The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Wells, could you please read the motion once more? The draft that I have received is a bit different from what you are saying. We want to make sure that we have the motion as read.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. I’m glad that you received your answer a few short months after the question was posed. I’m not in a position to know the answer to your question, nor do I know whether the information was communicated in the context of cabinet confidence. I will certainly make inquiries, and that is all I can undertake to do at this juncture.

Hon. Salma Ataullahjan introduced Bill S-267, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (aggravating circumstance — evacuation order or emergency).

(Bill read first time.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, is leave granted?

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this bill be read the second time?

(On motion of Senator Ataullahjan, bill placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading two days hence.)

Hon. Yuen Pau Woo: Senator Gold, last week, the Minister for Security in the United Kingdom announced that after an investigation of the so-called police stations in the U.K., no illegal activity was found at any of these stations.

When will the RCMP and the Minister of Public Safety in Canada do the same for the investigations that are ongoing with the so-called police stations in Canada, particularly in Montreal?

The Hon. the Speaker: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

The Hon. the Speaker: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): My question is also for the government leader in the Senate. I recently received a delayed answer to a question I posed in March regarding the contracts given to Accenture to develop and run the Canada Emergency Business Account, or CEBA, loans program for small businesses. While The Globe and Mail reported the cost had been $143 million, the delayed answer confirmed the cost was actually over $208 million. This was never proactively disclosed to taxpayers. The answer states that Export Development Canada, or EDC, made the decision to contract out this program and to negotiate with Accenture.

Leader, how did members of the Trudeau cabinet learn that Accenture was administering the CEBA program? Did they know the truth from the start, or did they learn it through the media? Could you make inquiries and tell us what date the Minister of International Trade and the Minister of Finance, as well as their offices, became aware of Accenture’s involvement?

Some Hon. Senators: Yes.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, last November, when questions were first raised regarding what the Prime Minister knew about Beijing’s interference in our elections, he should have announced a public inquiry. On Friday, when his made-up Special Rapporteur finally did the right thing and announced that he would step down, the Prime Minister, again, should have announced a public inquiry. The fact that he still hasn’t done so is just another example of how entitled he feels. It shows a complete and utter lack of leadership and, indeed, borders on contempt of Parliament.

Leader, what is stopping the Prime Minister from putting an end to his cover-up, and announcing a public inquiry today?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. First of all, the government appreciates the work that the Honourable David Johnston did in providing a report that raises important issues and provides a roadmap forward for a public process.

As Minister LeBlanc has stated publicly, the government is open and, indeed, inviting all members of the opposition to work together with him to chart a path forward in order to determine the best form of public process that will address these important issues. Echoing the words of Minister LeBlanc, as we move forward with the cooperation of all parties in the other place, I hope that the rather disturbing tone of the debate will be reduced.

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: Senator Gold, according to a disturbing investigative report published in La Presse this weekend, 45% of the videos on Montreal-based Pornhub contain depictions of assault, choking or gagging, and 97% of the targets of these acts are women. The reporter interviewed a young man who became addicted to pornography at the age of eight and another whose sexual behaviour was impacted by his consumption of pornography in which girls were being beaten.

Senator Gold, why isn’t the government publicly supporting my Bill S-210, An Act to restrict young persons’ online access to sexually explicit material? This bill, now before the House of Commons, would require age verification.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, senator. As I’ve mentioned on several occasions in this chamber, the RCMP is actively investigating. When those investigations have been concluded, I’m sure the results of those investigations will be communicated to the government and to the public, as appropriate.

The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you. Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Some Hon. Senators: Agreed.

Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Senator Gold, as you know, northern and remote communities are either heavily or — as in Nunavut — solely reliant on air transportation, but some decisions from your government have had a negative impact on the price and availability of flights. In a June 8, 2023, letter to Minister Alghabra from John McKenna, President and CEO of the Air Transport Association of Canada, he writes that the new flight crew fatigue management regulations and the Air Passenger Protection Regulations have resulted in the need for 30% more pilots in order to maintain current service levels. Mr. McKenna goes on to say that the suggested fatigue risk management system alternatives have been amply proven to be impractical and impossible to implement, except for perhaps Canada’s largest carrier.

Would your government please be willing to suspend these new regulations for 18 months, as Mr. McKenna suggested, in order to enable industry to work with Transport Canada to collaboratively develop a more reasonable regulatory regime and also to give time to attract and train the additional pilots required to maintain the new service standards?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. The government agrees that corporations that do business in Canada must pay their fair share of taxes. A solid national tax base is essential to the strength and effectiveness of Canada’s social safety net. As far as the Canada Pension Plan is concerned, it is administered by an independent board of directors that operates at arm’s length from the government.

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s board of directors establishes the investment policies in accordance with the board’s mandate. This involves investing funds in the best interest of the 20 million Canadian contributors and beneficiaries. The board of directors establishes the strategic direction and makes critical operational decisions. The board’s 2022 report indicated that the CPP was solid and that the resilience of the investment fund should build confidence in Canada.

If I could add something, the government has taken a certain number of measures to improve fairness within the Canadian economy, including the introduction of the temporary Canada Recovery Dividend for banks and insurance companies so that they pay a one-time 15% tax on taxable income above $1 billion for the 2021 tax year. That measure could bring in $4.05 billion over the next five years. The government also proposed to permanently increase the corporate income tax rate by 1.5% on the taxable income of life insurance groups above $100 million. I have a long list of measures that the government has taken to ensure that our system is fairer.

Hon. Clément Gignac: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Last week, the Toronto Star published an article about the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. The article stated that this federal institution set up a network of more than 30 subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands, which is known as the tax haven capital of the world. According to the organization’s spokesperson, the purpose is to minimize taxes paid abroad solely to maximize annual returns for its 21 million Canadians contributors and beneficiaries.

Senator Gold, although this tax avoidance operation is still completely legal in 2023, is your government comfortable with this federal institution’s approach? Don’t you think this is unethical? Doesn’t it undermine Canada’s credibility within the OECD despite the Minister of Finance’s oft-repeated pledge to end the use of tax havens by financial institutions and multinational corporations?