Hon. Yuen Pau Woo: Good afternoon, minister. The so-called Montreal police stations that Senator Housakos has maligned is the Service à la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montréal, an organization that has been providing community services to Chinese Canadians in Montreal for nearly 50 years. You have said the so-called police station at the centre has been shut down, but you have not provided any information about when it operated, what it did, what was objectionable about what it did, who was involved and, most importantly, how the centre can recognize such activity so that it does not happen again. Minister, when will you clear the good name of the Service à la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montréal so they can continue to do the good work they have been doing for nearly 50 years?

Hon. Marty Klyne: Minister, your mandate letter includes continued work with First Nations partners to co-develop a legislative framework for First Nations policing, and to continue to engage with the Inuit and Métis on policing matters.

You previously indicated your hope to table such legislation in fall 2022. However, last month, The Canadian Press reported uncertainty about when — and if — the government will table a First Nations policing bill this year, including to recognize First Nations policing as an essential service. I note that Budget 2021 made significant funding commitments for the co-development process. Minister, in terms of delivering the subject legislation, when can Canadians expect the bill’s introduction?

Hon. Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Safety: Yes, Senator, I’m sure that when the bill comes into force it will save lives. A national freeze on handguns will prevent other shooting tragedies. Handguns are the type of guns used in the vast majority of homicides. The statistics prove it. A national freeze on handguns will reduce handgun violence.

We also need to boost the resources at the Canada Border Services Agency. The government is working on that. Finally, we also need to address the problem at the source through a prevention plan in partnership with local organizations that understand the situation better than we do in this chamber and better than any parliamentarian. They are the ones who understand the risks on the ground. Thanks to this initiative, we could prevent incidents of violence in the future.

[English]

Hon. Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Safety: That was, perhaps, one of the most educational and enriching experiences that I have had as the Minister of Public Safety — and as someone who comes from the big city of Toronto. I was able to go to the Yukon and take a trip on the Dawson Overland Trail with people who are gun owners — people who are not only engaging in a hobby because, for them, this is a pastime. It’s part of the fabric of who they are.

I was there to see how they carry out this pastime in a way that is safe and secure, as well as how they use legal firearms to hunt, trap and, in some cases with First Nations communities, protect themselves from the wildlife that is there. I assured them that Bill C-21 is not about targeting law-abiding gun owners, as we often hear by the Conservative Party, but rather going after the AR-15-style firearms that have been used and could be used again in the future in mass shootings.

As you know, the Mass Casualty Commission from Nova Scotia called on our government to strengthen the national ban against those AR-15-style firearms. We took that action, and we did it with a broad consensus of three of the four major recognized parties in the House of Commons, but also in a way that is respectful of life in the North. That will continue to be the way in which we do this work.

[Translation]

Hon. Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Safety: I want to thank you, senator, for the question. The first and most important principle I would underline is that — and I hope this is a sentiment that we all share — any foreign interference should be both held accountable and condemned, as it is contrary to the Canadian national interest. Our government has put into place the tools that are necessary to deal with that scourge as it becomes increasingly pervasive and complex.

My job as the Minister of Public Safety is to advocate for the new tools that our security establishment is advocating for, as well as ensure that we bring along Canadians who may be marginalized or stereotyped — because it is they who, at times, have been the victims of foreign interference. I want to assure you, as I have in the past, that we will continue to have that dialogue going forward.

In regard to the so-called police stations and the foreign interference activities that have been reported in relation to them, as you know, the RCMP has made public statements that they have disrupted those activities in the past. In any ongoing investigations going forward, questions should be directed to them because they are conducting those operations in a manner that is independent from the elected government — consistent with constitutional principles.

Hon. Jean-Guy Dagenais Minister, I want to come back to Bill C-21. Do you think it will prevent crimes committed by street gangs in Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal, when the bill will simply hurt law-abiding citizens who take the time to register their firearms?

Hon. Pat Duncan: Minister Mendicino, thank you for your attendance today. In January, you travelled to the Yukon, and met with the Canadian Rangers, the Yukon Fish and Game Association and gun owners, as well as the Yukon government and the First Nations government. You also went out on the land and stated to the Yukon media that you were “able to experience . . . how firearms are used safely and responsibly.” You concluded your quote to the local media by saying that you learned a lot.

Minister, in my efforts as the senator representing my region, would you tell me how this learning experience — what you heard from Yukoners — is reflected in Bill C-21?

Hon. Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Safety: As I answer that question, I do think it’s important to shine a light on the significance of the work and the function of the office that I occupy as Minister of Public Safety when it comes to signing CSIS warrants. These are among the most powerful tools of surveillance that the service uses to keep our country safe, which is why it is incredibly important that, in my role as minister, I look very carefully at those warrants to be assured that they comply with all of the rigours of the law. That is a part of the way in which we strike a balance between ferreting out threats to national security but doing it in a way that is consistent with the values of the Charter, so that each of us can continue to enjoy our rights as individual citizens.

Yes, there is urgency to this work, but it is also not a rubber-stamp process. That is one of the most important responsibilities that I exercise in this office.

[Translation]

Hon. Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Safety: I want to thank you, senator, for that question. Like you, I am deeply concerned about the rise of far-right extremism, a movement and a phenomenon that is based on ideologically extreme motivations. We have seen it take many different shapes including in the illegal blockades a little more than a year ago.

To be clear, what we are talking about is a very small but hardened subset of the individuals who participated in that — to use the words we’ve now heard publicly reported from the cell at Coutts — to “go down” for their cause. We all need to be very much sober about what that threat is.

At the same time, the government has taken concrete action, listing entities like the Proud Boys, which is a notorious White supremacist group based largely out of the United States. We need to continue to be vigilant in giving the tools to our establishment so that they can look at the intelligence and analyze it, but do it in the right way. This is what we’re doing on the accountability and the enforcement side.

The other thing the government needs to do, though, is to engage with Canadians to look at the root causes of these movements and address them through strategies of dialogue that address disinformation and make sure we are reducing those risks as we go forward. That’s work we’re doing with the G7, Five Eyes and others.

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Thank you, minister, for being with us today. I would like to query you about the rise of far-right extremist movements in Canada. We saw some of this spill over in real time when some members of the “Freedom Convoy” terrorized the residents of Ottawa for three weeks. What is the government doing to track this? Specifically, are you tracking how these extremists are influencing politicians in Canada? Are intelligence agencies briefing parliamentarians who are being targeted by the far-right extremist movements? I know the talk is all about foreign interference, but what about domestic interference?

Hon. Marie-Françoise Mégie: Thank you for being with us today, minister. My question has to do with community safety. In your December 21, 2021, mandate letter, you are asked to do the following, and I quote:

 . . . make our communities safe and increase forest resilience to wildfire, including training 1,000 new community-based firefighters, investing in equipment . . . to reduce risks from wildfire . . . .

How many new firefighters have you trained and what new equipment has been acquired? As senators know, Canada manufactures excellent water bombers.

The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, minister.

[Translation]

Hon. Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Safety: Thank you for your question. That is a really important and essential subject, particularly given the fires that are currently raging in Nova Scotia. Our thoughts are with Canadians in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

In Budget 2022, the federal government invested $516 million to train 1,000 new firefighters. That shows our dedication to strengthening firefighters’ ability to fight fires. Finally, I would like to add that, with climate change, there is an increased risk of wildfires that must be managed through additional investments for firefighters.

[English]

Hon. Michèle Audette: Minister, I have two questions about working with Indigenous leaders. The bill responds to a Call for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. There are groups of Indigenous women living in the communities who could propose initiatives or share important messages, knowing that our communities are in crisis, including my own.

With the growing problems of drug trafficking and violence, police officers are running out of steam. Do you have any immediate solutions?

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Minister, The Globe and Mail recently reported that, before he was demoted within cabinet, your predecessor, Minister Bill Blair, delayed giving approval to a CSIS warrant for surveillance for four months. The Globe and Mail reported that this warrant was related to foreign interference in our country, and the delay occurred in the months leading up to the 2021 federal election.

Minister, on average, how long does it take for you to approve warrant requests from CSIS? What’s the longest amount of time it’s taken you to approve a CSIS warrant? And have you ever delayed a warrant request from CSIS for four months?

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Minister, you will surely remember that when you appeared before the Senate on March 30, 2022, you answered my question by stating that the RCMP was not above the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.

As a reminder, my question was about the story of Francesca Savoie, a young 17-year-old who tragically lost her life in 2007 when her vehicle was hit head-on by a drunk driver who was being pursued by an RCMP vehicle. Francesca’s family has been waiting for 16 years for the RCMP to inform her of the circumstances of the accident that took the life of their only daughter.

In addition, I sent you two letters about this matter, dated April 13, 2022, and May 8, 2023, without receiving a reply or acknowledgement of receipt. Minister, why did you not answer my two letters and the appeal by the Savoie family, which is currently listening to us?

Will you do your duty as minister and meet with the parents of Francesca Savoie to ensure that the RCMP respects their right to information, which is enshrined in the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights?

Hon. Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Safety: Let me first say that my thoughts are with the Savoie family. Any time a family loses a loved one, it’s an unspeakable and unjust pain, even if there is a process in place based on good faith and on the values of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.

I agree with you, Senator Boisvenu, and I will continue to believe that the RCMP is not above the principles of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights. I am always willing to work with all Canadians, including the families of victims and the Savoie family, and to offer them my support during these painful times.

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, minister.

[Translation]

Hon. Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Safety: Thank you for your question. My message is simple. We will continue to work in collaboration with the Indigenous communities. That’s why I went to Akwesasne a few weeks ago to announce a $12.1-million initiative to enhance the capacity of Indigenous police services in Mohawk communities and to strengthen cooperation with other police services in Canada and the United States. This initiative also aims to support local agencies by relying on Indigenous traditions, history, culture and values.

This is a mark of respect for the principle of reconciliation and a way to better protect our Indigenous communities.

[English]