Senator Carignan: When will the government eliminate the remnants of Bill C‑69 to make way for a bill that can authorize projects in 12 months instead of 12 years?

Senator Gold: It wasn’t different, though I didn’t repeat the answer that you actually embodied in your question and are now repeating. At such time as that review is completed, the decision will be made public. Until then, it is inappropriate to comment on what advice the security services — or, indeed, anyone — are providing to the minister.

[Translation]

Hon. Marilou McPhedran: With appreciation to the Independent Senators Group, or ISG, and Senator Gold for allowing me time today, I rise as a feminist activist senator to pay tribute to the pioneering Québécois feminist the Honourable Monique Bégin, who passed away some six weeks ago.

In the words of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau:

[Translation]

In 1972, Ms. Bégin was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Montréal riding of Saint-Michel, making her one of the first three women from Québec to serve in the House of Commons. . . .

Ms. Bégin was a passionate advocate, who left a lasting mark on Canada.

Before she even took her seat in the Commons, Ms. Bégin rose to prominence as a pioneer of the feminist movement in Quebec.

In 1966, she was a signatory of the Fédération des femmes du Québec’s founding charter and became the organization’s first vice-president. The following year, she was appointed to the role of executive secretary of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada, whose 1970 report remains important to this day.

[English]

The Honourable Monique Bégin went on to have a distinguished career as Minister of National Revenue, then Minister of National Health and Welfare, bringing in both the child tax credit and then the Canadian Health Act. As one of only two women in cabinet during the 1980-82 era of constitutional renewal, Monique and her colleague the Honourable Judy Erola were protective of women’s equality rights in the draft Charter of Rights.

From personal experience, I can assure you that Monique quietly and effectively supported our activist efforts that protected the sex-equality guarantee in section 28 from the section 33 “notwithstanding” clause.

After her political career, Monique became a distinguished scholar, first as the Joint Chair of Women’s Studies at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, followed by years as dean of Health Sciences. I reached out to her 20 years ago to ask if she would write the foreword to a book I co-authored about an unpopular subject, entitled Preventing Sexual Abuse of Patients: A Legal Guide for Health Care Professionals. Her endorsement helped to situate the book on curricula across Canada.

Her honorary degrees and awards are numerous: the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case in 2017 and elevation to Companion of the Order of Canada last year. Her friend Deborah Davis wrote to me this morning to remind me that Monique was much more than her awards: she was a role model and an inspiration. She was generous in nurturing new generations. As I conclude, one of the first and most memorable dinner invitations I received as a senator was from Monique, who prepared a delicious repast shared with Senators Pamela Wallin and Nancy Ruth — it was quite the conversation.

[Translation]

You are a great woman, Monique, and we’ll meet again.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Honourable senators, when shall this bill be read the third time?

(On motion of Senator Downe, bill placed on the Orders of the Day for third reading at the next sitting of the Senate.)

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the Special Report of the Auditor General of Canada, pursuant to the Auditor General Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. A-17, sbs. 8(2).

[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 Public Accounts of Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, entitled (1) Volume I — Summary Report and Consolidated Financial Statements, (2) Volume II — Details of Expenses and Revenues, (3) Volume III — Additional Information and Analyses, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S.C. 1985,c. F-11,sbs. 64(1).

Hon. Pamela Wallin, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and the Economy, presented the following report:

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

The Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and the Economy has the honour to present its

NINTH REPORT

Your committee, to which was referred Bill C-42, An Act to amend the Canada Business Corporations Act and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts, has, in obedience to the order of reference of September 26, 2023, examined the said bill and now reports the same without amendment.

Respectfully submitted,

PAMELA WALLIN

Chair

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, just before 10 p.m. last Saturday night, Minister Blair released a statement indicating Canada does not believe Israel struck a hospital in Gaza last Thursday. And today, of course, he said Hamas should be eliminated.

After initial media reports blamed Israel for attacking the hospital, Prime Minister Trudeau made sure his rush to judgment was made in full view of the public. Since Minister Blair’s statement, however, the Prime Minister hasn’t said or done anything to walk back his comments from a week ago — no retraction, no statement, not even a late-night tweet like his minister, nothing.

Leader, is the Prime Minister unwilling to correct the record because his Liberal caucus is split on supporting Israel in this war against Hamas?

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

That the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs be permitted, notwithstanding usual practices, to deposit with the Clerk of the Senate reports related to its study on issues relating to Veterans Affairs, including services and benefits provided, commemorative activities, and the continuing implementation of the Veteran’s Well-being Act, if the Senate is not then sitting, and that the reports be deemed to have been tabled in the Senate.

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: Honourable senators, Senator Gold, for the past three days, five UN agencies and 12 humanitarian organizations in Canada, along with Jewish voices, have been calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. France, Ireland and Belgium are also calling for a truce.

Canada doesn’t wield much power internationally. Nevertheless, we’ve always been able to amplify our influence by demonstrating our integrity and our adherence to the principles of international law in both word and deed.

Senator Gold, nobody here is disputing the horror of the October 7 attacks, Israel’s right to defend itself or actions necessary to recover more than 200 hostages. That said, I’m concerned that our silence on the subject of a humanitarian truce is eroding our moral authority.

When will the Canadian government demand a humanitarian truce as a tentative step toward a ceasefire in Gaza?

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Honourable senators, when shall this report be taken into consideration?

(On motion of Senator Cotter, report placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)

[English]

Hon. Denise Batters: Senator Gold, last week at the Senate Agriculture Committee, Trudeau-appointed senators — including your own government deputy leader — gutted a Conservative’s bill to exempt farmers from paying carbon tax on propane and natural gas. One amendment stripped from the bill heating and cooling for barns and farm buildings. The very next day, a news report revealed that the Trudeau government spent $8 million of taxpayers’ money to replace a barn at Rideau Hall with a two‑level, zero-carbon, heated car garage they’ve dubbed “the barn” — talk about not worth the cost.

Senator Gold, is this the Trudeau government’s prototype of a brave, new, carbon-neutral future on Canadian farms? Why is the Trudeau government so determined to stick it to the very people who produce Canadians’ food?

Hon. Brent Cotter, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, presented the following report:

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs has the honour to present its

SEVENTEENTH REPORT

Your committee, to which was referred Bill C-48, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (bail reform), has, in obedience to the order of reference of September 21, 2023, examined the said bill and now reports the same with the following amendments:

1. Clause 1, pages 2 and 3:

(a) On page 2, replace lines 28 and 29 with the following:

(b) on page 3,

(i) delete lines 1 to 7, and

(ii) add the following after line 24:

2.Clause 2, page 3: Replace lines 29 and 30 with the following:

Respectfully submitted,

BRENT COTTER

Chair

(For text of observations, see today’s Journals of the Senate, p. 2044.)

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. Minister Blair, as a cabinet minister, speaks for the government when he does speak. It is clear that the Government of Canada deplored the terrorist attack against Hamas and supports the right of Israel to defend itself under the terms of international law.

It is also the position of the Canadian government that those who are trapped in Gaza and are innocent victims — as so many are of this war — deserve access to humanitarian aid, and Canada continues works to that end.

The Prime Minister has been clear about the position of Canada, which has not changed. There is, in this country, a diversity of opinion. Families and friends, indeed, are torn asunder. The government stands by its long-standing policies and will continue to do so.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): I think a number of your assertions deserve correction.

The bill was indeed amended. It was not gutted. It was amended by the committee, as is its prerogative to do so. First of all, the record will show who was present and who voted, which is a somewhat different narrative than what has been fed to the media and propagated.

With regard to the barn, it is more than a barn, Senator Batters. It is a two-level, partially heated storage and vehicle garage, which would also include 70 roof-mounted solar panels producing enough energy to completely offset the electrical needs of Stornoway. Those are the facts.

Again, I encourage senators — as I have done on many occasions — to ask me the proper questions that assume the proper facts underlying them.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. The government is well aware that small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and play a critical role in Canada’s economy. They employ over 10 million hard-working people in all regions of the country.

Small Business Week just ended, and at that time, Minister Valdez announced new funding to support entrepreneurs and small businesses, including funds to help 2,000 women entrepreneurs across Canada to start a business and put their plans for growth into action. Funding for the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business will help to increase the tools and resources that small business owners and Indigenous entrepreneurs need to prosper.

The government will continue to support small businesses across the country, whether they are just getting started, growing or trying to expand into new markets.

Hon. Bev Busson: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, from the study of the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans that is presently under way, we know that both coasts of our great country have an overabundance of seals. We do not, however, have an overabundance of senators from the West Coast. British Columbia has only six seats and is the third most-populated province in Canada, behind Ontario and Quebec, yet we have not had a full complement of senators since I was appointed in 2018.

Senator Gold, will you immediately raise with the Prime Minister the issue of the vacant seat in British Columbia and ask that a new appointment be made, signed, sealed and delivered as soon as possible?

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

The Government of Canada has made its position very clear. Violence must cease, civilians must be protected and hostages must be freed.

I feel that Minister Joly emphasized Canada’s grave concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and the importance of ensuring that aid can reach Palestinian civilians.

In fact, Canada is contributing $50 million in humanitarian aid to meet the acute needs of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and neighbouring regions while ensuring that none of that money ends up in the hands of Hamas.

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

This is an issue that I and my colleagues in my office raise regularly with the Prime Minister’s Office. We, as much as all of you, would like to see the Senate vacancies fully filled as quickly as possible.

There are many factors that appear to have contributed to the delay in some appointments. I will continue to raise this issue with the government at every opportunity.