Senator Gold: It’s a big question. As I mentioned in my answer to Senator Coyle, there’s no question that if the Industrial Revolution transformed society in past centuries, the Information Revolution — which began many decades ago — is now proving to potentially be an even more dramatic and fast-paced transformation. With transformations, there are dislocations and changes, and we are seeing that not only in this area but in our economy as the world is beginning a shift from heavy reliance on fossil fuels to other forms of energy.

Senator Gold: It’s a big question. As I mentioned in my answer to Senator Coyle, there’s no question that if the Industrial Revolution transformed society in past centuries, the Information Revolution — which began many decades ago — is now proving to potentially be an even more dramatic and fast-paced transformation. With transformations, there are dislocations and changes, and we are seeing that not only in this area but in our economy as the world is beginning a shift from heavy reliance on fossil fuels to other forms of energy.

The government is actively engaged in this issue around the question of risk, and I have every confidence that the government will also respond to the economic implications of transformations that will surely follow from the expansion of AI into all aspects of our lives.

[Translation]

Senator Coyle: Absolutely.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today, once again. The grief in the Ontario Provincial Police is unbearable. There are simply no words to describe how this tragedy affects everyone in the service, in the little community of Bourget and across eastern Ontario.

Last Thursday, three officers were shot following a call to a residence in the rural community of Bourget, just 50 kilometres from here. Sergeant Eric Mueller was killed. The two other officers were hospitalized, one of them with critical injuries.

Sergeant Eric Mueller was a 21-year veteran of the OPP, having served with the Offender Transport Unit for four years before becoming a provincial constable in 2006. I had the privilege of swearing in Eric in my final year as commissioner. Eric served in the Leeds County detachment before transferring to Russell County. He became a sergeant in 2018.

Let me tell you who he was. He was a fine young man and a deeply dedicated police officer. Seriously injured on duty in 2008, he fought hard to fulfill his desire to return to work as a police officer. Eric was a leader amongst the finest to his shift mates; to his community, he was seen as a gentleman; to his friends and colleagues, he was described as one of the finest, kindest and smartest officers they’ve had the chance to work with.

He was a brother, a husband, a son and a father. He did his job to the best of his ability — a natural in the service to others. In 2015, Sergeant Mueller received the Commissioner’s Citation for Lifesaving after he helped rescue an injured suspect who was trapped under a burning vehicle.

Tomorrow, officers and first responders will gather to honour him and his family here in Ottawa at 11 a.m.

Colleagues, please take a moment to think of the many mourners who will gather here in Ottawa, but especially of his family, his colleagues and his friends. Please join me in wishing the injured officers a full and speedy recovery. To the officers of Russell County, I want them to know we are with them.

This tragedy is impossible to make sense of. We have lost a talented police officer. A wife has lost her husband. Two young children have lost their father. May we forever remember the sacrifice he has made.

Thank you, meegwetch.

Hon. Brian Francis: Thank you, Your Honour. I would like to offer my sincere congratulations on your appointment.

Honourable colleagues, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Joseph Kenneth Levi from Metepenagiag First Nation, who retired from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, or DFO, last January after working for more than three decades as a fisheries officer in New Brunswick.

During his long career, Mr. Levi was repeatedly tasked with mediating between the department and local First Nations, including at times of significant tension, harassment and even violence directed at fellow Mi’kmaq who attempted to exercise their constitutionally protected Aboriginal and treaty rights. He highlighted two examples.

During the wild Atlantic salmon crisis in 1995, Mr. Levi worked near Natoaganeg First Nation, which is only a kilometre from his residence and therefore put him in a very difficult position. After weeks of extensive surveillance, there were multiple seizures and arrests until the river was finally closed.

In addition, Mr. Levi was at the front lines during the Burnt Church crisis from 1999 to 2002. He shared that DFO was unprepared and resistant to the ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada in Marshall. As a result, Mi’kmaq who tried to catch and sell their lobster for sustenance encountered an aggressive enforcement response from the department, which concluded in violent clashes. There was also significant pushback from non‑Indigenous stakeholders. Mr. Levi was caught in the middle of this crisis and feared for his own safety and that of his colleagues and the broader community. On one occasion, he was in a vessel at sea when rocks were thrown, and he had to aid a new recruit who was seriously hurt.

Despite tough times, Mr. Levi is proud of what he accomplished and overcame during his long career at DFO. He pushed for change from within, including by advocating for more Indigenous recruitment to help build deeper understanding and relationships locally. However, Mr. Levi laments that retention remains low because the department has not allocated the necessary time and resources to become more culturally capable and responsive. Nevertheless, he remains hopeful that it will one day work in true partnership with the Mi’kmaq so that current and future generations can enjoy and benefit from their right to fish and trade lobster, salmon and other species which were shared freely by our ancestors after contact.

To Mr. Levi and all other Indigenous public servants who are committed to helping improve the experiences and outcomes of other Indigenous people from within, I say we’lalin — thank you — for your contributions and sacrifices. Having walked alongside you earlier in my career, I know how challenging it can be to balance your personal and professional responsibilities, especially when you experience prejudice, discrimination and other barriers in the workplace and when you are directed to administer laws, policies and programs which may adversely impact your families, communities and nations.

We’lalin. Thank you.

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of our former colleague the Honourable Douglas Roche, who is also a former Ambassador for Disarmament. He is accompanied by Cesar Jaramillo, the Executive Director of Project Ploughshares. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator McPhedran.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you back 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 Aaron Sock of the Elsipogtog First Nation; Joseph Levi of Metepenagiag First Nation; Tara Levi of Neqotkuk First Nation, Executive Director for MAWIW Council Inc.; and James Lloyd Rockwell. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Francis.

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 Régine, Jean-François and Alexis Diard. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Audette.

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 Aaron Sock of the Elsipogtog First Nation; Joseph Levi of Metepenagiag First Nation; Tara Levi of Neqotkuk First Nation, Executive Director for MAWIW Council Inc.; and James Lloyd Rockwell. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Francis.

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 Régine, Jean‑François and Alexis Diard. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Audette.

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 Wendy Wood, Diane Paquette and Monique Renaud. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Cardozo.

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 Wendy Wood, Diane Paquette and Monique Renaud. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Cardozo.

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this report be taken into consideration?

(On motion of Senator Black, report placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)

Hon. Robert Black: Honourable senators, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the tenth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, which deals with Bill S-236, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Employment Insurance Regulations (Prince Edward Island).

(For text of report, see today’s Journals of the Senate, p. 1695.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this bill be read the second time?

(On motion of Senator Boisvenu, bill placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading two days hence.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Margot Kontak‑Forsyth and Morley Forsyth. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Coyle.

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this report be taken into consideration?

(On motion of Senator Black, report placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. I’m not in a position to comment on what The Globe and Mail is reporting, nor am I in a position to comment on what information or the nature of the information that may have been provided to Global Affairs. What I can say is that with regard to the particular allegations that were made public in The Globe and Mail about the actions in relation to MP Chong, the government was made aware of those through The Globe and Mail and took action appropriately and expeditiously to declare that person persona non grata.

Hon. Tony Dean: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs, which deals with the subject matter of those elements contained in Division 24 of Part 4 of Bill C-47, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 28, 2023.

(Pursuant to the order adopted April 27, 2023, the report was deemed referred to the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance and placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu introduced Bill S-265, An Act to enact the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime Act, to amend the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights and to establish a framework for implementing the rights of victims of crime.

(Bill read first time.)