Hon. Marty Deacon: Honourable senators, today I rise to speak to the recent Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cambridge, Ontario, held on May 6. Always the first Saturday in May, this year’s ceremony was a special one for two big reasons. First, this was the first time in three years that the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame was celebrated in person. The excitement was evident among those who attended, including Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett and Waterloo Regional Chair Karen Redman, along with hundreds of families, athletes, coaches and builders.

Just as important as the ceremony was the opening of the new Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame facility. It was wonderful to stroll through this fabulous celebration and history of so many talented individuals who have competed at the highest levels over the decades.

This year’s inductees included Ernie Overland and Marg Oliveira, selected for their incredible work from playground to podium in speed skating over four decades. Between the two, they have coached Olympic medallists, including their own children.

Other inductees included Bryan Little in recognition of his 19 years with the NHL Winnipeg Jets; Ron Campbell for his life commitment to coaching swimming with the Cambridge Aquajets; and Lindsay and Leslie Carson, a mother and daughter duo, who were inducted for their stellar careers in distance running. Lindsay, a five-time national team member, continues her distance running in Whitehorse, and her mother, Leslie, is a repeat marathon champion, as well as a huge contributor to the University of Guelph distance program in the early 2000s. In fact, as a 36-year-old, she returned to graduate school and was a force in Guelph winning the national championship.

Leigh Hobson, competing at the Olympics as a cyclist in the road race in 2008 at the age of 37, was a member of the Canadian National Cycling Team from 1997 to 2000 and from 2007 to 2009. Leigh — with the best smile ever — was a fierce contender in many road races around the world. It was an honour to watch her compete in Beijing.

In the teams category, the Cambridge Cubs Peewees were inducted — a fine group of young men who won the 2019 Baseball Canada Championships — and also inducted was the Jacob Hespeler Hawks football team who, after three big tries, finally won their first-ever provincial championship here in Ottawa in 2018.

Finally, and importantly, I wish to acknowledge each member of the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame committee — some of whom have supported this community initiative for over 40 years. They are Gary Hedges, Bob Howison, Bruce Bevan, Jim Cox, Bob McIver, John Morton, Al Pederson, Paul Ross, John Rothwell, Ted Wilson and Dave Willock. And, to Doc Schlei, thank you for the photos and for keeping this event active online throughout the year.

Lastly, senators, as a reminder to each one of you, National Health and Fitness Day is right around the corner. It will be here before you know it. I hope you have those running shoes out. I will have more to say on this, but please get out there, get moving and look after your own mental and physical fitness.

Thank you. Meegwetch.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

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

(On motion of Senator Cotter, 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.

The Special Rapporteur, the Honourable David Johnston, has been seized with an important task, which is to advise the Prime Minister as to the appropriate and prudent way to continue getting to the bottom of these allegations of foreign interference.

I find it difficult to refrain from —

Hon. Brent Cotter: Honourable senators, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the thirteenth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, which deals with Bill C-9, An Act to amend the Judges Act.

(For text of report, see today’s Journals of the Senate, p. 1701.)

Hon. Fabian Manning: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the seventh report of the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, which deals with the subject matter of those elements contained in Subdivisions A, B and C of Division 21 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.)

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

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

Hon. Claude Carignan: Leader, for nearly three years now, I have been asking you questions about the landfill and illegal dumping on Oka territory, in Kanesatake.

Yesterday, after three years, you surprised me with your answer. You said, and I quote:

As this is partially private land, the government’s legal means for intervening are limited.

Your minister said basically the same thing in today’s edition of La Presse, namely, that it is private property.

However, I have before me an email dated May 21, 2020, from the office of Quebec’s Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, addressed to the Mayor of Oka, reporting on the situation at the Kanesatake site, which reads as follows:

Dear Mr. Quevillon:

On May 11, 2020, Indigenous Services Canada confirmed to our ministry that G&R Recycling is located on lands that are federally owned.

The email goes on to confirm that Quebec will not be responsible for the environmental liabilities related to this site.

Leader, why did your minister repeat to La Presse that the land is on private property? Why did you tell us that the dump was on private property, but you told the Quebec Minister of the Environment that it is on federally owned land and that he would not have to suffer the potential environmental problems?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, senator. I think all of us eagerly await the arrival of new colleagues to join us.

The government continues to work to ensure that appointments to the Senate are made through an open, transparent and merit‑based process. Indeed, this government has appointed to the Senate 68 eminent Canadians of diverse and distinguished backgrounds.

I have been advised, as we all have been, that more appointments are forthcoming. However, I don’t have any more information that I can share at this juncture. We’re all crossing our fingers and looking forward to welcoming new colleagues as soon as possible.

Hon. Percy E. Downe: Senator Gold, more than 120,000 people living in Canada receive a U.K. State Pension. These pensions are indexed to inflation for pensioners in the U.K. as well as those living in many other countries, including the United States. However, for pensioners living in Canada, this is not the case.

The U.K. government policy stands in sharp contrast to Canada, where pension payments are always indexed, regardless of where in the world the recipient lives. Not only is this unfair to those who face pensions of steadily declining value as a result of inflation, but it represents an estimated $450 million not entering the Canadian economy, with all the benefits that would bring.

I’m interested in finding out whether there’s currently any effort on the part of the Government of Canada to fix this long‑standing problem.

Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard: My question is for the representative of the government in the Senate.

Senator Gold, a few weeks ago, my colleagues and I asked Minister LeBlanc about the many vacancies in the Senate for senators representing the Atlantic region. The minister reassured us that we will be pleasantly surprised with the coming news, and indeed we were. I welcome our new Atlantic colleagues: Senator Petten, who is here in the chamber today, representing Newfoundland and Labrador; and Senator MacAdam, representing P.E.I., who will be with us shortly.

I would like to follow up about Nova Scotia appointments, since we have the longest vacancy for these seats in the Senate since April 9, 2020. What is happening with the three vacant seats for Nova Scotia?

What is happening with the other vacant seats for the Atlantic region: two in Newfoundland, one more in P.E.I. and three in New Brunswick?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. Minister Miller went on the radio at about 8:15 this morning to further explain the issues and the complexity of this situation.

In terms of this unacceptable and intolerable situation, the federal government’s means for intervening are not unlimited — quite the contrary. The Province of Quebec has a great deal of responsibility here, particularly regarding law and order. It is a well-known fact that there are governance issues within the community in question, as residents are all too aware.

In addition, all levels of government are working together to find a solution, including the Government of Quebec, the Government of Canada and the Kanesatake band council. This is an intolerable situation, of course, but the solutions are not obvious and an effort is being made. Unfortunately, this is a tragedy for the residents; the solutions are not obvious in the short term.

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Gold has the floor.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, Senator Downe, for raising this issue and bringing it to my attention. I will certainly bring this issue to the attention of the relevant minister.

Hon. Percy E. Downe: Senator Gold, more than 120,000 people living in Canada receive a U.K. State Pension. These pensions are indexed to inflation for pensioners in the U.K. as well as those living in many other countries, including the United States. However, for pensioners living in Canada, this is not the case.

The U.K. government policy stands in sharp contrast to Canada, where pension payments are always indexed, regardless of where in the world the recipient lives. Not only is this unfair to those who face pensions of steadily declining value as a result of inflation, but it represents an estimated $450 million not entering the Canadian economy, with all the benefits that would bring.

I’m interested in finding out whether there’s currently any effort on the part of the Government of Canada to fix this long-standing problem.

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Gold has the floor.

Hon. David M. Wells: My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Senator Gold, this question is about the Pivot Airlines crew detained in the Dominican Republic for seven months last year. In November 2022, Minister Alghabra’s office committed to a full investigation of the incident. The crew was released in December of last year. On February 7, I asked you about the government’s progress in the commitment to this investigation, and I received a short while ago a delayed answer that they can’t do an investigation on foreign soil. Of course, the question wasn’t about things outside the Department of Transport’s jurisdiction; it was about things within their jurisdiction, and that was their commitment.

Senator Gold, we know most of the failings happened within Canada. My question is when this investigation will occur. It’s a very simple question.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question, senator. It’s my understanding that there is an investigation under way. I’m not able to comment on the details of the investigation, nor do I know its progress, but I have been advised that Transport Canada has undertaken an investigation of this matter and I will certainly follow up with the minister to bring these concerns to him.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): This question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. In a report last June, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, or CMHC, said that to restore housing affordability by 2030, we need an additional 3.5 million housing units beyond the current projections. That’s a total of 5.8 million units needed just to make housing affordable in Canada. CMHC also says that two thirds of this gap is in British Columbia and Ontario.

Leader, this information can’t be dismissed as being from a partisan source. It’s from a Crown corporation. The Trudeau government’s Housing Accelerator Fund has a goal of creating 100,000 new homes between when it opens for applications in June and when it ends in 2027. Leader, how will the Trudeau government address the massive shortfall between the amount of housing needed and the amount your plan is offering?