The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Charlotte Yates, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guelph, and Mellissa McDonald, Assistant Vice President, Government Relations and Community Engagement at the University of Guelph. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Coyle.

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

Hon. Marty Klyne: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the tenth report (interim) of the Standing Committee on Audit and Oversight entitled Study on the Fact-Finding Mission on Audit and Oversight Practices in the United Kingdom Parliament.

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

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

Hon. Marie-Françoise Mégie introduced Bill S-280, An Act respecting a national framework on sickle cell disease.

(Bill read first time.)

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

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Charlotte Yates, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guelph, and Mellissa McDonald, Assistant Vice President, Government Relations and Community Engagement at the University of Guelph. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Coyle.

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you, Senator Housakos. Senator Gold, your reply.

Hon. Peter M. Boehm: Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade be permitted, notwithstanding usual practices, to deposit with the Clerk of the Senate, no later than December 29, 2023, its final report relating to its study on the Canadian foreign service and elements of the foreign policy machinery within Global Affairs Canada, if the Senate is not then sitting, and that the report be deemed to have been tabled in the Senate.

Hon. Scott Tannas: My question is for Senator Gold.

On October 24, Senator Dennis Patterson asked you a question about whether the government was seeking an extension to the Supreme Court of Canada’s deadline on Bill S-12. You replied saying that we should respect the deadline. Two days later, you informed the Senate that a three-month extension was granted.

We know extensions don’t happen overnight. Senator Gold, when did the Attorney General of Canada first give notice and apply to the Supreme Court for an extension? When were you informed? Finally, were you happy with the process?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your questions. With respect, I do not believe that the project has been mismanaged at all.

The National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan will be a solemn tribute to the 40,000 Canadians — the military, police and civilians — who served there. I understand that in the process, Veterans Affairs Canada heard from more than 10,000 Canadians about the monument designs. The Team Stimson design best reflects the input of veterans, their families and others who served on the mission.

Hon. Donna Dasko: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, it’s great to see some Senate vacancies being filled last week. I offer congratulations and a very warm welcome to our new colleague and to the colleagues who will join us in a couple of weeks.

Coincidentally, my question is about Senate vacancies. At this point, my province of Ontario has four vacancies, which is by far the highest number of vacancies of any province. Ontario is Canada’s most populous province by far, and even with a full complement of 24 senators from Ontario, my province is underrepresented in this chamber relative to our population.

When can we expect the Prime Minister to act on filling the vacancies to ensure that Ontario is adequately represented in the chamber of sober second thought?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your questions. I’ve said on many occasions all of us want to see all the vacancies filled. The appointment process that was put in place by this government, designed to recruit and attract the interest of and make available to the Senate a diverse range of competent Canadians, is under way. My understanding is the process is well in place in terms of Ontario.

I’m not able to answer as to when those vacancies will be filled, but the government is proceeding with dispatch with regard to those vacancies.

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Senator Gold, we’ve all read that the Government of Pakistan is forcing millions of Afghan refugees to return to Afghanistan. This is not just shocking; it’s against international law and puts many lives at risk.

I know there are Afghans who have been accepted into Canada as refugees but haven’t been able to leave Pakistan. Many of them are Hazara minorities. They are now being forced back to Pakistan, which puts them obviously at further risk of persecution by the Taliban.

What is our government doing to ensure these refugees are allowed to exit Pakistan and come to Canada?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. The government is very aware of the situation Afghan refugees are facing in Pakistan and continues to monitor it closely.

I’ve been advised that the government is in dialogue with the Government of Pakistan to ensure safe and expedited passage of Canada-bound Afghan refugees. While the government has already met its target of resettling at least 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada, which is a significant achievement, the government will continue to do everything it can to bring Afghans here and to safety.

Hon. Marty Klyne: Senator Gold, the government has pledged to close the infrastructure gap in Indigenous communities by 2030. However, the House of Commons Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee has warned in its June 2022 report that at the current pace of investments, this target will not be met when it comes to housing.

Can you please elaborate on how the Department of Indigenous Services Canada measures the existing gap, and when we will see the promised estimate of First Nations’ infrastructure needs? Will this estimate be included as part of the investment package in the upcoming Fall Economic Statement?

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Government leader, in May 2014, former prime minister Stephen Harper said a national memorial to those who served in Afghanistan would “ . . . ensure that their contributions are forever in the hearts and minds of Canadians . . . .”

Here we are approaching Remembrance Day almost 10 years later, and this monument is still not in place. An official design was only announced this past June, and its selection process is surrounded by controversy, as the Trudeau government overruled a professional jury’s design choice. Last week, the Minister of Veterans Affairs confirmed to a House committee that construction has still not begun.

Leader, why has the Trudeau government mismanaged the creation of this monument so badly?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for these important questions, senator. There is indeed a significant infrastructure gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in Canada. Infrastructure investments are a key element of the government’s commitment to foster the growth of safe, healthy and prosperous Indigenous communities and to support the participation in our economy of Indigenous communities and their businesses.

Let me note that since April 2016 and as of June 30, 2023, $9.92 billion in targeted funds has been invested towards 9,457 projects that will benefit Indigenous communities. I have been assured that Indigenous Services Canada will continue to work directly with First Nations, First Nations organizations and other federal organizations to identify what further measures and investments may be required to close this infrastructure gap by 2030.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. Let me begin by referring back to my intervention at the message stage on Bill S-12. On Thursday, October 26, I advised the chamber that my office was subsequently informed that for contingency purposes, the government did, indeed, seek an extension of the deadline as a responsible course of action in the event that things did not work out as part of the parliamentary process.

As you know, the court granted the extension. I was informed of this the next day, prior to the start of the sitting and our debate, and I immediately informed all leaders to that effect.

As it turns out, the existence of the motion for an extension was, in fact, part of the public record and readily accessible online to any interested person, any Canadian or, indeed, any parliamentarian, where their office could have checked the record of the case on the Supreme Court website. We did not, and I’m afraid others did not either.

That said, I’ve brought your concerns to the attention of the government. Efforts will be made in the future to ensure that this chamber is more readily made aware of legislation that may be subject to court-imposed deadlines.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Having this Liberal government is cruel and unusual punishment. Time and again, the Prime Minister shows he’s not worth the cost, and this response to the matter of victims’ rights is no exception. The NDP-Liberal government let the position of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime go vacant for 361 days. In 2018, when the position of the ombudsman for federally sentenced offenders became vacant, it was filled the very next day.

Why are victims’ rights and safe streets always an afterthought for the Trudeau government?