Senator Plett: Thank you, Senator Klyne.

At the start of your speech, I think I heard you talk about the worst forest fire season in history and the warmest temperatures in history. I don’t want to get into a debate. I might take some time to speak about this at some later time —

Senator Plett: You really prepare your answers before the questions are even asked. This didn’t touch upon the question I asked, leader.

Trudeau is not a serious leader, and the world knows it. It’s one thing for Prime Minister Trudeau to destroy his own personal reputation all over the world, but he is also destroying Canada’s reputation.

Answer this question, Senator Gold: This is just like Canada’s exclusion from the AUKUS security pact. Your government wasn’t invited. They found out about it after the fact, and then downplayed its significance. It’s the same thing all over again, Senator Gold — isn’t it?

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. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Leader, the Director of Journalistic Standards of the “government broadcasting corporation” — or the CBC — sent this instruction to their journalists following the terror attacks by Hamas on innocent people in Israel:

. . . do not refer to militants, soldiers or anyone else as “terrorists.”

. . . Even when quoting/clipping a government or a source referring to fighters as “terrorists,” we should add context to ensure the audience understands this is opinion, not fact. That includes statements from the Canadian government and Canadian politicians.

It is absolutely shameful, leader, that the CBC refuses to call Hamas what it is — a terrorist organization, a group of terrorists. Why did the Liberal and NDP coalition of MPs vote to protect the CBC by shutting down a committee study on this, Senator Gold?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Leader, in 2020, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center alerted the Privy Council Office, or PCO, about wild anti-Semitic comments made online by one of the Privy Council’s senior analysts. In response, the PCO simply shuffled the staffer into another role, this time with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Last week, Senator Gold, we learned that same staffer is under investigation yet again for anti-Semitic comments he made after the vicious Hamas terror attack on Israel.

The PCO is the Prime Minister’s own department, Senator Gold. Why weren’t those comments taken seriously three years ago, and why should we believe they will be taken seriously now?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): I would like to ask the senator a question if he would take a brief one. I won’t belabour this, as it’s late.