Hon. Brent Cotter: Honourable senators, I don’t usually have an audience, so I’ll try to get this right. This has been an extremely unpredictable summer and, in some cases and in some places — as we have just heard — a tragic one. All of our hearts go out to those who suffered consequences of dramatic, unprecedented water events and weather events that brought such destruction and, in some cases loss of life, to Canadians in different parts of our country.

But today I want to say a few words about an international event that took place in July in Nova Scotia on the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people that was both celebratory and uplifting.

From July 16 to 23, Halifax, Dartmouth, the Millbrook First Nation and Sipekne’katik hosted the tenth North American Indigenous Games. It was the largest and, to my mind, the most successful in the history of the games. Five thousand Indigenous athletes from 750 First Nations across the continent, with the support of 3,000 volunteers, took part in a range of competitions in 16 different events. Outstanding performances all.

I was in Halifax for part of the time that the games took place. I can tell you that the mood in the city was spectacular. Exuberant groups of young athletes in team uniforms were warmly greeted and welcomed throughout the city by the citizens of Halifax. Fans were cheering on local athletes and cheering on athletes from afar whom they knew not of.

Now sports is not everything, but it is often a window on our society, a window on the possible, a glimpse toward excellence and a glimpse sometimes toward reconciliation. To my mind, this glimpse was, to say the least, uplifting, both in the abilities and the commitment of these athletes but also in the welcome they received from the good people of Nova Scotia. Congratulations.

I would be remiss if I did not conclude these remarks by noting that of all of the contingents of athletes who participated in the games, the team that won the most medals — and I guess, therefore, won the 2023 North American Indigenous Games — was Team Saskatchewan. The games have been held 10 times, and Saskatchewan has only won 7 of them.

Congratulations to Nova Scotia, and congratulations to all of the athletes, coaches and officials who took part. Special congratulations to Team Saskatchewan and its chef de mission, Mike Tanton. Thank you.

Hon. Colin Deacon: Honourable senators, today, I am proud to speak about how Nova Scotia is rising to the challenges and opportunities associated with technological change.

In May 2023, the Government of Nova Scotia created the new Department of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions. This department is mandated to deliver on challenges that I’ve discussed in this chamber many times before, like designing and delivering services around the needs of citizens.

The importance of this department became abundantly clear when the government learned that it was part of a massive, global cyberbreach of a supposedly secure file transfer service used by hundreds of thousands of governments and corporations around the world. As a result, some Nova Scotians’ personal information was stolen.

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to meet with Nova Scotia’s Minister of Cyber Security and Digital Solutions, the Honourable Colton LeBlanc. I was most impressed by the fact that this cyberbreach only fuelled his passion and commitment to ensuring that Nova Scotia becomes a digital transformation leader. For example, Nova Scotians can now complete routine transactions like driver’s licence renewals, taking learner’s permit tests and grant applications online in their choice of French or English. Medical tests and appointments can be booked and modified online. Within days, the government launched online relief programs in response to Hurricane Fiona, the spring wildfires and the severe flooding event over the summer, providing simple online services and forms to help citizens in the most trying of times.

The minister’s commitment to constantly iterating services and systems to meet the expectations of Nova Scotians is inspiring.

Too often, we hear government announcements that suggest that a given job is done. The job isn’t ever done in the digital era. The digital era constantly introduces increasing vulnerabilities across society whether governments digitize or not. The only path to greater security is one where we constantly advance. We have to prioritize best practices over past practice and build secure digital infrastructure to mitigate both nefarious and accidental cyberbreaches and their enormous costs.

These risks will only grow with the astonishing advancements of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Every Canadian, including everyone in this chamber, needs to learn the skills and habits necessary to reduce our cybersecurity risks. Criminals always attack the most vulnerable targets.

I am proud to see my home province tackling these issues head on, and I wish Minister Colton LeBlanc and his department continued success in their efforts to protect and improve the lives of Nova Scotians.

Hon. Bev Busson: Honourable senators, I rise today with a heavy heart. As you probably have heard, four wildland firefighters died yesterday in a tragic motor vehicle accident west of Kamloops, B.C. They were returning home from battling the horrendous wildfires in our area.

Our thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of these four, courageous young men. This devastating news comes on the heels of the worst fire season in colonial recorded history, bringing to six the total number of wildland firefighters killed this summer in B.C.

The season was spawned in the winter with a below-average snowpack, resulting in a much-drier-than-average moisture level in the forests. It was exacerbated by an extremely dry summer, coupled with high temperatures to create a perfect storm. Fire forecasters were pessimistic as spring began. Soon after, the fires across the province started, spreading through almost the entire province. Some were person-caused, while the vast majority were sparked by dry lightning.

As is the policy in B.C., most of these fires were allowed to burn so long as they did not threaten structures or infrastructure. Where I live on the Shuswap, a substantial fire was left to burn for about three weeks in the vicinity of Adams Lake. Late in July and early August when it was clear that Mother Nature was not going to intervene, people started to pay attention, but it was too late. On the night of August 17, high winds took this fire out of the Adams Lake Valley, which it had devastated, and brought it to the Shuswap.

In 12 hours, it travelled 20 kilometres, jumping fire breaks and the lake, overwhelming firefighters. An emergency evacuation order was immediately declared, too late for many who could do no more than flee on the only road out. Some fled to the lake and were rescued by boaters. Many were members of the Little Shuswap Lake Band. Sadly, some lost their homes, barely escaping with their lives.

On that same evening, another fire — about 100 kilometres south — exploded in Kelowna. Firefighters from the Shuswap were immediately deployed to the erupting wildfire emergency there.

At this end of this apocalyptic day, in the Shuswap alone, more than 11,000 residents were evacuated. Approximately 131 homes and cabins were turned to ash and another 37 were damaged. Across the province, approximately 22,500 square kilometres — which is half the size of Nova Scotia — have been destroyed for generations. As I speak to you today, despite the recent rain, 216 wildland firefighters are still battling to turn the corner on these unprecedented fires in the Shuswap alone.

From those with the hoses to others rushing through communities to make sure everyone is out of harm’s way — in some cases, while their own homes burned — we salute your courage.

To the four young men who died yesterday, joining their young comrades on the list of those killed in service to their communities this year, we owe you a debt of gratitude we can never repay. May you rest in peace. Kukwstsétsemc.

Hon. Stan Kutcher: Honourable senators, with leave of the Senate and notwithstanding rule 5-5(j), I move:

That the Senate of Canada:

(a)acknowledge that the illegal and genocidal war by Russia on Ukraine continues to cause death and destruction in Ukraine, to threaten global health and wellbeing and to show contempt for the international rule of law; and

(b)persist in standing in solidarity with Ukraine and its people.

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Senator Gold, a 36‑year-old Canadian researcher, Raouf Farrah, was recently sentenced to two years in prison in Algeria. He has been held in an Algerian jail since February on charges of receiving funds that would disturb the public peace. Every observer agrees that these charges are baseless. According to PEN America, this unjust sentence against Raouf Farrah illustrates how far the Algerian government is willing to go to stamp out critical commentary and independent scholarship.

Senator Gold, can you give us any information about steps under way to try to have Mr. Farrah freed from prison?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question and for your and other senators’ ongoing commitment to holding the government to account on financial matters. I will certainly bring your preoccupations to the attention of the minister and hope very much that the information you request is forthcoming.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. Since 2015, the government has been delivering real, concrete action on climate change that cuts pollution, creates jobs and promotes a healthy environment. The government regularly makes announcements as to programs and plans in place.

Yesterday at the summit, I’m advised that Minister Guilbeault announced that Canada will exceed its target of reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by at least 75% from 2012 levels by 2030. The government remains committed to making important investments and taking necessary action to fight the climate crisis and build a better future for our country.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question and for highlighting the challenges that still face Ukrainian refugees here — and, indeed, too many immigrants who have come here and are still waiting for final resolution of their applications. The government has put resources in place — and will continue to put resources in place — and is working diligently to address the backlog to which you refer.

Hon. Pamela Wallin: Government leader, many Ukrainians believed us when Canada offered refuge, work and a welcoming embrace. I think the unanimous motion here today reinforces that early promise.

However, those with everything in order, with documents submitted, who have paid their own way here, are still waiting months for work visas, stuck in limbo. Their calls are not answered, their employers’ calls are not answered and I cannot get any answers on their behalf.

People need a place to live. People need to eat. They need work. They need an income. Not being able to work makes it impossible to stay or to go.

When will you put the people and resources in place to end the backlog? In my community, Ukrainians came to work in agriculture; now harvest is almost done.

How long should people fleeing death have to wait? Why is the government unwilling to do what it promised it would do and provide proper refuge for Ukrainians?

Hon. Mary Coyle: I have a question for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, yesterday, before the Climate Ambition Summit at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, Steven Guilbeault, tweeted that “Canada is among the ‘movers and doers’ in the battle against climate change.”

To me, this tweet implies that Canada is playing a significant leadership role in the fight against climate change.

Senator Gold, could you update this chamber on any important announcements made at the Climate Ambition Summit in relation to accelerating the efforts to reach Canada’s own net-zero commitments, as well as anything new and significant in terms of support from Canada and other historic polluters for the Global South in achieving their net-zero goals?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, Senator Housakos. The fact is, government has not put in place a tax. It has simply invited the leaders of the five largest grocery chains to come back with a plan that they develop. That plan will be evaluated for its credibility and efficiency.

At the very least, one can say this, though, that the Government of Canada is using the leverage it has within its areas of jurisdiction, unlike the threats that Mr. Poilievre has made to attack and punish municipalities in areas of exclusive provincial jurisdiction.

Hon. Claude Carignan: My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Leader, here’s another government disaster, the new passport, which cost $284 million — a cost overrun of $123 million. This is yet another example — among dozens, if not hundreds — of this government’s incompetence.

Moreover, the new passport deteriorates in wet weather. After a few weeks, the corners curl up. The old passport easily lasted 10 years; the Trudeau government’s is worn out after only two months. Senator Gold, how do you explain the astronomical cost of designing a new passport of such poor quality?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question and, again, for reminding us that the work towards eliminating gender inequality and other inequities in our system of law — the Indian Act being only the most prominent example of it in this regard — is ongoing.

This government has done more than any government in history to address it. The Senate has played a critical role in that regard. I will certainly make inquiries and bring the preoccupations to the attention of the minister and encourage all colleagues here, members of the Indigenous Senators Working Group and the committee to continue to use our bully pulpits to make sure this issue stays on the agenda.

Hon. Brian Francis: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Last July, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples issued a report about Indigenous peoples in Canada. Among a number of recommendations, Mr. Cali Tzay specifically called on Canada to implement the recommendations of the Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples, including repealing section 6(2) of the Indian Act, also known as the “second-generation cut-off.”

Is the Government of Canada finally going to end the discrimination against First Nations women and their descendants in the registration provisions of the Indian Act? Or will it simply continue to take a reactive approach in response to court decisions?

Hon. Leo Housakos: Senator Gold, I was happy yesterday to hear you acknowledge the struggles being faced by Canadians, especially when it comes to the soaring cost of food and housing prices.

Also yesterday, incidentally, I was even happier to see the Honourable Pierre Poilievre introduce a bill called “Building Homes Not Bureaucracy.” While your government says it will drop the GST on construction of rental properties, conversely, you are threatening an extra tax to supposedly somehow combat the soaring food inflation Canadians are dealing with because of your fiscal mismanagement.

How does that work, Senator Gold? How does adding a new tax, which will be passed on to consumers, help to lower the cost of food for Canadians, who will have to choose between eating and heating during these winter months?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. The government has been working with Canadian Bank Note Company Limited on the design, development and distribution of the next generation of passports. This was necessary to ensure that our passports are secure in a world that is increasingly vulnerable to technological attacks. Thanks to advances in technology, these passports will be secure. That was the objective of the design and decisions surrounding the new passport.

Hon. Leo Housakos: Senator Gold, just a couple of months after this chamber acquiesced to the government on a bill that the opposition warned would have the opposite of the desired effect — we warned that instead of saving media, Bill C-18 would be its death knell, especially for local and smaller outlets — and despite those warnings, the Online News Act was passed, and here we are, Senator Gold.

Facebook wasted no time carrying through on its threat, a threat you and your government scoffed at. As promised, they are out of the news business in this country. Google looks poised to follow very soon.

How is that working out for us, Senator Gold? This week we heard about Torstar Corporation shutting down its Metroland Media Group publications, and they won’t even pay severance to those who lost their jobs. What does your government have to say about how well Bill C-18 is doing with regard to saving media in this country?

Hon. Patti LaBoucane-Benson (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, pursuant to the order adopted December 7, 2021, I would like to inform the Senate that Question Period with the Honourable Mark Holland, P.C., M.P., Minister of Health, will take place on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at 5 p.m.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, and, again, I do regret that the answers that were requested have not yet been forthcoming. I’ll certainly follow up and make every effort to get those answers.