Senator Gold: Thank you again for underlining the very challenging situations they face. I will certainly take those further considerations to the attention of the minister.

[Translation]

Senator Plett: Last year — and Senator Housakos referred to this earlier in his question — the Prime Minister told a fellow MP, a member of the Jewish faith, that she stands with swastikas. An actual Nazi SS officer is lauded in the House of Commons during the visit of the Ukrainian president, and the Prime Minister and his government take no responsibility — he blames Parliament, blames Canada.

Canadians are increasingly fed up with this behaviour. Is there anyone left in the Trudeau government who accepts responsibility or who acts with common sense?

Senator Gold, these are not my words; these are Minister Miller’s words. Do you think it is befitting of a minister to call the leader of the official opposition “a snake-oil salesman” or “a classless jackass”?

Senator Loffreda: Thank you for that response.

Yesterday, I met with five outstanding individuals from the charitable sector. They are calling on the government to mandate Statistics Canada to improve the quality and accessibility of the data collected on the sector. As they argue, high-quality disaggregated data is crucial to design policies and forecast the needs of the sector.

Can you assure us that the government will consult with the sector to provide guidelines to StatsCan on the needs of the sector with respect to data collection?

Senator Wallin: All right, I’m wondering, then, if you could endeavour to determine how many resources are being put toward those files, what resources have been allocated in terms of money and people — how much and how many. Does the government know the answer to that question?

With the embarrassment that has been caused to Ukraine and the propaganda win it has now handed Russia, it is even more important that we fix this situation for the Ukrainians who are now here, waiting and desperate.

Senator Housakos: The fact remains that protocol and security, especially when a world leader is addressing Parliament, fall under the jurisdiction of the government, and not Parliament. That is a fact.

This is not a partisan issue. It’s about an incompetent Prime Minister who gets up in the House of Commons, and calls the child of a Holocaust survivor — MP Lantsman — a Nazi. The same Prime Minister proclaimed that Canadian taxpayers and Canadian truckers protesting here in Ottawa are Nazis. That’s our problem.

You want to call it partisan; I call it justice. When you’re the Prime Minister of Canada — and the buck stops with the leader of this country — and you are proclaiming Canadians and parliamentarians as Nazis, but for the first real Nazi who walks up Parliament Hill, you roll out the red carpet, put him up in the gallery and give him a standing ovation, I take exception to that, and that has nothing to do with partisan politics.

My question remains: What will your government and the Prime Minister do to take mitigating steps to ensure this never reoccurs?

Senator Batters: Senator Gold, it is not credible that the Trudeau government did not vet the guest list, even solely for security purposes. With President Zelenskyy, we had in our midst perhaps the most threatened target in the world right now — the leader of a country under attack by one of the globe’s most bloodthirsty despots. The Trudeau government’s house leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Karina Gould, confirmed Monday that “When it comes to everyone who is invited to Parliament, of course that vetting happened. . . .”

The Parliamentary Protective Service reports to the RCMP, which answers to Prime Minister Trudeau’s Minister of Public Safety. The Trudeau government has RCMP and CSIS intelligence to protect visiting delegations and all parliamentarians. Since, as Minister Gould admitted, the Trudeau government vetted this guest list, how did a Nazi come within mere feet of the Jewish leader of a besieged Ukraine? If the Trudeau government actually failed to vet attendees, how can they defend their stunning negligence that has sacrificed not only Canada’s international reputation but also the security of the entire Ukrainian nation?

Hon. Marty Deacon: Thank you, Senator Black, for your comments on mental health and the work of The Grove Hubs. They are connected to the statement I would like to share with you today.

Honourable senators, I rise to speak about National Healthy Schools Week, which runs next week from October 2 to 6. Earlier this year, I met with members of the Canadian Healthy Schools Alliance, who collaborate to promote health and well‑being in our schools and work toward a system where every student in Canada is set up to thrive and achieve lifelong well‑being and success. With what students have gone through these past three years, this has never been more important, and we are still determining what impact the pandemic has had on their physical and mental health.

Given that one in five Canadians experience mental health struggles, as well as the link between mental health and physical health, it is crucial that we step up and collectively work toward equipping our schools with the tools and support their need to navigate challenges and create a healthy path to success. This will not only positively impact the well-being of students but also foster healthy schools that support staff and families alike.

Next week will be first National Healthy Schools Week. Over the summer, the alliance has worked diligently to design a planning tool kit and a communications package.

What really makes a healthy school in 2023? I know we all went to school, but in 2023, what might this mean? In our opinion:

A Healthy School honours each person, the interconnection between them, and the land upon which they live; values broader ways of knowing; focuses on what the school community can do together; identifies where there is energy, interest and capacity to strengthen the health and wellbeing of the school community and supports action in that direction.

Senators, with the many national and global challenges we face, our investment in ensuring all students have healthy experiences in school has never been more important. A whole‑of-government response to support every school in Canada is critical. If this response can be done in partnership with leaders within the education system and the non-profit sector that supports them, together we can ensure that every young person has access to the resources, supports and knowledge required to be healthy and active in life — something that will increase the well-being of our nation as a whole.

Senators, speaking of health and well-being, I have been amazed by some of the activities our senators and staff have done over the summer — and shared online. The annual Army Run last week and our Senate Sensations team running in the CIBC Run for the Cure on Sunday are but a few examples. Please make sure you are looking after your own health and well-being and that of your staff.

Senators, I am amazed how much we can get done when we get outside and walk together and do our Senate work together. More parliamentary activities are coming your way, but for now, let’s wish all of our schools the very best next week, as they have our most important cargo. Thank you. Meegwetch.

Senator Gold: Well, again, I’m not in a position to provide that information. I certainly will take the question to the attention of those responsible for working with the provinces in this regard, and I’m sure they will take it seriously.

Senator Plett: Yes. I think, Your Honour, there was an agreement that we finish a question when we start.

Senator Gold: You finished your question, and I answered.

Senator Plett: No. There is a supplementary question. It is part of a question.

Senator Gold: I’m prepared to answer the supplementary question if you so move it.

Senator Coyle: I’ll follow up with you in a few months on that. Thank you, Senator Gold.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, or CAPE, states that climate change is worsening asthma, increasing deaths from heat waves, making allergy seasons longer and more severe, posing challenges to food security, hastening the spread of Lyme disease and increasing the potential for new pandemics.

Impacts are being felt first and worst in Canada’s Far North, and by women, children, racialized individuals and Indigenous peoples. CAPE also states that climate change affects mental health, leading to increased anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and/or ecological grief.

In their formal submission to the government on the National Adaptation Strategy — which we’re talking about — CAPE encouraged the government to consider the mental health benefits of involving the people impacted in those adaptation measures.

Senator Gold, could you explain if and how the participation of local people is being built into the adaptation plans?

Senator Gold: Not knowing the honourable member well enough — that is to say, the person who is the object of those comments — I’m not in a position to evaluate the appropriateness of the comment. As I said, I choose not to comment further on Minister Miller’s comments.

Senator Plett: Thank you, Your Honour.

You’re right, leader; there is a difference. One was a Conservative and the other one was a Liberal.

There is an obvious double standard here. The Prime Minister, Minister Miller, and the rest of the Trudeau government are very quick to shake their fingers in disapproval at the opposition and at Canadians in general, yet nothing is ever their fault. The Prime Minister takes no blame for anything.

Senator Housakos: He will next election.

Hon. Robert Black: Honourable senators, today I rise to speak about an incredibly important network of organizations in my home community of Wellington County. The Grove Hubs are a leader in youth mental health treatment. By locating and mending gaps in care, The Grove Hubs’ innovative approaches to youth mental wellness provide a strong system of care for people all over central Ontario.

Here in the Red Chamber, it is our duty, colleagues, to give independent consideration not just to the bills put before us, but also the problems ongoing throughout the country, whether short‑ or long-term. Mental health concerns are on the rise. Canada’s children lack resources to constructively seek opportunities to improve their well-being. There is a considerable lack of access to facilities for mental health treatment and addiction rehabilitation.

According to The Grove Hubs, they have received over 28,000 visits from youth in just the past year alone. This is a productive and direct intervention. Whether through group activities, recreational programming, tutoring or counselling, organizations like The Grove Hubs continue to provide for Canadians — in this case, young people in Wellington County — equipping the next generations with the tools they need to succeed in life.

I want to thank The Grove Hubs for their continued work. I hope that, today and every day, all of my honourable colleagues can take time to consider how they can support Canadians dealing with mental health and addiction issues and what we, as the chamber of sober second thought, can continue to do to advocate for improved access to these services for young people. Thank you. Meegwetch.

Senator Plett: That truly is a shameful answer. Every guest has to be vetted by protocol and security.

Leader, power and responsibility go together. If the Prime Minister wants to have the power, he must also take on the responsibility. If he wants to travel all over the world and meet other heads of state, he is responsible, leader, for Canada’s reputation.

Last week, he presided over Canada’s greatest diplomatic blunder. He should have apologized two days ago, leader, when this came to light; he didn’t. Today, he finally came out from under the rock where he has been hiding for the last two days, and he said that Parliament apologizes — he did not say, “I apologize.” Parliament apologizes, not him.

Senator Gold, when will the Prime Minister finally grow up, accept his responsibility for once and apologize — not on behalf of only Canada and Parliament, but on behalf of himself?

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question.

I can assure the honourable senator that the government very well understands the need for collaboration between organizations and across jurisdictions to address the growing demand for disaggregated data. I understand that, in recent years, Statistics Canada has enhanced crowdsourcing survey instruments and uses them to collect key information for vulnerable populations, including immigrants, Indigenous communities and visible minority groups.

I further understand that, as a general matter, Statistics Canada is exploring areas where larger sample sizes are needed to provide credible disaggregated information.

I certainly would be happy to take the honourable senator’s questions back to the government for further consideration.

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.”