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. 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?

An Hon. Senator: I did.

Hon. Denise Batters: Senator Gold, last week, your government deputy leader went to the Agriculture and Forestry Committee to help gut a bill that would exempt farmers from paying the carbon tax on propane and natural gas. This week, Senator Gold, you went to the same committee and voted for an amendment to further weaken that bill.

First, the Trudeau government told farmers they didn’t need a carbon tax exemption. Then they fixed only a small part, and when a private member’s bill to correct this passed the House of Commons with all party support, Trudeau-appointed senators try to delay and gut it. Now, you and your deputy leader, as the Trudeau government’s representatives in the Senate, have stepped into private member’s business at committee to ensure farmers get a raw deal.

Who gave you those marching orders? Was it the Prime Minister’s Office? It’s obvious cabinet doesn’t want the bill. Why is this Trudeau government so determined to hurt farmers with this punitive carbon tax?

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore informed the Senate that a message had been received from the House of Commons with Bill C-252, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (prohibition of food and beverage marketing directed at children).

(Bill read first time.)

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.)

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

It is the position of the Government of Canada that it has both the interest and the right to take positions on legislation that is before the House or the Senate. This government does so. The vote in the other house reflects quite clearly some preoccupations that the government had with that private member’s bill. Although a handful of members of the governing party voted for it, a great majority did not.

The Government Representative Office in the Senate, just as the office of the opposition, has the right to send ex officio members to committees. We do so when we are advised that our counterpart attends. We were advised that would be the case, and we went there to listen to the debate and to express our views. In the first instance, my colleague abstained on an amendment in question. It passed nonetheless.

Hon. Jean-Guy Dagenais: My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Over the years, CBC/Radio-Canada has considerably reduced the broadcasting time of newscasts and news specials on its basic channels to invest more in variety shows and television series. The primary mission of CBC/Radio-Canada is to give all Canadians access to a top-quality information service.

However, to follow recent events as they develop, such as the terrorist attack in Israel or even the returns for the provincial election in Manitoba, Quebecers need to have a cable subscription to have access to RDI’s 24-hour news cycle. This service should be free, just like the weather channel.

Can your government justify why Canadians do not have free access to CBC/Radio-Canada’s 24-hour news channels?

Hon. Claude Carignan: My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. In Quebec, 872,000 people are using food banks every month, according to a report from late 2023. According to a study conducted by the Quebec food bank network, that is 30% more than last year and 73% more than in 2019. That is the sad reality being reported by the food banks.

The number of workers using food aid has more than doubled since 2019. How does the government leader explain such a disaster?

Hon. Elizabeth Marshall: Senator Gold, earlier this week, the C.D. Howe Institute released its annual report card on the fiscal transparency and accountability of Canada’s senior governments — so that would include the provincial, territorial and federal governments. This year, ranking at the bottom of the class again was the federal government, with a rating of C minus. I spoke about this in a speech earlier last year. The federal government always seems to rank at the bottom of the class.

Why is the federal government, with all the resources available to it, languishing at the bottom spot in a report on fiscal transparency and accountability?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Well, it pleases no one, including the Government of Canada, I assume, and certainly not this office, to be reminded that the Government of Canada is not doing a better job. One thing we can say with certainty is that the performance of the government will not be blamed on your persistence —

[Translation]

 — and I commend you for it —

[English]

— in raising these questions in the chamber.

I am not going to speculate about the different ability, capacity and scope of — or challenges faced by — the federal government vis-à-vis smaller jurisdictions, but I will certainly bring this, although they are already aware of it, to the attention of the government and implore them to do better.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question and for pointing out the importance for Canadians of not only RDI and CBC, but also of access to information. I am setting aside all the issues around Bill C‑18 and all the issues tied to the funding of CBC/Radio Canada — which are still issues, especially in certain parts of our country.

I will certainly take your concerns seriously and share them with the government so it can act to better help Canadians have access to the information we all need as and when it gets the opportunity to do so.