Hon. Marty Deacon: Honourable senators, today — June 1 — marks many important things. As we recognize National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month, I wish to also speak to National Health and Fitness Day, which takes place this upcoming Saturday.

The National Health and Fitness Day Act was created by us here and in the other place in order to work with our communities to do our very best to ensure that the support, infrastructure and things we need are there so that every Canadian has the opportunity to be active.

This year, as we head into Saturday, and in recognition of National Indigenous History Month, I would like to share with you a poem written by our former Parliamentary Poet Laureate Louise Bernice Halfe — her Cree name is Sky Dancer — as she thought about the intent of National Health and Fitness Day. The poem is called “Over Sixty-five.” It goes like this:

Sometimes the spirit of the body

has no inclination to move.

Yet,

the cool water on throbbing feet

after a half-hearted run

refreshes one’s resolve.

The heart-throb

and gasp for breath

drives

this reluctant exhilaration.

Sitting in a canoe

paddle dipping, gliding past

cliffs and forest,

hand cutting the water.

This gentle sweep

moves spirit and body.

Each morning my husband and I

lift weights.

Stretch above our heads,

bend at the waist,

arms flapping into a butterfly.

Leg press: kneeling has never been

so easy.

We work our

turkey waddle triceps

do full length planks.

We are over sixty-five.

For three years

our feet covered

over two hundred miles

of the Saskatchewan prairie.

From the grasslands

to the rocky mounds of

the angels at the Mystery Rocks,

to the murdered sites

where we paid homage

to the original tribes.

We push beyond the limitations

of our reluctance.

Honor body, mind and spirit.

These gifts

of wind, sun, water and earth

course through our veins.

Colleagues, I encourage you to think about those words this weekend. I also want to thank you for your social media posts in past years, for your energy and for your desire to share what gets you moving. Please keep them coming, and use the hashtags that were sent to each of you today.

I also invite all senators who are in Ottawa this weekend to join us at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning at the front entrance of the Senate of Canada building for a light walk through some great parts of Ottawa. Please join us if you can.

Thank you. Meegwetch.

Hon. Patti LaBoucane-Benson (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That the Certificate of Nomination for the proposed reappointment of Heather Powell Lank as Parliamentary Librarian, tabled in the Senate on June 1, 2023, be referred to the Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament for consideration and report; and

That a Message be sent to the House of Commons to acquaint that House accordingly.

Hon. Peter M. Boehm: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the eleventh report of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, which deals with the subject matter of those elements contained in Divisions 4, 5 10 and 11 of Part 4, and in Subdivision A of Division 3 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. Pamela Wallin: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the seventh report of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and the Economy, which deals with the subject matter of those elements contained in Clauses 118 to 122 concerning cryptoasset mining in Part 2, and Divisions 1, 2, 6, 7, 26, 33 and 37 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. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The answer is no. It is the position of the government that the Special Rapporteur’s report provided valuable information to Canadians and that the public process that he has envisaged overseeing, including the work of a number of institutions such as NSIRA and NSICOP, is the most appropriate way to address the issue of foreign interference.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): My question today is again for the Liberal government leader in the Senate.

Leader, you seem to take so much exception to the questions of the official opposition, as if we don’t have the right to do our job. You question our integrity. You question our professionalism when we ask you questions. I ask these questions on behalf of the people of Winnipeg, on behalf of the people of my province of Manitoba and, indeed, on behalf of all Canadians as the leader of our Conservative caucus. I, leader, am doing my job. I do it to the best of my ability, and you question our right to ask you questions.

Leader, in doing your job, you often speak to us about the importance of deferring to the will of the other place. They, after all, have voted and sent something over.

Yesterday, leader, a clear majority of the members of the House of Commons voted to remove the Prime Minister’s made‑up Special Rapporteur. Only Liberal MPs voted to keep him. Yet, moments after the vote was taken, the Special Rapporteur issued a statement defying the result. He said he’s not going anywhere.

Leader, isn’t it a bit hypocritical to tell senators to accept the will of the House when your government refuses to do so?

Hon. David M. Wells: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association concerning the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Twentieth Autumn Meeting, held in Warsaw, Poland, from November 24 to 26, 2022.

Hon. Leo Housakos: My question is for the government leader, Senator Gold. It is astonishing how little the Trudeau government has done in dealing with foreign interference. Yesterday, this parliamentary chamber had the Minister of Public Safety before us, and, even more astonishingly, when asked two simple questions of when we will have Beijing’s illegal police stations closed down and what date we will have a foreign registry put into place, he could not give this parliamentary chamber an answer. It is unbelievable, government leader.

I will simplify the question for you because I know this government has a hard time with targets. I will allow you to answer broadly. Can you please tell this chamber when you will have these illegal Beijing police stations shut down, and when we will have a foreign registry put into place? You do not have to give me an exact date, but can you please give the Senate of Canada what month and what year?

Hon. Colin Deacon: Your Honour, I would like to thank you for taking on the responsibility of being our Speaker; it is wonderful to see you in that chair.

My question is for the Government Representative. Senator Gold, entrepreneurship is fraught with challenges, some of which are particularly challenging for under-represented groups, including women.

Consider Sampler, a technology platform that helps companies to launch new products. Sampler has 1,000 companies that it works with, 45 employees, is on track to get $10 million in revenue and just acquired a New York–based company to expand its business further into the United States and Europe. It is the sort of level of success that we want to see more of. Imagine the surprise of Sampler’s founder and CEO, Marie Chevrier, when she went on maternity leave and found her application for parental benefits was declined, even though she had been paying into the Employment Insurance system, EI, for years.

I was shocked to learn that the Canada Revenue Agency declined her application on the belief that as a business owner she “would not truly be able to take a maternity leave.” Ms. Chevrier was left with no government support at a time when she needed it the most, and she is far from alone, as I understand.

Senator Gold, what is the rationale behind this arguably anti-feminist policy? Are there any plans for its review in the near future in order to allow entrepreneurs, and especially women, to feel more confident about building their families without fear of financial uncertainty?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. As the minister said yesterday, investigations into the alleged police station activities in this country are under way through the RCMP, which operates independently of the government. Therefore, I’m not in a position to tell you what the results of those investigations will be, nor what action will be taken once the investigations have been completed and the information communicated.

Second, with regard to the foreign registry, as the minister said yesterday, considerable progress has been and is being made, and the government is committed to bringing forth legislation. I believe that he has said publicly that will be in the fall. He wants to make sure that all relevant input is properly considered in the bill because there is a serious, important requirement that the establishment of this does not inadvertently create more burden on those diaspora communities that are affected.

I will also take the opportunity, however, with respect, to correct you in your assertion that the government has done nothing to address foreign interference. Again, this is laid out very clearly in the Special Rapporteur’s report.

The mandate for the Minister of Democratic Institutions and a policy framework were established; the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force was created; the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol was created; the Rapid Response Mechanism was established in coordination with the G7; the Digital Citizen Initiative was created. We also had the constitution and mandating of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, NSICOP, and the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, NSIRA; the 2022 policy framework; and the 2023 initiatives, including those that are ongoing now. This government is taking it very seriously and is doing the work that needs to be done on behalf of Canadians to protect us from foreign interference.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for this important question. The government understands and believes that maternity and parental benefits need to be both fairer and more flexible.

Currently, the government is analyzing what it has heard from parents, workers, employers, unions and other partners, including entrepreneurs, to ensure that the changes to our EI system are informed by those who feel their impact the greatest. With respect to entrepreneurs, I will raise your concerns with the relevant minister, but I can assure you, honourable colleague, that the government is and continues to be attentive to issues of this kind, to feminist policy concerns. Women hold the top ministerial portfolios in this government’s cabinet, and I can assure you that they look at all issues through a lens that does not ignore the realities and needs of women.

Senator C. Deacon: The government states that the empowerment of women is a top priority, and, to its credit, we now have a gender-balanced Senate, a gender-balanced cabinet and a federal Women Entrepreneurship Strategy.

Policies across government departments, like the CRA decision, often contradict what the government says it cares about. Women entrepreneurship is a top government priority. How do we get through this issue of having a whole-of-government approach around these top priorities? It seems there is no horizontality in so many different areas. They are siloed into one decision or another, but the priority does not permeate across government. I see this as being a constant challenge. What do you see us being able to do in the Senate or the government doing in terms of addressing that problem with horizontality?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question and for underlining the importance of Bill C-22 and of getting it to Royal Assent so that those who stand to benefit and who need the benefits will receive them and the framework — once in place — can then give rise to the programming that follows.

It remains a government priority. This is a minority Parliament. There are days that are not devoted to government business. This chamber should rest assured that the government has taken the time to consider the Senate amendments, is giving them due consideration and is working with the other parties in the house such that this bill can go through the final phases and receive Royal Assent.

Hon. Jane Cordy: Senator Gold, Indigenous women are four times more likely than non-Indigenous women to be victims of violence. Indigenous women make up 16% of all female homicide victims and 11% of missing women, yet Indigenous people make up only 4.3% of the population of Canada.

Last month in the other place, a motion declaring the continued loss of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people a Canada‑wide emergency passed with unanimous consent. The motion also called on the federal government to provide immediate and substantial investment including a red dress alert system to help alert the public when an Indigenous woman, girl or two-spirit person goes missing.

Senator Gold, this motion received unanimous support in the House of Commons, and this includes support by the government.

My question will be to the point: Does the government intend to act on this motion and will the government work to develop an alert system for missing Indigenous women?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, Senator, and congratulations on your French. It is nice to hear and an example to us all. I would therefore like to answer the question like a proper Montrealer: in both official languages.

[English]

The government continues to work hard to support businesses across this country, along with the provinces, territories and, in some cases, the municipalities, in order that Canadian businesses can profit from the changes that are taking place as we transition and move towards a greener and more sustainable economy.

The government has responded to the changes in the economic environment that was brought on by the Inflation Reduction Act in the Fall Economic Statement, where Minister Freeland put forward tax credits in a number of areas for clean energy, capital costs and hydrogen production.

The federal government plays a role, and, as I said, so do other levels of government. I’m advised the Government of Canada continues to evaluate ways in which to assist Canadian businesses, such as the one to which you referred, so as to benefit from the changes in the economic environment that, without question, were brought on by the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States.

[Translation]

That altered the playing field with respect to the level of support the federal, provincial and territorial governments need to contemplate. The economic power differential is massive. That said, when it comes to Volkswagen and other issues before Parliament and in the press, the government needs to pitch in and make sure Canadian companies benefit from increased support on the part of the federal government.

[English]

Hon. Robert Black: My question is for the Honourable Senator Gold, the Government Representative in the Senate.

[English]

Senator Gold, earlier in the chamber I mentioned the great entrepreneurship and charity of organizations like Dairy Distillery. Not only are they supporting and growing Canada’s economy, they are giving back in times of need and pitching in to support the greening of Canada. Despite their hard work, the company continues to be inhibited by red tape and the lack of governmental support in expanding their work.

As a result, Dairy Distillery has begun construction on an ethanol production facility using dairy permeate to produce some of the greenest ethanol in North America. For every tonne of permeate they process into ethanol, they displace 1.2 tonnes of carbon. They’ve identified 50,000 tonnes of available permeate in Eastern Canada that, if converted to ethanol, would offset 60,000 tonnes of carbon a year.

[Translation]

The thing is, they’ll be building their plant in the state of Michigan.

[English]

This Canadian company has had little government support or any level of regulatory assistance, and could only financially succeed in the United States with support from programs like the Inflation Reduction Act.

[Translation]

If Canada can’t be competitive for its small businesses, we will lose Canadian businesses to the United States.

[English]

My question, Senator Gold, is: How will the Canadian government continue to support Canadian businesses that are competing with companies in the U.S. being supported by the American Inflation Reduction Act, and what will your government do to reduce regulatory red tape that forces Canadian companies out of the country, taking innovative progress and countless jobs with them? Thank you, meegwetch.

[Translation]

Hon. Kim Pate: Senator Gold, my question is for you. Bill C-22, the Canada disability benefit act, arrived in the Senate. Even before the bill arrived, we were receiving calls, emails and messages urging us to pass the bill swiftly regardless of its shortcomings. The message was clear: The issue of poverty for people living with disabilities was urgent and pressing. Minister Qualtrough herself said that:

With Bill C-22, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a new benefit that will lift many working-age Canadians with disabilities out of poverty. I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to keep the momentum up. In Canada, no person with a disability should live in poverty.

We gave the bill careful scrutiny and amended it to make it stronger.

Despite assertions that Bill C-22 is a priority for the government and given the opportunity to pass this stronger iteration of Bill C-22 with haste, why is it not yet on the projected order of business for the other place?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. I don’t accept the premise of the last part of your question.

I absolutely share your disappointment, because for so long, there’s always been a gap between what we want as a country and the reality on the ground. You cited several examples. With Bill C-13, colleague, the government has introduced changes and improvements, a modernization, even, of our official languages regime. These changes mean that the government has a greater obligation to ensure that the substantive equality of the two languages is respected.

We hope that once this bill receives Royal Assent, there will be improvements on the ground in terms of respect for both official languages in all areas of federal jurisdiction.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): My question is for the government leader in the Senate.

Leader, you often accuse the opposition in the Senate of asking questions where facts are exaggerated. I will read you excerpts from an article in yesterday’s Prince George Citizen:

What is suspected to be a particularly deadly amount of fentanyl, as well as possible cocaine, methamphetamine, drug trafficking paraphernalia and cash, were seized from a home in the Hart two weeks ago.

“Police have identified the fentanyl seized as extremely potent and it is believed to be responsible for several drug overdose deaths in Prince George in the last month,” Cpl. Jennifer Cooper said in a statement issued Wednesday.

A suspect was arrested and later released pending charge approval.

Leader, this is exactly what was written in the newspaper: A drug dealer, believed to be responsible for several drug overdose deaths, was arrested and later released. Isn’t this the very definition of a catch-and-release policy? How is this helping the community of Prince George?

Hon. Patti LaBoucane-Benson (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate) tabled the reply to Question No. 120, dated February 8, 2022, appearing on the Order Paper and Notice Paper in the name of the Honourable Senator Plett, regarding honorary consuls.