The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Michel Patrice, Deputy Clerk, Administration of the House of Commons since August 2017. As many honourable senators will recall, prior to his taking on that role, he served this institution for many years, beginning as a committee clerk, and then taking on a number of roles within the Office of the Law Clerk, culminating in his own appointment as Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, and a member of our Executive Committee.

Throughout his time in both chambers, he has been known for his calm demeanour and his wise counsel, and has been a trusted source of advice for senators and staff alike.

Next week, Michel will be retiring, and I would ask honourable colleagues to join me in expressing our appreciation for his long service to Parliament in general, and the Senate in particular.

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Honourable senators, I rise to congratulate Manitobans and, more specifically, their newly elected premier, Wab Kinew, on his inspiring and historic victory in yesterday’s election. In forming a majority government, Mr. Kinew has become the first Indigenous premier of a province in the Canadian federation. This is a great day for reconciliation and Canadian democracy.

[English]

In the words of Mr. Kinew, “Manitoba did something more progressive than any of those big cities ever did.” He added, “Seek your vision. Dreams come true.”

Mr. Kinew’s victory was especially beautiful following the outgoing governing party’s negative and divisive campaign with overtones of racism. As Michelle Obama says, “When they go low, we go high.”

Yesterday, our Parliament was also the site of a historic election. Greg Fergus, MP from my province, became the first Black Speaker of the House of Commons. Congratulations to Speaker Fergus! I know this chamber wishes him all success in his new role.

In addressing the other place, he said:

. . . respect is a fundamental part of what we do here. We need to make sure that we treat each other with respect and that we show Canadians an example, because there can be no dialogue unless there is a mutual understanding of respect. There can be no ability to pursue arguments, to make points be heard, unless we all agree to extend to each other that sense of respect and decorum.

Colleagues, these messages are as important in the Senate as in other debating places in this country. Canada must guard against the regression threatening American democracy through the falsehoods and divisive rhetoric against diversity, minorities and newcomers.

[Translation]

On behalf of the Progressive Senate Group, but also on behalf of progressives across Canada, I extend my congratulations to the new premier, Mr. Kinew, and to Speaker Fergus. Through them, Canada has demonstrated that it remains a wonderfully progressive country.

Thank you. Meegwetch.

[English]

Hon. Patti LaBoucane-Benson (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government response to the fourth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights, entitled Human Rights of Federally-Sentenced Persons, tabled in the Senate on June 16, 2021, during the Second Session of the Forty-third Parliament.

(Pursuant to rule 12-23(4), this response and the original report are deemed referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights.)

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

First of all, Canada’s support for Ukraine is necessary to fight Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territory. The battle is being fought not only for Ukrainians and their territory, but also for democracy and a society founded on the rule of law.

Second, the government needs to save money, and the National Defence budget is not excluded. In the current economy, however, this will be done carefully and responsibly.

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: Senator Gold, the Iranian regime’s repression has forced many women to flee, including Nahid Modaressi, a member of Iran’s LGBTQ+ community who is particularly at risk.

In 2018, Ms. Modaressi fled Iran and obtained refugee status in Turkey. However, because of an agreement between Iran and Turkey, her status was not renewed and she is now facing deportation. A group of Canadians is prepared to welcome her here. She applied for a visa to enter Canada, but her application was denied. Urgent action is needed.

Senator Gold, can Canada do more to help Nahid Modaressi and other exiled women in the same situation?

Hon. Donna Dasko: Senator Gold, Bill C-18, the Online News Act, received Royal Assent on June 22 of this year, and regulations were gazetted on September 2, with consultations closed on October 2.

Canadians are no longer able to view or share news content on Facebook and Instagram, including news articles and audiovisual content that parent company Meta has blocked. Search engine Google has threatened to do the same, and a report yesterday in The Globe and Mail suggests this may happen soon.

My first questions concern Google. Has the government engaged with Google, including at the ministerial or departmental level, regarding Bill C-18? Did Google participate in the consultations? Most importantly, is the government contemplating changes to the legislation or other responses to deal with these latest developments?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. As has been reported publicly, the Minister of Canadian Heritage has met with Google and Facebook, among other stakeholders, since she became minister. This continues ongoing discussions between the government and tech giants, news organizations, experts and Canadians throughout the initial consultations and the parliamentary process and then leading into the regulatory process that has not yet been finalized. I’m advised this dialogue has been under way throughout.

Colleagues, I also understand that Google has stated in the media that they have submitted comments as part of this regulatory process, and the government looks forward to reviewing the submissions made while working collaboratively with the tech platforms, news organizations and Canadians before finalizing the regulations.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Canadians were not lied to by the government or the CRTC. My understanding is that this is the first stage within the regulatory process, and the criteria that will ultimately develop, as I understand it, will include — as colleagues would recall from our debates — the extent or degree to which initiatives on platforms can be considered properly broadcasters, and that also includes the extent of their reach and of their revenues. Therefore, it is simply not correct to attribute this stage of the regulatory process as a lie.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question and thank you for highlighting the importance of ensuring that our Armed Forces continue to have the resources we need to be protected.

That being said, as I’ve explained on a number of occasions, there are certain choices that a responsible government must make in the current economic situation. This applies not only to National Defence, but also to every aspect of the government’s budget, which is now being examined so that we can find the savings needed to remain prudent and responsible. Once again, as I’ve said in this chamber, the government will take a prudent and responsible approach.

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Senator Gold, to follow up on your response to Senator Patterson’s question yesterday, I don’t believe that your government is approaching its spending thoughtfully and prudently. Our national debt has nearly tripled in eight years. The recent revelations of General Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff, clearly demonstrate that the Canadian Armed Forces are facing enormous challenges, ranging from an ammunition shortage to a lack of housing for troops. These challenges are amplified by your government’s recent request to cut the National Defence budget by $1 billion.

Given the situation, Senator Gold, how does your government justify such a budget cut — which would be very detrimental to the preparation, training and well-being of our Armed Forces — while claiming that national security and the well-being of our soldiers are priorities?

The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, Senator Martin.

Hon. Percy Mockler: Thank you very much, Senator Woo. I think it is an important question.

Last night I answered that question during the Agriculture and Forestry Committee. I’ll take this opportunity to answer the question more specifically.

As we all know, chairs of committees and senators are masters of our committees when it comes to proceedings and studies. On that, before I speak about the mandate, Senator Woo, please permit me to add that the steering committee met twice to consider the agenda of the Finance Committee. We decided unanimously that Bill C-234 could not be studied by the Finance Committee.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): My question is for the government leader in the Senate. Information released through the Access to Information Act shows that since 2019, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, or FCAC, failed to follow up on any of the over 27,000 complaints it received from Canadians about breaches of the Bank Act. The agency claimed it doesn’t know how many of these complaints it has investigated since 2019, saying it doesn’t track that information. This is an odd response given that its 2021-22 annual report says that in that year alone, the agency received 295 complaints “related to consumer protection measures that FCAC oversees.”

Leader, has the Trudeau government done anything in response to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada’s inaction regarding complaints from Canadians about their banks?

Hon. Yuen Pau Woo: My question is for the Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance.

Senator Mockler, on June 13, this chamber referred Bill C-234 to the National Finance Committee for study on the subject of matter of that bill. My understanding is that the steering committee of your committee has chosen to not accede to the request of the chamber.

Could you explain the reasons why it has done so?

Hon. Jane Cordy: Senator Gold, by the government’s own estimation, one third of Canadians do not have dental insurance and one in five avoid dental services because the price is prohibitive. We know that dental care is health care. Poor oral health can lead to a myriad of other health issues and a deterioration of quality of life. I applaud the government for its commitment to providing financial assistance to those Canadians who face barriers in accessing dental services by bringing forward the new Canadian Dental Care Plan.

My question today is from Cliff Williams, a Nova Scotia senior, who is relying on the new program to access dental services. To date, the government has been vague with specifics about when the benefit will be available to all eligible Canadians.

Senator Gold, could you tell Mr. Williams when he and other Canadian seniors will be able to access the dental services under the new Canadian Dental Care Plan?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. Canadians should be satisfied that there is in place, through legislation that we enacted some years ago, nationwide consumer protection provisions that affect the banking system and which were made more robust through legislation that this government introduced and this chamber passed.

With regard to your particular question, senator, I will certainly bring that to the attention of the relevant minister. I really don’t have further information about those incidents at this juncture.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you very much for your question. Every Canadian deserves to have access to good oral health care. Yet the government knows — and Canadians know — that approximately one third of Canadians cannot visit an oral health care professional because they don’t have dental insurance.

I’m advised that the first phase of the government’s plan, the interim Canada Dental Benefit, has already helped over 366,000 children under the age of 12 get the dental care they need.

To answer your question, I am further advised that the Canadian Dental Care Plan is expected to begin rolling out by the end of this year, and by 2025, the Canadian Dental Care Plan will be fully implemented to cover all uninsured Canadians with an annual family income under $90,000. This government remains committed to ensuring that Canadians can get access to quality dental care, which is important, colleagues, as we know, not only for oral health but for overall health. Thank you.

An Hon. Senator: Question.

Some Hon. Senators: Agreed.