Senator Plett: Your government arbitrarily banned 1,500 types of firearms three years ago. The Parliamentary Budget Officer, or PBO, says the price tag for this will be at least three quarters of a billion dollars — not worth the cost. It’s been three years, and nothing has been paid. The minister claimed last week that he’s still working on it.

When will this NDP-Liberal government actually complete its never-ending work and do what it promised to do?

Senator Gold: The government values the work of the Auditor General and its departments. The audits are taken seriously and inform government policy going forward.

Again, the government has been clear from the beginning: The important thing is to plant the trees. Trees are an important tool in combatting climate change.

Senator Cormier: Yes, that is my understanding, and that’s why I think it is so important that we bring this bill to committee to study it because I think it is an important question about the Constitution and relations between the federal government and the provinces and territories. I think it’s an important question, and that’s why I applaud Senator Quinn for tabling this bill, but I hope we’ll have a chance to discuss and study this bill in committee. Thank you, Senator Downe.

(On motion of Senator Coyle, debate adjourned.)

Senator Martin: Well, at this committee meeting, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development said the program is, “. . . becoming partly a tree-counting program instead of a tree-planting program.” That’s because the NDP-Liberal government is double counting trees from other programs to boost the 2 Billion Trees program. When asked why the government would do that, Commissioner DeMarco said, “I don’t know what the motivation was, other than good news is better than bad news.” Leader, is he right?

Senator Kutcher: In addition to the additional resources needed, existing biomonitoring activities currently do not appropriately survey Indigenous peoples, and this perpetuates environmental inequity. What immediate action will the government take to rectify this problem?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I rise to pay tribute to Senator Ian Shugart, who left us too young and too early in his Senate career. It’s never easy to say goodbye to a valued colleague, and it’s all the more difficult when that colleague has become a friend; such is the case for me today.

Let me begin by extending my sincere condolences to his wife, Linda, his children, Robin, James and Heather, his family and his many friends. May his memory be a blessing, and may you be spared further sorrow.

Ian Shugart was a public servant in the very best sense of the term. For more than 40 years, he served Canada and Canadians as an assistant deputy minister or deputy minister in various departments, and as the twenty-fourth Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet. His service to our country was exemplary and much admired by all who worked with him, and one would need far more time than we have today to list all of his contributions and accomplishments.

But it is Ian Shugart the man, the person, whom I want to celebrate today. Although we had met on a few occasions in the past, it was only when he joined us here in the chamber that I got to know him well — very well. Indeed, colleagues, speaking for myself, very rarely in life do you meet someone that you can get to know so deeply and so intimately in such a short period of time.

In his first few months as a senator, we spent many hours together in my office. We talked about the Senate as an institution, the policy process and our responsibilities as public office holders, parliamentarians and citizens. He was knowledgeable, thoughtful, curious and open-minded, and I know that all of us in the chamber experienced those qualities through our interactions with him and during his interventions in both the chamber and committee.

Senator Shugart came to the Senate after battling serious health challenges, which returned not long after he joined us. Yet he stayed focused on the contribution that he hoped to make to our work here in the Senate. Even as he endured his treatments and surgeries, he never wavered in his commitment to serving our country.

He and I spoke on several occasions throughout the summer and into the fall. Given his deteriorating health, it was incredibly moving — indeed, it was inspiring — to witness his thoughtfulness toward all those around him — including myself — his determination to serve and the peace of mind that his unwavering faith provided him.

Colleagues, during the very last two conversations we had together, he was throwing out ideas for a speech to be delivered in the chamber — by him if he were physically able to be here, or by someone else if he were not. Even in his last weeks, as he was fighting his final battle, he was contemplating how to best express his continued devotion to Canada and to service.

It is said that in the face of adversity, we reveal our true selves. In the face of his own mortality, Ian Shugart’s true self shone through — a dedicated public servant, a loving husband and father, a caring and considerate person and a man of deep religious conviction.

I am grateful to have had the privilege of knowing the Honourable Ian Shugart albeit for far too short a time. He will be missed by all who knew, admired and loved him. May he rest in peace.

Senator Dagenais: Just this past Tuesday, the American ambassador to Canada was emphatic about the reprisals to come; the Canada-United States-Mexico free trade agreement is under threat. Canada cannot be the only G20 country to be in step.

Could Mr. Trudeau care enough about Canada’s economy to quickly consider the suggestion that a few lucid Liberals have politely been making for the past few days, namely to make way for someone more competent to lead our country?

Senator McCallum: Thank you.

Bruce Muirhead states:

To date, Canadian governments have committed themselves to maintaining the system. . . . To lose it, however, would be a tragedy — it has served dairy farmers, consumers and processors well over the years, providing cost-effective, safe and secure dairy products in a world where those realities are increasingly difficult to guarantee.

Honourable senators, I urge you to support this bill.

Kinanâskomitinâwâw.

Thank you.

(On motion of Senator Loffreda, debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Clement, seconded by the Honourable Senator Duncan, for the second reading of Bill S-1001, An Act to amalgamate The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Ottawa and The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation for the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall, in Ontario, Canada.

The Hon. the Speaker informed the Senate that the following communication had been received:

RIDEAU HALL

November 1, 2023

Madam Speaker,

I have the honour to inform you that the Right Honourable Mary May Simon, Governor General of Canada, signified royal assent by written declaration to the bill listed in the Schedule to this letter on the 1^st day of November, 2023, at 4:12 p.m.

Yours sincerely,

Maia Welbourne

Acting Secretary to the Governor General

The Honourable

The Speaker of the Senate

Ottawa

Bill Assented to Wednesday, November 1, 2023:

An Act to amend the Canada Business Corporations Act and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts (Bill C-42, Chapter 29, 2023)

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I received a notice from the Government Representative in the Senate, who requests, pursuant to rule 4-3(1), that the time provided for the consideration of Senators’ Statements be extended today for the purpose of paying tribute to the Honourable Ian Shugart, whose death occurred on October 25, 2023.

I remind senators that pursuant to our rules, each senator will be allowed only 3 minutes and they may speak only once, and that the time for tributes should not exceed 15 minutes.

Senator Gold: Again, Senator Kutcher, the measures to take the steps to implement the act are well under way. The importance of the issue that you raised is, no doubt, part of the ongoing plans — for which funding and resources have been devoted. It will take some time for all of the measures to be fully implemented.

[Translation]

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. I have every confidence in the minister and her team, as well as in her counterparts, and I’m sure they’ll be discussing this pertinent subject.

Given your experience, senator, I will endeavour to convey your suggestion to the minister, but perhaps not by tomorrow, since time is short. Still, thank you for the suggestion.

[English]

Senator Carignan: The Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton firm has already completed its report. This seems to be reminiscent of the sponsorship scandal. Monies were allegedly allocated to companies without following the rules of sound management or the established framework.

Who benefited from the fund’s largesse, which companies, what people and for what purpose? How are they connected to the government?

Senator Gold: The legislation regulating and strengthening our firearm laws is currently before the Senate, and is being studied responsibly and diligently by our committee, as is our practice here in the Senate. I look forward to the conclusions of the study and of the robust debate here in the chamber that I know we will have.

Senator Plett: The majority of households in my province rely upon natural gas to heat their homes. It gets very cold in Manitoba. The Prime Minister might not know that. The Prime Minister doesn’t live in the real world, Senator Gold. He’s never had to worry about a budget or how to pay for home heating. The PBO has repeatedly said that Manitobans will be in the red because of the carbon tax, yet the Prime Minister says he’s still doubling down on his plan to quadruple the tax. It’s unbelievable.

How much more does he think Manitobans can afford to pay? What has record food bank usage in my province done? How much more does he want from them?

Senator Gold: The Government of Canada is keenly aware of the challenges that Canadians are facing, whether in Manitoba, Alberta or other parts of the country, whether cold or more temperate. That’s why the government has put into place a suite of measures to target those who are most affected. It will continue to do its best to assist Canadians through these difficult times.

[Translation]

Senator Gold: Of course, I’ll add that to my list of questions for the minister.

[English]

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question, but I’m not in a position to answer it. The government takes any allegations of this nature seriously and will do whatever is necessary to protect Canadians from malfeasance.

Senator Cormier: Thank you for that answer, which is already in the public domain.

I see that the CRTC can be composed of a maximum 13 members appointed by the Governor-in-Council. However, it currently has only eight members. Why not appoint more advisers to achieve better francophone minority representation?