The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Chief Wilbert Marshall of the Potlotek First Nation of Nova Scotia. He is the guest 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 Linda Thompson and Wendy Milne. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Hartling.

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 Omidvar, report placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)

Hon. Robert Black, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, presented the following report:

Thursday, June 1, 2023

The Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry has the honour to present its

ELEVENTH REPORT

Your committee, which was authorized by the Senate on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, to examine and report on the status of soil health in Canada, respectfully requests supplementary funds for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024.

The original budget application submitted to the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration and the report thereon of that committee were printed in the Journals of the Senate on February 16, 2023. On February 16, 2023, the Senate approved the release of $36,220 to the committee and on May 16, 2023, the Senate approved an additional release of $128,620 to the committee.

Pursuant to Chapter 3:05, section 2(1)(c) of the Senate Administrative Rules, the budget submitted to the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration and the report thereon of that committee are appended to this report.

Respectfully submitted,

ROBERT BLACK

Chair

(For text of budget, see today’s Journals of the Senate, Appendix A, p. 1758.)

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

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

Hon. Leo Housakos: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, which deals with the subject matter of those elements contained in Division 2 of Part 3, and Divisions 22 and 23 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.)

[English]

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. 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. Ratna Omidvar, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, presented the following report:

Thursday, June 1, 2023

The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology has the honour to present its

THIRTEENTH REPORT

Your committee, which was authorized by the Senate on Thursday, February 10, 2022, to examine and report on such issues as may arise from time to time relating to social affairs, science and technology generally, respectfully requests funds for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, and requests, for the purpose of such study, that it be empowered to:

(a)travel inside Canada.

Pursuant to Chapter 3:05, section 2(1)(c) of the Senate Administrative Rules, the budget submitted to the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration and the report thereon of that committee are appended to this report.

Respectfully submitted,

RATNA OMIDVAR

Chair

(For text of budget, see today’s Journals of the Senate, Appendix B, p. 1766.)

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?