The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of our former colleague the Honourable Linda Frum.

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, colleagues.

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Don and Carolyn Murdoch, who are accompanied by Thane and Kelly Higgs. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Plett.

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of His Excellency Sam Tan, High Commissioner of Singapore in Canada. He is the guest of the Honourable Senators Woo and Oh.

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of collaborators in the Canadian Pride Caucus. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Cormier.

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

Hon. Tony Loffreda: Honourable senators, this week is Small Business Week, a week-long event that celebrates Canada’s entrepreneurship and the 1.2 million employer small businesses in Canada.

According to Statistics Canada’s latest data, small businesses account for 97.9% of all businesses in Canada. In my home province, this represents nearly 250,000 businesses. Across the country, they employ 8.2 million Canadians, which represents 67.7% of the total private labour force.

[Translation]

This week, the Business Development Bank of Canada will be hosting a number of events to help businesses rise to the challenge of managing and growing a small business, especially against the current backdrop of labour shortages, rising interest rates and inflation.

[English]

Colleagues, we know that the pandemic was difficult on our business community. Small businesses were under immense pressure to innovate, digitize and make their products available online for easy order and delivery. It was a question of survival.

Unfortunately, some did not recover from the various lockdowns and health restrictions, while others are struggling to recuperate lost revenues — which is why I welcomed the government’s recent decision to extend the repayment deadline for the Canada Emergency Business Account.

However, for the most part, Canada’s business community showed us the true meaning of resiliency. Business owners are naturally always looking to the future. They are creative, adaptable and fully committed to growing their business. They put everything on the line every single day. I admire their passion and perseverance, and how they are eager to adapt to the economy of the future.

Thankfully, the government is also there to support businesses to break into the online marketplace and use technology to increase their sales. Launched in March 2022, the $4-billion Canada Digital Adoption Program hopes to help 160,000 businesses move online, boost their e-commerce presence and incorporate technologies that help them become more productive and competitive.

I have always said that small businesses are the heartbeat of any economy. I would even argue that they are the heart and soul of our neighbourhoods and towns. There are incredible business success stories in all corners of our great nation. This week, we celebrate these individuals, their families and their staff who are injecting life into our local communities.

Honourable senators, please join me in celebrating Canada’s entrepreneurial spirit and our small businesses — whether online or in our communities — for being an important part of our economy, and for contributing to our overall prosperity and well‑being. We thank them for all that they do. Thank you.

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: For all women in Canada and elsewhere who believe in gender equality, the selection on October 6 of Nargues Mohammadi, Iranian activist, as winner of the Nobel Peace Prize sends a wonderful message of hope.

From deep in the prison where she is being held in Tehran, despite heart problems and mistreatment, Nargues Mohammadi remains among the harshest critics of Iranian theocratic power.

Arrested 13 times and sentenced five times to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes, this activist is fighting body and soul against mandatory veiling and violence against Iranian women.

[English]

Her voice is powerful. Here are her own words in an essay recently published in The New York Times:

What the government may not understand is that the more of us they lock up, the stronger we become.

The morale among the new prisoners is high. Some spoke with strange ease about writing their wills before heading onto the streets to call for change. All of them, no matter how they were arrested, had one demand: Overthrow the Islamic Republic regime.

What is less known is that Narges Mohammadi is also a mother who for eight years has not seen her twins, now 16 years old, who are exiled with their father. Her son speaks of her with pride. Her daughter only wants to be reunited with her mother. But Narges refused to leave Iran to continue her fight for freedom. This is a heavy sacrifice.

Could this highly publicized Nobel Prize breathe new life into the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran, which has moved underground since the regime’s violent repression? Is Narges Mohammadi the long-awaited leader who could unify the opposition? Who knows? But we can hope.

[Translation]

In the meantime, Canada should be using every tool at its disposal to put maximum pressure on the Iranian regime and its accomplices. Although a Senate motion urged the Government of Canada to do just that, it has yet to declare the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity, despite its close ties to Hamas, which is designated a terrorist entity.

We cannot remain indifferent to what has been described as an unprecedented feminist revolution. Narges Mohammadi is counting on us. With all eyes riveted on Gaza or Ukraine, let’s not turn our backs on Iranian women.

Thank you.

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Dr. David Huntsman, Professor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of British Columbia. He is the guest of the Honourable Senators Ravalia and Woo.

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Dr. Jiaying Zhao, from the University of British Columbia, and Jessie Golem, creator of the “Humans of Basic Income” portrait series. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Pate.

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

Hon. Kim Pate: My question is for you, Senator Gold.

Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. By 2030, it is estimated that 7% of the world’s population will be living on less than $2.15 per day.

Throughout the pandemic and beyond, we are experiencing the crises of deepening poverty, homelessness and health and food insecurity. This is especially true for marginalized women, Indigenous and Black people, folks with disabilities and the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

As you know, in 2021, the government’s National Action Plan for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls identified the role of guaranteed liveable income as a short-term priority to begin within the coming one to three years — that’s by next year, by 2024. What steps has the government taken toward implementation, and when will they act to assist provinces like P.E.I. and other jurisdictions that are interested in pursuing such initiatives?

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

Canada’s stated condemnation of Hamas — and its continuing support for Israel’s right to defend itself — is consistent with international law. Canada’s continuing support for providing humanitarian assistance to those who need it stands as a testament to the moral position that Canada has taken and continues to take. With regard to actions on the ground, Canada is doing its part as well to assist those who are held hostage and those who seek safe refuge from the war, and shall continue to do so.

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 tenth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, entitled Strengthening Canada’s Autonomous Sanctions Architecture: Five-Year Legislative Review of the Sergei Magnitsky Law and the Special Economic Measures Act, tabled in the Senate on May 16, 2023.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Government leader, two days after the sadistic Hamas attacks on Israel, a joint statement of condemnation was issued by the U.S., the U.K., Italy, Germany and France. Canada’s voice was excluded. Canadians were told that this didn’t really matter because the statement was from the Quint.

I think it does matter, leader, because our country is increasingly sidelined after eight long years of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Leader, your government says it’s good at convening. If Canada’s exclusion from the Quint statement didn’t matter, then why didn’t the Prime Minister convene a statement from the G7 leaders?

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

Senator Gold, I’ve been asking questions regarding ArriveCAN for two years now. I’ve asked about the unconstitutionality of leaving Canadians stranded overseas. I’ve asked about Canadians being unlawfully quarantined. I’ve asked whether your government would finally do the right thing and cancel the outstanding fines levied against Canadians. Every time, no matter the question, you regurgitate the same talking points that the Prime Minister’s Office, or PMO, sends over here. It sounds good, but it’s completely irrelevant to the questions being asked. Senator Gold, I’m putting you on notice that those answers just won’t wash.

Very simply, this is my question: why? When she was in the middle of her own investigation, why was the Auditor General of Canada not informed that the RCMP was also investigating allegations of fraud pertaining to the ArriveCAN scam? Why did the Auditor General have to find out about the latest criminal investigations into your government through media reports?

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

The Auditor General operates independently of the government, as do investigations by the RCMP. My understanding is that the Auditor General — now apprised of that — has extended the time for her evaluation and analysis.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. The government is committed to supporting Canadians. Indeed, between 2015 and 2021, close to 2.3 million Canadians have been lifted out of poverty, including 653,000 fewer children and 11,000 fewer seniors, representing a 49% decrease in poverty.

While basic income could help to address poverty, there are significant design considerations that require further study, including funding implications for existing programs and the potential effects on the labour market. To this end, I note that a study is being conducted by our Standing Senate Committee on National Finance.

It is my understanding that the government will continue to monitor research and analysis on basic income, and the government is exploring potential short-term and long-term policy responses to address the needs of Canadians.

Hon. Andrew Cardozo: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate and is on the affordability that comes with pharmacare and the dental care system.

[English]

The idea of pharmacare has been around for a while. At various times, the Liberal, New Democratic and Green parties have proposed a national pharmacare policy. In June of this year, the NDP health critic, Member of Parliament Don Davies, introduced a private member’s bill on this topic, Bill C-340. Last weekend, the NDP National Convention endorsed the party’s push for such a policy. The Liberal government has announced that they plan to introduce such a plan, and we know that the two parties are in discussion on a draft bill. Can you provide this house with an update on the negotiations and a timeline of when this bill will be introduced?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. Bill C-69 was and is legislation designed to affirm the importance of proper environmental overview of projects. The Government of Canada respects the Supreme Court’s decision and is considering the guidance that the Supreme Court has provided. The Supreme Court made it clear that important sections dealing with federal jurisdiction remain constitutional and has provided guidelines for moving forward.

The government and the minister have announced that they will be adjusting the legislation to bring it into conformity with the Supreme Court’s decision and will continue to provide the leadership on environmental issues that this country needs and deserves.

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

The goal of Bill C-18 is to force web giants to sit down with our small and large media companies to come to a fair and equitable agreement for the benefit of Canadians.

Obviously, web giants are afraid of the precedent this has created in Canada and Australia. They are flexing their economic muscles to try to bully us into not going forward with this bill. However, the Government of Canada is staying the course in supporting this bill, which is good for Canada.