Senator Housakos: It could be both, you’re right. I think we, as a Parliament, have an obligation to thoroughly look at this very carefully.

Now, we all know why politicians flip-flop and don’t honour their commitments from Speeches from the Throne and, in this particular instance, flip-flop on their own public policy that has been the cornerstone of their government for years. I suspect they flip-flopped in this case because they realize Canadians are catching onto them, that they’re not solving any of the environmental climate change problems while driving Canadians to the poorhouse.

We will continue to be partisan on this side. We will continue to follow through on our responsibility as parliamentarians that we’ve been summoned to do here, which is to engage in the public discourse and the public-policy-making and debate Speeches from the Throne, energy policy and taxation policy and do our due diligence in a sober-second-thought manner in the interests of Canadian taxpayers.

Today, Senator Gold, it’s your day. I want to compliment your government for finally listening to some common sense, but there’s more common sense to come. Thank you, colleagues. Have a great weekend.

(On motion of Senator LaBoucane-Benson, debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Dalphond, seconded by the Honourable Senator Bernard, for the second reading of Bill S-264, An Act to establish International Tax Justice and Cooperation Day.

(On motion of Senator Martin, debate adjourned.)

[Translation]

Senator Coyle: Back to Rose Paul and the success at Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation.

In addition to its new state-of-the-art Bayside Travel Centre, which has a large gas station, two restaurants, a convenience store, a liquor store, a gift shop, a Nova Scotia tourism facility, gaming and a long-haul trucking facility, the site provides a base for so much more.

Paqtnkek also has Bayside Renewables, through which they are involved in solar farms and are planning the only integrated micro grid in Atlantic Canada which will combine solar panels, battery storage and EV charging — right on that site.

Like Membertou, Paqtnkek has a stake in Clearwater Seafoods. They have an equity position and are at the table with EverWind Fuels, a green hydrogen initiative. They are involved with Maritime Launch, Canada’s first commercial spaceport, in Canso, Nova Scotia, and they have plans for a new business centre and a hotel.

When I asked Rose about the impact of all this economic activity on the community, she told me that social assistance rates are down 30%. More people are employed, and it is a real paradigm shift — a real mind shift — for young people who now see themselves pursuing business opportunities or being employed right there in their own community. Rose said these successes are long overdue and so important to fulfill the promise of those who came before her — like her own grandmother — to make it right by them and honour their hard work and vision.

Honourable senators, I am so impressed with CEO Rose Paul and Chief Terry Paul and the Mi’kmaw nations of Membertou and Paqtnkek. These leaders and these communities, like their peers who we are hearing about from across Canada, are working hard and creatively every day to close that wide prosperity gap discussed earlier. They are doing this with a clear focus on fulfilling the visions of their ancestors and with a steadfast effort to create economic opportunities and a healthy, prosperous future for generations of young people to come.

Honourable senators, please join me in congratulating Chief Terry Paul and CEO Rose Paul on their leadership and many accomplishments.

Wela’lioq. Thank you.

(On motion of Senator Clement, debate adjourned.)

(At 6:04 p.m., the Senate was continued until Tuesday, October 31, 2023, at 2 p.m.)

Hon. Amina Gerba: Colleagues, before I begin, I would like to offer my condolences to the family of our late colleague.

I rise today to recognize that October 24 was World Polio Day. Polio is a very serious and highly infectious disease that can cause paralysis. Rotary International has been fighting polio through its PolioPlus program.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to co-sponsor a Rotary event dedicated to fighting this disease. I would like to thank my colleagues who participated in the event. It was an opportunity to celebrate how far we’ve come and to remind ourselves that the fight against this terrible disease must go on until it is eradicated for good.

As a former Rotarian, I’ve seen what a huge impact the organization’s work has had. Eradicating polio has been Rotary’s flagship effort since 1985, and the organization has contributed $2.6 billion to the cause. We should also be very proud of the role our country has played in ridding the world of polio.

For almost 40 years now, Canada has been a key partner in the fight, contributing a total of nearly $1 billion so far.

However, while global efforts have made it possible to vaccinate three billion children and prevent 20 million cases of paralysis, the fight is not over. That is why we must intensify our efforts and continue to work to put a definitive end to this scourge.

I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to a polio survivor, Ramesh Ferris, a well-known resident of Whitehorse, Yukon. A past president of the Rotary Club Whitehorse Rendezvous and a Paul Harris Fellow, in 2008, Mr. Ferris travelled over 7,000 kilometers on his hand-cycle, rallying Canadians from west to east and raising thousands of dollars to eradicate polio.

Mr. Ferris is an inspiration, and his example should motivate us to come together to finally defeat polio.

Thank you.

Hon. Jean-Guy Dagenais: Honourable senators, I rise today to mark the passing of a great Canadian, astrophysicist Hubert Reeves, who died at the age of 91. His funeral was held yesterday in Paris. Born in the small town of Léry on the south shore of Montreal, Hubert Reeves was one of the most eloquent science popularizers out there, in my opinion.

Although astronomy and physics may not be everyone’s favourite topics, as soon as Hubert Reeves spoke, no matter the forum, his enthusiasm was irresistible. His educational descriptions of the cosmos brought science within the grasp of children and adults alike.

A researcher, professor and communicator, Hubert Reeves was one of the first to try to raise people’s awareness of the climate changes we are now facing. He was well ahead of his time. He had serious concerns about the state of planet Earth long before our present-day politicians.

Hubert Reeves wrote approximately 40 books, including Poussières d’étoiles, published in 1984, and helped produce numerous science-related television documentaries. He taught at the Université de Montréal and at other universities in the United States, Belgium and France. He also worked as a NASA consultant.

This Quebecer also served as Director of the French National Centre for Scientific Research. After settling in the small village of Malicorne, France, in the 1980s, Mr. Reeves returned regularly to Montreal to support then-radio host Louis-Paul Allard, who had set up the Fondation québécoise en environnement in 1987. I will point out that this was over 35 years ago.

How many of us were really concerned about environmental issues in the mid-1980s? Even back then, the small guy with the distinctive voice was talking, without being alarmist, about the dangers he saw coming. Reporting on the state of the environment, Hubert Reeves insisted that there was always room for optimism, as long as humans took good care of humanity.

Hubert Reeves was made a Companion of the Order of Canada and was awarded France’s Legion of Honour. Canada has lost one of its greatest scientists, who, in my view, deserves the title of climate action whistle-blower.

Thank you.

Hon. Rosemary Moodie: Honourable senators, first, on a sombre note, I want to express my deep sadness at the passing of our honourable colleague, Senator Shugart. I offer my condolences to his family, friends and all of us grieving his loss, including here in this chamber.

I want to take a moment to welcome the Honourable Pearnel Charles Jr., Minister of Labour and Social Security from Jamaica, Ms. Marsha Coore Lobban, High Commissioner of Jamaica and Her Excellency Ms. Colette Roberts Risden, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Labour and Social Security from the Government of Jamaica. Welcome.

Colleagues, I rise today to recognize the Inspiring Healthy Futures initiative and to welcome to Ottawa hundreds of delegates from the A Future Fit for Kids summit taking place tomorrow here in Ottawa.

Inspiring Healthy Futures emerged in the middle of COVID-19 with a mission to address many of the long-standing issues facing children and families in Canada. Since then, they have built a broad and powerful coalition of youth, parents, researchers, educators, advocates, policy-makers, service providers and community and business leaders throughout this country to look at the urgent issues facing children and to create an innovative agenda that will help move us forward. They have had a powerful impact. For example, they were leading voices in pushing the Government of Canada to commit $2 billion to address the pediatric health crisis earlier this year. Additionally, the community secured $125 million of federal funding for One Child Every Child, a pan-Canadian health research initiative led by the University of Calgary.

Colleagues, as I conclude, I want to share with you two opportunities for you to engage with these delegates from our regions here in Ottawa. First, I want to invite you to the Imagine the Future reception taking place this evening. It will be a great opportunity to meet these young people, advocates and researchers who are making a difference in our health care system today. Second, please join the Parliamentary Child Health Caucus for breakfast tomorrow morning for a more fulsome discussion on the paths forward and ways that we as parliamentarians can be strong, reliable partners.

Colleagues, now is not the time to rest on our laurels. We have seen some success for children, but it is just a fraction of what they need to live healthy, happy and successful lives. I invite you to partner in securing that future. Thank you.

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the Honourable Pearnel Charles Jr., Minister of Labour and Social Security, Government of Jamaica; Ms. Marsha Coore Lobban, High Commissioner of Jamaica to Canada, and other members of the delegation. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Moodie.

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

Hon. Paula Simons, for Senator Black, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, presented the following report:

Thursday, October 26, 2023

The Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry has the honour to present its

TWELFTH REPORT

Your committee, to which was referred Bill C-234, An Act to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, has, in obedience to the order of reference of June 13, 2023, examined the said bill and now reports the same with the following amendments:

1.Clause 1, pages 1 and 2:

(a) On page 1, replace lines 4 to 15 with the following:

(b) on page 2, delete lines 1 to 10.

2.Make any necessary consequential changes to the numbering of provisions and cross-references resulting from the amendments to the bill.

Your committee has also made certain observations, which are appended to this report.

Respectfully submitted,

ROBERT BLACK

Chair

(For text of observations, see today’s Journals of the Senate, p. 2068.)

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore informed the Senate that a message had been received from the House of Commons with Bill C-284, An Act to establish a national strategy for eye care.

(Bill read first time.)

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association concerning the Bureau Meeting and Spring Standing Committee Meeting, held in Oslo, Norway, from March 25 to 26, 2023.

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

(On motion of Senator Ravalia, bill placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading two days hence.)

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore informed the Senate that a message had been received from the House of Commons with Bill C-280, An Act to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (deemed trust — perishable fruits and vegetables).

(Bill read first time.)

Hon. Brian Francis: Honourable senators, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifteenth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples, which deals with Bill C-29, An Act to provide for the establishment of a national council for reconciliation.

(For text of report, see today’s Journals of the Senate, p. 2065.)

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Vina Nadjibulla from the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. She is the guest of the Honourable Senator Woo.

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

Hon. Senators: Hear! Hear!

[English]

Hon. René Cormier: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, today being Intersex Awareness Day, I would like to point out that “body normalization” surgeries done on intersex persons without their consent are still legal in Canada.

I also want to point out that the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan announced that consultations were to take place starting in the fall of 2022 about criminalizing surgeries of this kind performed on intersex persons during their childhood.

Last April, I brought this commitment to the attention of the federal government by asking you a question — that is yet to be answered — about when the consultations would start.

Senator Gold, I want to reiterate my question and ask you precisely what the government’s timeline is on this matter.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Leader, Canadians increasingly feel that their faith is under attack. That’s true no matter where they practise their religion, whether at a mosque, synagogue, temple, cathedral or church. We remember an unimaginable act of evil committed at a mosque in Quebec City in 2017; two years ago, churches across Canada were burned down; and in Toronto on the weekend, a Jewish-owned restaurant was targeted by a large group of anti-Semitic protesters. Now, leader, there are reports that Canadians will not hear prayers for the fallen during Remembrance Day ceremonies.

Why is the Trudeau government doing this, leader?

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association concerning the Joint Visit of the Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Defence and Security Cooperation and the Sub-Committee on Resilience and Civil Security, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Nuuk, Greenland, from September 12 to 16, 2022.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. It’s an important one.

The government has taken a public health approach to the regulation of cannabis. That was the hallmark of the legislation we passed in this chamber some years ago. The government, in terms of its responsibility, along with provinces and others, is disseminating clear, factual evidence and information to users and potential users as to the health risks, the potency of the products, their composition, the provenance and so on. In that way, Canadians of all ages are able to make informed choices as to whether they should consume, what they should consume and when they should consume.

The government will continue to make available public information to continue to educate and inform Canadians about cannabis. It supports and plays a role in a national dialogue about the health and safety of these products.

Hon. Tony Loffreda: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

In a new report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, we learned that the prevalence of cannabis use has mostly increased or remained steady since its legalization five years ago. However, Statistics Canada has reported an overall increase in cannabis use from 22% to 27% among Canadians aged 16 and older between 2017 and 2022.

We know that Health Canada is projected to spend $136 million in total on its Substance Use and Addictions Program this year. What work is the government doing to reduce cannabis use among our population, particularly among our youth? Are you not concerned that the government’s education and awareness campaign on the harms associated with cannabis use is not achieving its goal?