Hon. Fabian Manning: Honourable senators, today I am pleased to present Chapter 79 of “Telling Our Story.”

For generations, the history and culture of Newfoundland and Labrador has been passed down through both story and song. Many of those are of a serious and profound nature, detailing a way of life our people have endured for centuries on that beautiful rock in the Atlantic Ocean. Then there are those songs and stories that are more lighthearted, such as the one I am going to tell you today.

One of our province’s most successful recording artists was a man by the name of Dick Nolan. In due course, I will be pleased to expand on Mr. Nolan’s long and distinguished music career, but today I want to tell you about one of his most popular and, indeed, signature songs titled, “Aunt Martha’s Sheep.” Written by Terrance White and Arthur Butt of Perry’s Cove and later rewritten by Ellis Coles, Nolan released the song in 1972 and the album went platinum, selling more than 100,000 copies. With our province’s population hovering around 500,000 people at the time, you can easily understand why the song became a fan favourite for many years and still is today.

The song tells the tale of boys from the picturesque town of Carmanville, Newfoundland, who decided they were going to steal a calf from Aunt Martha’s barn and cook up a scoff. Now, for those of you who do not know what a scoff is, it is a big, hearty meal.

Later on that evening, the boys crept up over Joe Tulk’s hill and headed into the barn, but they ran into a problem. The old cow got angry when they woke her from sleep, so they had no other choice: they had to steal the sheep. As you would expect, when Aunt Martha discovered what had taken place, she became pretty angry herself. The very next morning, she sent a telegram off to the RCMP telling them about her loss and asking the police to catch the robbers no matter what the cost.

In the meantime, it was getting up around midnight and the boys were up at the cabin and “had the sheep a’cooking” and everyone was feeling pretty tight. “The smell of mutton and onions no man could ask for more,” when lo and behold, the “. . . Mountie walked in the door.” He said:

 . . . sorry, boys, your party I really don’t mean to wreck.

I smelled the meat a’cooking and I had to come in and check.

Now, the boys were not too worried about the arrival of the RCMP, so they welcomed the officer, and said, “. . . come right in and join us, sir, we’re having a piece of moose.” So he came right in and sat right down, and the boys gave him a piece of the sheep. After the officer had a taste, he said to the lads, “This is the finest piece of moose I knows I’ll ever eat.”

They had a grand old evening, and at about two o’clock in the morning, the officer bid farewell, with a promise from the lads that if they got any clues on the stolen sheep, they would phone him right away. He then looked at them and said that if everyone was as good as the boys, he was sure Aunt Martha wouldn’t have lost her sheep.

After the officer left, the boys finished off the piece of mutton they had in the oven to roast, because, friends, the boys may have stolen Aunt Martha’s sheep — “. . . but the Mountie ate the most.”

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Dr. Sukhmeet Singh Sachal. He is the guest of the Honourable Senator Osler.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

Hon. Lucie Moncion: Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That, in light of the recent changes to the Senate Room Allocation Policy by the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, the Senate Administrative Rules be amended as follows:

1.That the Senate Administrative Rules be amended

(a)in Chapter 5:03 by replacing sections 2 and 3 with the following:

“Basic staff

Additional Staff

(2) The Internal Economy Committee may direct the Clerk Assistant, Committees, to provide a committee with any additional staff that the Committee sees fit.

Schedule and room allocation

(b)in Chapter 5:04 by replacing subsection 2(2) with the following:

“Meeting schedule

(2) The Clerk Assistant, Committees, in consultation with the caucus spokespersons, will assign a meeting schedule and reserve a room for each caucus that meets regularly. Due consideration should be given to the size of a caucus and its status as a recognized party or recognized parliamentary group, as defined by the Rules of the Senate.”; and

2.That the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel be authorized to make any necessary technical, editorial, grammatical or other required, non-substantive changes to the Senate Administrative Rules as a result of these amendments, including the updating of cross-references and the renumbering of provisions.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, my question concerns — as I’m sure you expected — the address to Parliament by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy last Friday.

Senator Gold, someone was there who should never have been there and who should never have been invited. One of two things happened: Either the Trudeau government’s entire protocol, intelligence and security apparatus vetted this person and showed gross incompetence in doing their jobs or the outgoing Speaker of the House of Commons was able to invite someone to be with the president of a country at war without any vetting at all, which is also gross incompetence on the part this government.

Senator Gold, which of those two is it?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question.

What happened is deeply troubling and deeply distressing for Canadians, especially Jewish Canadians, Ukrainian Canadians and all of those affected by the Holocaust.

It is regrettable, Senator Plett — with the greatest of respect — that you make assertions with underpinnings that you know are incorrect.

The Speaker of the other place — like the Speaker of the Senate and the senators in this chamber — has the prerogative to invite guests. Their names are not vetted with the Prime Minister’s Office, or PMO, and neither are our names when we invite guests.

It was a horrible, embarrassing situation for which the Speaker has apologized and resigned, and for which the Prime Minister — literally within the last few minutes — has apologized to all Canadians.

I think it is important to heed my words: I urge all parliamentarians not to politicize this event that was deeply hurtful to so many people.

Hon. Robert Black: Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That, notwithstanding the order of the Senate adopted on Thursday, February 10, 2022, the date for the final report of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry in relation to its study on such issues as may arise from time to time relating to agriculture and forestry be extended from December 31, 2023 to December 31, 2025; and

That the committee be permitted, notwithstanding usual practices, to deposit reports on this study with the Clerk of the Senate if the Senate is not then sitting, and that the reports be deemed to have been tabled in the Senate.

Hon. Pat Duncan: Honourable senators, our thoughts are turned to truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Today, I rise to recognize a person whose work and profession were an integral part of the northern land claims: Gerhard Charles Friesen — Charlie to his beloved wife Robyn, a father and a grandfather.

Carl, as he was known to most, was born in 1952 in Morden, Manitoba. He graduated with degrees from the University of British Columbia and the University of Calgary. At his University of British Columbia graduation ceremony at the top of his class as a Canada Lands Surveyor, a story was told of Carl tossing that gold medal from the stage to his father who had rather wished Carl’s life of service would have been as a doctor. While Carl may have been rather flippant about the gold medal, his contribution to the Yukon and Canada was not flippant and far more than gold nugget-sized.

Carl’s strong sense of community and desire to give back to ensure a fair and socially just Yukon with opportunity for everyone is how we remember Carl. His contribution to Canada was this and so much more.

In the recently published book A Sense of Where You Are: The Vital Work and Turbulent Times of the Canada Lands Surveyors, Charles Wilkins described Carl Friesen this way:

 . . . it would be difficult to find a Canada Lands Surveyor over the age of 40 who doesn’t know Carl. . . . he was an energetic, sometimes outspoken, supporter of self-regulation for the Association of Canada Lands Surveyors during the 1990s and has served as the Association’s president and on its council.

Carl described the importance and the difference of the northern land claim survey this way: “The biggest survey in history had been the Dominion Land Survey during the late 1800s and 1900s.” The land survey was described as thousands of small surveys knitted meticulously into the same vast grid, dividing the Prairies into a seemingly endless quilt of townships and farms and covering nearly 200 million acres of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The Dominion survey was accomplished by hundreds of different surveyors over a period of some 50 years. Most of the big northern land claims, including those for Inuvialuit, Nunavut and the Yukon, were accomplished in less than two decades, and were enacted by at most a few dozen surveyors and their crews. Carl was a leader among those surveyors and their crews.

Carl noted that the Dominion Lands Survey was not negotiated with First Nations, nor perhaps even explained to them, at least not in their own languages. It was simply imposed by the government.

Carl played a significant role inland claims settlements. He was proud of his work with and for First Nations. As the years passed, he saw how the big surveys supported both the spirit and intent of reconciliation.

The story of Canada Lands Surveyors, and especially Carl Friesen’s contribution, is well-documented in the book I mentioned. Colleagues, it’s well worth a read of this amazing story of Canada and of a very special Canadian.

Carl, our thanks to you for your contribution to our community, our country and the Canada Lands Surveyors. Safe trails, my friend. Mahsi’cho. Thank you.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of representatives from the Métis Nations of Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and from the Métis National Council. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator McPhedran.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the Rules of the Senate of Canada, dated September 2023.

This document includes the index prepared by the Clerk of the Senate.

Copies will be distributed to the offices of honourable senators as soon as possible. The online version is up to date.

[English]

Hon. Tony Loffreda: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, as you know, our Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector released a groundbreaking report four years ago that included 42 recommendations — one of which dealt with data collection. The committee called on the government to prioritize data about the charitable and non-profit sector in all Statistics Canada economic surveys.

In its response, the government explained that the General Social Survey program is undergoing a significant modernization exercise focused on re-engineering its collection platforms in order to increase the timeliness of data and ensure the content meets the needs of the stakeholders.

Can you provide us with an update on this initiative and what new developments there have been since the government’s response?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The Government of Canada is working hard to speed up the construction of housing for Canadians, including Quebecers. The government is already making historic investments in housing in Quebec, but, as all senators know, the federal government can’t do it alone. It must work in partnership with Quebec.

I was told that Minister Fraser had a very positive and productive call with Minister Duranceau this week, and the Government of Canada hopes to reach a bilateral agreement as soon as possible that would allow Quebec municipalities to receive funding to speed up the construction of housing.

Hon. Leo Housakos: My question is for the government leader.

Government leader, you’re spreading misinformation on this floor. I was the Speaker at the time with Speaker Scheer when we negotiated the MOU for the security structure in Parliament. I can assure you that guidance is given to our security forces on the Hill by the two Speakers of the chambers, but all security is controlled operationally by the head of security — which is the RCMP — and they report directly to the minister and the executive branch of government. That’s how it works. Anytime we bring guests on Parliament Hill, they are vetted, and they are only allowed once the government and the RCMP give authorization for those guests to be vetted.

This Prime Minister is more than willing to apologize for prime ministers and governments from 40 years ago, or 100 years ago, but he never assumed responsibility for this fiasco — which embarrassed Canada internationally and embarrassed Parliament, and hurt the souls and hearts of Ukrainians, Jews and Poles across the country. When will the Prime Minister assume responsibility, and can you tell us exactly what mitigating steps he will be taking for this fiasco to never reoccur?

An Hon. Senator: Hear, hear.

Hon. Marie-Françoise Mégie: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. In a column published in La Presse on September 21, the former mayor of Gatineau, Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, stated the following, and I quote:

Instead of blaming the cities, Ottawa and Quebec should take a look in the mirror and . . . urgently sign an agreement to release the $900 million being held in Ottawa’s coffers.

Could you give us an update on discussions between Mr. Fraser, Canada’s Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, and Ms. Duranceau, the minister responsible for housing in Quebec, intended to reach an agreement and finally release the funds to fight the housing crisis?

Hon. Clément Gignac: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Yesterday morning at the National Finance Committee meeting, my colleagues and I heard from representatives of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, or CMHC, and we talked about the tools that this Crown corporation has to address the current housing crisis.

I questioned the CMHC’s intention to potentially review the eligibility criteria for insured mortgage loans. I would like to note that, under the current regulations that were adopted in 2012, the amortization period cannot exceed 25 years and the maximum amount of the loan cannot exceed $1 million. I was told that it is up to the Department of Finance to make that decision.

With interest rates soaring over the past 18 months, many young households who want to buy a first home and who have a down payment of less than 20% will be simply unable to get a loan from the CMHC if the amortization period remains at 25 years. At the same time, those young households have to continue renting for longer and that puts pressure on the demand for rental units, which is already very high.

Senator Gold, this problem is even worse in the Toronto and Vancouver areas because the limit of $1 million imposed by the CMHC is now well below the average price of a house, even a semi-detached.

My question is as follows: Don’t you think, Senator Gold, that the time has come for the Minister of Finance to review the eligibility criteria for a CMHC-insured loan? Right now, parents and grandparents are having to step up and fill CMHC’s shoes to help their children buy a home.

Hon. Denise Batters: Senator Gold, by allowing the presence of a former Nazi soldier in the parliamentary gallery, the Trudeau government has tarnished Canada’s Parliament and our nation on the world stage. It has also despicably tainted the reputation of 1.4 million Canadians of Ukrainian descent, when our ancestors helped build this country.

With President Zelenskyy’s visit to Canada and his address to Parliament, the besieged nation of Ukraine entrusted the Trudeau government with the life and reputation of their leader. Ukraine is heavily reliant on the Western world for support right now against the murderous Russian tyrant, Putin. This is a conflict Ukraine fights for all of us. The Trudeau government’s dereliction of duty has now provided fodder for Russia’s propaganda war against Ukraine.

This Trudeau government failure has grave real-life military and political consequences. It puts millions of lives at risk.

Senator Gold, when will Prime Minister Trudeau finally take proper responsibility for this disaster and apologize to Canadians, to Ukraine and to President Zelenskyy for the incredible harm the Trudeau government has caused?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. The government knows full well that it is unacceptable that home ownership is out of reach for many people.

I also know that the eligibility criteria for mortgage insurance can play an important role in supporting the financial stability of lenders and, by extension, homeowners.

In recent years — during the pandemic, for example — the government effectively modified the eligibility criteria so it could help Canadians who were struggling. The government continues to consider all possible solutions to make housing affordable again.

I would be pleased to share your comments with the government so a more thorough study can be done.

[English]

Hon. Pamela Wallin: Government leader, last week, I asked about the inexplicable delays in processing work permits for Ukrainians stuck for months in bureaucratic limbo. They came to Canada at our behest to escape death at the hands of Russian invaders. Did you bring this to the minister’s attention? What did they say? Have they reassigned folks to get through the backlog, and if so, how many?

Fleeing one country only to be abandoned by the next isn’t the kind of support and salvation we promised.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. I understand that the General Social Survey, or GSS, aims to collect data on social trends to provide up-to-date information on social policy issues, and that it includes the Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating, or SGVP, providing a comprehensive overview of the contributions Canadians make by donating both time and money.

I’m advised that the SGVP involves a partnership of numerous federal government departments as well, importantly, of voluntary sector organizations, including the University of Ottawa, Imagine Canada and Volunteer Canada. The modernization efforts to which I alluded would take place through those partnerships, and any updates with regard to data collection and the rest will be forthcoming in due course.