss some of the times we had in airport lounges visiting and having a cup of coffee before we would fly to Ottawa and Friday mornings before returning to Manitoba. I remember fondly not the days of COVID but the days when you and I travelled together, just the two of us, back and forth from Winnipeg to Ottawa. It was a great opportunity to get to know you on a personal level.

Madam Speaker, short of being a good Conservative, I believe that you are, indeed, the best choice the Prime Minister could have made as Speaker of the Senate. I find myself in uncharted territory in agreeing with the Prime Minister of Canada.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise to pay tribute to one of our esteemed colleagues in this chamber, Senator Leo Housakos. Senator Housakos has served the Senate and the people of Canada for many years and in various capacities, including as Speaker of the Senate in 2015. His particular passion, however, has been his commitment to international human rights, freedom and the rule of law. In that capacity, we know him to have spoken out courageously on matters of human rights all around the world.

Among the peoples he has spoken for are the people of Armenia. Armenia is a country that has suffered significantly in recent years, surrounded as it is by hostile and often aggressive neighbours. In 2020, Armenia was attacked by its neighbour Azerbaijan in the so-called 44-day war. That attack was supported by Turkey.

There were few voices in Canada speaking out for Armenia back then. Turkey is, after all, a NATO ally. The issue was considered too delicate for many. However, Senator Housakos had the courage to speak out. He exposed the silence of the international community on both the war and on the forced uprooting of many Armenian people from their homes. He condemned the lopsided settlement imposed on Armenia by its powerful neighbours.

Senator Housakos did not receive many accolades from the Government of Canada for his actions, but the people of Armenia did take notice. Indeed, he was recently awarded the Order of Friendship through a decree by the President of Armenia. This honour is in recognition of:

. . . his contribution to the strengthening & the development of friendly ties [between] [Armenia] & [Canada], & for his dedication to preserving universal human values.

Colleagues, I can say from a personal perspective that I am particularly proud of Senator Housakos’ work as he defends human rights and the rule of law around the world. I hope all senators will join me in extending our warmest congratulations to our friend Senator Leo Housakos. Congratulations on this well‑deserved honour.

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, you have likely heard the expression “march to the beat of one’s own drum.” For those of us from Nova Scotia, the instrument is not a drum, and the expression rather has us tapping our feet to one’s own fiddle tune.

Fiddling and fiddle music is a tradition throughout much of the East Coast that travelled across the ocean with our Celtic ancestors. Like each stitch woven into our Nova Scotia tartan, you could say that fiddle music, along with the bagpipes, make up the double helix of our musical DNA.

This Saturday, May 20, we celebrate National Fiddling Day. The bill to establish a National Fiddling Day was a project of our former colleague P.E.I. Senator Libbe Hubley, herself a fiddler. To celebrate the bill, renowned Ontario fiddler Kelli Trottier even wrote a song called “Fiddle Bill.”

On the third Saturday in May, fiddlers all over Canada get together to celebrate their musical tradition and their own unique styles of fiddling. We Cape Bretoners have our very own style rooted in the Scottish tradition, but in the West, you can find the Métis style or the Anglo-Canadian style, which draws from a mix of many stylistic origins. The French-Canadian style found in Quebec and New Brunswick is different still.

Just how big is fiddle music in Cape Breton? For thousands who arrive to Sydney by cruise ships, the first thing to greet them on the waterfront is the world’s largest fiddle and bow, standing at 60 feet tall. It is a guarantee that their visit will include several good fiddle tunes and the inevitable accompanying step dance.

Honourable senators, if you find yourself in Nova Scotia this summer or fall, a highlight of the Nova Scotia tourist season is the annual Celtic Colours International Festival, which will take place this year from October 6 to 14. This festival features 49 concerts in 35 communities across Cape Breton Island celebrating its culture through music, song and dance.

While you are in Nova Scotia, a visit to the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou is a must, where you will experience lively music and a true East Coast kitchen party. You may even run into a member of the Rankin family, who are the owners of the pub. I challenge you to keep your toes from tapping. I offer my very best wishes to fiddlers across the country and to all those that enjoy fiddle music for a very happy National Fiddling Day.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Daniel Beaudette, Lynne Sylvestre, Renaud and Léah Lafond, and Marie-Josée Houle.

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

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

[English]

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

Hon. Pierrette Ringuette: Honourable senators, I wish to join all of you in extending my sincere congratulations to our new Speaker, the Forty-sixth Speaker, Senator Gagné, and wishing her all the best in this new chapter of her parliamentary life. I am even more thrilled that, after 44 years, a woman is finally serving as the Speaker of the Senate, and what’s more, she’s a francophone from a minority community.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Daniel Beaudette, Lynne Sylvestre, Renaud and Léah Lafond, and Marie-Josée Houle.

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

Hon. Pierrette Ringuette: Honourable senators, I wish to join all of you in extending my sincere congratulations to our new Speaker, the 46th Speaker, Senator Gagné, and wishing her all the best in this new chapter of her parliamentary life. I am even more thrilled that, after 44 years, a woman is finally serving as the Speaker of the Senate, and what’s more, she’s a francophone from a minority community.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Lucy and Larry Duke. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Black.

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

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Madam Speaker, like my colleagues, I want to congratulate you and say that there’s no better choice than you for Speaker of the Senate. Congratulations.

Honourable senators, this week, we are marking the seventeenth annual Victims and Survivors of Crime Week. In June, it will be eight years since the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights was adopted.

To mark these two accomplishments by the previous Conservative government, last Saturday I went to Winnipeg to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights with my colleague, the member from the region, Raquel Dancho, to give the director of the museum a copy of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights to have it displayed there with all the other charters adopted by Canada and elsewhere in the world.

We took the opportunity to meet with victims and the families of victims of violent crime. Listening to them made me realize, sadly, just how much their rights have eroded in our justice system since the change in government. All these families had lost confidence in our justice system, and to them, adopting the bill of rights meant that they might, at long last, have rights equal to those of criminals — rights they had been hoping for for decades.

We talked to a family whose loved one’s murderer was never brought to justice. We talked to a victim of intimate partner violence whose abuser threatened them repeatedly without ever facing legal consequences. We talked to a mother who was never told that her son’s murderer had been released not far from her home.

How can there be so many stories, so many injustices here in Canada?

For Ms. Dancho, the museum CEO and me, it was a deeply emotional and very enlightening encounter. When victims’ families see the degree to which our justice system prioritizes respect for offenders’ rights, it is obvious to them that their own rights get very short shrift in comparison. They still feel they’re not being treated fairly, they still lack confidence in the system and they’re still being revictimized by a system that should protect and respect them above all else.

Is this why the government has been downplaying this awareness week for so many years?

Honourable colleagues, during this Victims and Survivors of Crime Week, words alone will no longer be enough to restore victims’ and their families’ confidence in our justice system.

We must take action and stand by them by taking concrete measures the likes of which have been rare indeed in Canada over the past eight years.

This week, in solidarity with all victims of crime and their families, and in memory of all victims whose lives were tragically taken, I’m going to introduce an important bill that will strengthen the enforcement and broaden the scope of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.

Honourable senators, I know this matters to you, and I sincerely hope that, together, we can seize the opportunity to do something meaningful for victims by supporting this important bill for them. Thank you.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Odette Lord and Jean-Pierre Carlos. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Boisvenu.

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