Hon. Amina Gerba: Madam Speaker, congratulations on your appointment as the Forty-sixth Speaker of the Senate.

Honourable colleagues, as we prepare to celebrate Africa Day on May 25, I want to recognize the amazing contribution that members of the African diaspora have made to their mother continent and to their new homelands. The African diaspora includes anyone of African descent living outside the continent. In 20 years, the African diaspora in Canada has more than tripled, going from 300,000 people in 2000 to 1.3 million people in 2021.

Given their strong sense of patriotic identity, members of the African diaspora naturally build socio-economic and cultural bridges with their adopted countries.

Africans around the world have made a name for themselves in many different sectors, such as arts and culture, education, politics, research and especially business, which is where these men and women shine. Canada’s history can attest to that.

Since the arrival of Mathieu Da Costa, the first African person to come to Canada in the early 17th century, many people of African descent have helped to shape our nation’s heritage. They include Lincoln Alexander, Viola Desmond and Oscar Peterson.

I would note the presence in the gallery of several influential members of the African diaspora in Quebec: Souad Elmallem, Fidèle Toghoua, Henriette Mvondo and Cyrille Ékwalla. There are also other members of the diaspora representing the Groupe Excellence Québec and United Actions for Africa. They will be mentioned later. They are going to take part in celebrating the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association’s twentieth anniversary.

Colleagues, we can learn from our neighbours to the south, who set up an organization called Prosper Africa to steer the Biden-Harris administration’s Africa strategy. To develop such an initiative, our country can and must leverage the engagement and entrepreneurial energy of members of the African diaspora, and that’s just the beginning.

Thank you for your attention.

[English]

Senator Carignan: Leader, you know that you have the authority to intervene. You have the authority to make orders. You know that this matter falls under federal jurisdiction, from both an environmental and an Indigenous Affairs perspective.

For example, how is it that, in just a few hours, on June 22, 2016, you were able to make an order to suspend activities on private property to protect a frog habitat, but when it comes time to make an order to stop illegal dumping in the drinking water supply for over 500,000 people, you can’t do anything at all?

Senator Gold: With respect, I understand that this is a serious issue.

I appreciate your passion, because this is an important issue. Unfortunately, the facts are the facts. The government’s means of intervening are limited. They are not unlimited, even when it comes to the environment. It is a shared jurisdiction. The fact that there is an Indigenous community involved does not in any way diminish the responsibility of the Sûreté du Québec and the Province of Quebec to maintain law and order and to enforce the law, in a general sense, in communities like Kanesatake.

This does not give the federal government unlimited authority to intervene. Furthermore, this is to say nothing of the dangers to public safety in the event of any heavy-handed intervention that is not well planned with the appropriate authorities, including the community’s band council.

[English]

Senator Plett: No, you did not answer it. You did not answer his question about how much the government is spending. You did not answer my question about how Canadians can contact the Special Rapporteur. That wasn’t a degradation of the previous Governor General. It is the Prime Minister who is showing contempt to a wonderful individual, as the Governor General, Mr. Johnston. It’s the Prime Minister who appointed him and said, “This is my good family friend. A member of the Trudeau Foundation, a good family friend, and I’m appointing him as a Special Rapporteur. By the way, if you want to get ahold of him, contact my office.” But he’s independent.

And then you say we have disrespect. You are sitting there and laughing at Canadians, and the Prime Minister is laughing at Canadians. His dad had the famous Western Canadian salute. This Prime Minister is using both hands.

My question now concerns the ArriveCAN app. Let’s see if you can just once answer a question without all of your diatribe about how evil we are. Answer a question.

This app, leader, was never necessary, but if the Trudeau government was so intent on going ahead with it, it could have asked some of the thousands of IT professionals who work for the Government of Canada to develop it. It could even have contracted out the work that this government so loves to do. Instead, this incompetent government chose to pay over $8 million to a two-person company.

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Cotter, seconded by the Honourable Senator Dasko, for the third reading of 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, as amended.

Senator Moncion: Thank you, colleagues.

[English]

Bill C-13 is very important for official language minority communities because the Official Languages Act in some way counterbalances a decentralized federal system for implementing language rights in a minority context. As a proud Franco‑Ontarian who grew up in a province that has long and often trampled on the language rights of its French-speaking minority from Regulation 17 to the threat of abolishing the Université de l’Ontario français and the Hôpital Montfort, to name but a few linguistic crises, I’m aware of the importance of the federal language rights regime in representing the interests of people from an official language minority community in Canada.

In most provinces and territories other than Quebec, there is no legal protection for French. New Brunswick is the exception, being the only officially bilingual province, and, in some way, the Province of Ontario as well, with its French Language Services Act. Consequently, official federal bilingualism has long been a guarantor of the rights of French-speaking minorities in Canada. The implementation of the Official Languages Act directly affects respect for the language rights of francophones in minority communities.

[Translation]

Bill C-13 is a breakthrough because it recognizes French as a minority language in Canada and North America due to the predominant use of English, expands and strengthens the Treasury Board’s powers as the central agency responsible for implementing much of the law, clarifies the positive measures, and requires IRCC to adopt a francophone immigration policy.

Several of the amendments that were adopted at the Standing Committee on Official Languages in the other place strengthened the proposed legislative framework.

The Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages released a report on the modernization of the act that inspired various proposals for reforming the Official Languages Act. Colleagues, in order to enable us to start our review as soon as possible, please send Bill C-13 to the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages as soon as possible.

Thank you.

[English]

Senator Yussuff: Senator Plett, thank you very much for your remarks. I’m not going to be as harsh as my colleague over there with some of your discrepancies. But it would be fitting to suggest that an institution that was created in 1867 could use a thorough review in how it functions and meets the needs of the nation.

The RCMP, like other institutions in this country, needs to be reviewed to ensure it can meet the modern times we’re living in. As we know today, cybersecurity and cybercrimes are probably more heightened than anytime in history. Of course, when the RCMP was created, this was not a priority. It is now. It’s a serious priority, and the RCMP is doing its best, of course, to meet that.

In 2023, I would argue that municipal policing and provincial policing have evolved, as we have seen in Ontario and Quebec. Certainly, we could look at other provinces wanting to take on that responsibility, which makes political and economic sense for them to do so. Certainly, I think you would accept that we need to look at this institution. What might come may include some recommendations on how we can modernize it to meet the needs of a nation. I don’t think that would be out of step with what the inquiry can achieve. Would you not say so?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Louise Guérette, Julie Gagné and Yaël About. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Cormier.

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 Dorothy Rhau, Jaël Élysée and Paula Caldwell St-Onge. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Mégie.

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 Aneela and Qamrul Siddiqi, and Mustafa and Abdul Popalzai. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Ataullahjan.

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

Hon. Marie-Françoise Mégie: Today I rise in honour of the 220th anniversary of the Haitian flag, which was raised in front of Parliament at noon today.

On May 18, 1803, General Jean-Jacques Dessalines ripped out the centre of the French blue, white and red flag. White was seen as symbolic of the White French colonists.

Catherine Flon took the remaining two pieces, one blue, the other red, and sewed them together to represent the union of Black people and people of mixed heritage. Thus was born the Haitian flag.

The centre of the flag features the country’s coat of arms, including a palm tree surmounted by the liberty cap and, under the palm, a trophy of arms with the legend, “In union there is strength.”

Despite all the upheaval Haiti has been through from its independence to now, the Haitian flag remains a strong symbol of unity and hope for its people and its diaspora.

[Editor’s Note: Senator Mégie spoke in another language.]

I wish all my Haitian sisters and brothers a happy 220th Haitian Flag Day.

Thank you.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Dorothy Rhau, Jaël Élysée and Paula Caldwell St-Onge. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Mégie.

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 Louise Guérette, Julie Gagné and Yaël About. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Cormier.

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 Aneela and Qamrul Siddiqi, and Mustafa and Abdul Popalzai. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Ataullahjan.

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

Hon. Mary Coyle: Honourable senators, I would first like to thank my Conservative colleagues for allowing me to have this statement slot.

I rise today to pay tribute to my seatmate, the Honourable — and remarkable — Senator Margo Greenwood. Earlier today, just across the street in the drawing room of the Château Laurier Hotel, our esteemed colleague Senator Greenwood was celebrated for her 20 years of leadership as the academic leader of the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health at the University of Northern British Columbia.

The room was full of Margo’s colleagues from across Canada and also internationally. Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, paid tribute to Senator Greenwood. They had collaborated over the years and, together, made a significant difference in the health outcomes in Indigenous communities during the height of the COVID pandemic. Minister Carolyn Bennett lauded Margo for her leadership, creativity and significant impacts. Natan Obed, the President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, was there to celebrate his colleague and friend Margo. Many of her close friends and admirers from our chamber and beyond were there as Margo symbolically crossed over the bridge from her previous national leadership role to the one we have known her to have here in Canada’s upper chamber.

Margo was honoured with words, song and drum, and she was wrapped with love in a beautiful star blanket — the ultimate in honouring. Colleagues, quite frankly, the morning event was a Senator Margo Greenwood love-in, and it was so very well deserved.

Our colleague Senator Greenwood got up and spoke, and if I had a lot more time to prepare for this, I would have asked her for her remarks. But she started off with a beautiful image of a tree that she grew up with, which she called “the dreaming tree.” With every position Margo has held — and she was speaking of her position and her leadership in Indigenous health — she has been one to dream about the possible.

What she told us about in her remarks was how she — and she was very generous in this — and many of those in the room, as well as others who were not in the room, had brought about very important dreams of better health outcomes, dreams of collaboration, dreams of people operating on much better information and evidence — not just the kind of academic evidence that we usually look at, but, yes, academic evidence — and dreams of honouring Indigenous knowledge. It was an honour to be there.

She was generous, and on behalf of my Independent Senators Group colleagues and all of the colleagues here in this Senate Chamber, I want to thank Senator Greenwood for crossing over that bridge and being here with us. I know it wasn’t easy, and it can’t be easy every day, but we’re so fortunate to have you with us. Thank you, and congratulations. Hiy hiy.

Hon. Marie-Françoise Mégie: Today I rise in honour of the two hundred and twentieth anniversary of the Haitian flag, which was raised in front of Parliament at noon today.

On May 18, 1803, General Jean-Jacques Dessalines ripped out the centre of the French blue, white and red flag. White was seen as symbolic of the White French colonists.

Catherine Flon took the remaining two pieces, one blue, the other red, and sewed them together to represent the union of Black people and people of mixed heritage. Thus was born the Haitian flag.

The centre of the flag features the country’s coat of arms, including a palm tree surmounted by the liberty cap and, under the palm, a trophy of arms with the legend, “In union there is strength.”

Despite all the upheaval Haiti has been through from its independence to now, the Haitian flag remains a strong symbol of unity and hope for its people and its diaspora.

[Editor’s Note: Senator Mégie spoke in another language.]

I wish all my Haitian sisters and brothers a happy two hundred and twentieth Haitian Flag Day.

Thank you.

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.)