Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

[English]

Hon. Brian Francis: Honourable senators, I rise today to mark Indigenous Veterans Day, which is observed each year on November 8, to pay tribute to all the First Nations, Inuit and Métis people who served — and continue to serve — in the Canadian Armed Forces.

While Indigenous people have made significant contributions to the military history of the country now known as Canada, their service was disregarded for many years. However, due to their campaigns for respect and recognition, there is growing awareness of, for example, the estimated 12,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit soldiers who served in the great conflicts of the last century, with at least 500 of them losing their lives and countless others being injured.

There is also now growing awareness that, despite being deemed equals on the battlefield and some receiving decorations for their skills and bravery, Indigenous veterans faced prejudice and discrimination during and after their military service. For example, at the start of the First World War, First Nations registered as status Indians under the Indian Act were exempt from conscription because they were not considered citizens. However, shortly after, the federal government declared that, as British subjects, First Nations could be called up for training and service, which some communities protested.

It is also important to note that First Nations did not have the right to vote federally without conditions until 1960. However, men who served during the First and Second World Wars gained the right to vote in federal elections without giving up their Indian status. Yet, after the wars ended, those who lived on a reserve lost the right to vote. In addition, many were stripped of their Indian status and associated rights which, among others, severed their family and community ties.

Upon their return home, First Nations veterans also did not receive the same benefits as non-Indigenous veterans, and many experienced poverty and other hardships throughout their lives.

Colleagues, let us pause to remember the life and legacy of the thousands of Indigenous people across Mi’kma’ki and beyond who left their loving families and communities and risked their lives abroad for freedoms that, in many cases, they were not entitled to at home.

Although progress has been made in recent decades, including through a federal apology and compensation package for First Nations veterans in 2003 and for Métis veterans in 2019, work is still needed to ensure that all Indigenous veterans receive the care and support they need and deserve. We owe them a debt of gratitude, and we must not forget them — nor the injustices this country inflicted upon them and their families and communities. Thank you. Wela’lioq. Meegwetch.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Morgan Hussey, recipient of the Bronfman scholarship and student at Mount Saint Vincent University. She is the guest of the Honourable Senator Cordy.

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

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Honourable senators, it is with deep emotion that I rise to speak to you today. My voice carries the weight of stories that tell of both human tragedy and the perseverance of victims of crime and their families.

We have with us today, in the Senate gallery, a family of unwavering courage and dignity. The Ilesic family went through something no parent or loved one should ever have to experience, and that is the loss of their son Brian, who was cut down in the prime of life by an act of unspeakable violence.

On June 15, 2012, Brian Ilesic’s fate was forever changed in a tragedy that shook our community to its very core. That day, while he was hard at work at the University of Alberta, he fell victim to a violent, unthinkable crime.

One of his colleagues, blinded by greed and full of contempt for human life, opened fire in what has been described as the deadliest armed robbery in our history. Three armoured guards were gunned down, and Brian was one of them. With his exemplary work ethic and kindness, Brian would have never imagined that his commitment to keeping others safe would lead to his death.

This tragedy left an indelible mark on the hearts of his family members and rocked our entire nation. It reminded us how fragile life is and how important it is to protect our citizens.

Dianne and Mike Ilesic have joined us not only to bear witness to a grief that never truly fades, but also to show exactly what it means to have a broken heart. Their presence here is a poignant reminder that behind every decision, there are faces, names and lives left in disarray.

The solidarity and comfort they found in a support group, and the courage they showed in sharing their story with the public, are bright lights that shine through the darkness of their ordeal. These actions are not only liberating, they are also forging alliances that are effecting positive change in our society.

However, their quest for justice and peace was recently undermined by a Supreme Court of Canada decision. That decision could allow the person who took their son’s life to seek parole much sooner than expected. Their story is also the story of too many Canadians whose lives have been affected by similar crimes.

Colleagues, this decision challenges the very foundations of our justice system. It casts light on a deep-seated flaw in our justice system, namely that the severity of the punishment does not always match the gravity of the crime.

That’s why I will be introducing a bill this afternoon that seeks to balance the scales of justice.

To the Ilesic family and to all grieving families, I want you to know that I see your pain and I hear your call for justice. Your fight for the memory of your loved ones will henceforth be my fight. Thank you.

Hon. Patti LaBoucane-Benson (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That, when the Senate next adjourns after the adoption of this motion, it do stand adjourned until Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at 2 p.m.

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu introduced Bill S-281, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (parole review).

(Bill read first time.)

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

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

Hon. Elizabeth Marshall: My question is also for Senator Gold.

Senator Gold, last month, the Auditor General of Canada released two reports on the government’s aging information technology systems. Here are some of the things she said. She said only 38% of government’s 7,500 IT applications are considered healthy. She said work has not proceeded for 65% of approximately 4,500 applications earmarked for modernization.

Departments and agencies are maintaining old and outdated IT applications and relying on old and outdated IT infrastructure. Personnel with knowledge of and expertise on outdated and unsupported technology are diminishing. Some systems no longer have vendor support. There is no strategy or plan to modernize these old IT systems.

Given the magnitude of this critical problem, a whole-of-government approach is required. Can you tell us what the government intends to do to address this problem?

Hon. David Richards: Honourable senators, I have the honour to inform the Senate that pursuant to the orders adopted by the Senate on February 10, 2022, and November 2, 2023, the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs deposited with the Clerk of the Senate on November 8, 2023, its seventh report (Interim) entitled The Time is Now: Granting equitable access to psychedelic-assisted therapies and I move that the report be placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.

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

Hon. Rosemary Moodie: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association concerning the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Winter Meeting, held in Vienna, Austria, from February 23 to 24, 2023.

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Government leader, the Trudeau government told Canadians that it would somehow find $15 billion in savings this year, despite not once following through on their other promises to find savings. In fact, the Trudeau government did just what Canadians have come to expect from them. They spent even more money, and they spent it on consultants.

KPMG was given a contract worth just under $670,000 to tell the Trudeau government how to spend less money — hear this — on consultants. Unbelievable. This would be a joke if it didn’t involve so many hard-earned taxpayers’ dollars.

Leader, I know you don’t like to hear it, but every day Prime Minister Trudeau shows Canadians that he’s not worth the cost. How does your government possibly justify this waste?

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, a Charter Statement prepared by the Minister of Justice in relation to Bill S-14, An Act to amend the Canada National Parks Act, the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act, the Rouge National Urban Park Act and the National Parks of Canada Fishing Regulations, pursuant to the Department of Justice Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. J-2, sbs. 4.2(1).

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, Senator Marshall. You put your finger on a real and serious problem, a problem that this government is confronting and, indeed, previous governments have confronted. Regrettably, colleagues, those of you who have worked in business or in IT in large organizations will find the story rather familiar.

Spending lots of money — and it always costs lots of money to update IT systems — is never something of particular appeal to voters, much less to governments seeking to deliver the goods to the electors in areas where electors feel the need.

As a result, generations of governments have regrettably not invested sufficiently in the infrastructure. We have reached the point now where — as you have properly pointed out, and it’s only the tip of the iceberg — the problem is significant.

This government is seized with this problem. I can tell you that with some confidence. It will make every effort within the budgetary constraints imposed on us to at least take steps forward to address this problem.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Hon. Andrew Cardozo: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Climate change is causing frequent and intense extreme weather events as well as increasing temperatures. The most recent examples are the resulting emergencies we experienced this past year with wildfires and flooding.

As the debate on climate change gallops along, we tend to lose sight of where we started and where we started this discussion. I want to go back to first principles as a starting point, primarily for Canadians who are watching us. What are the most serious climate change issues, and what are governments in Canada and elsewhere doing about them? What do we need to be doing as a society?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. This is an important issue and part of Canada’s commitment to advance economic reconciliation by supporting Indigenous businesses through a variety of means, including federal procurement policies.

It’s premature for me to be able to measure the success of this program, but I can say that as of March 24, 2022, PSPC has awarded 42 contracts worth over $197 million to self-identified Indigenous businesses in response to the pandemic and issues that flowed from that. I am also advised that the government does expect that all departments and agencies will meet or exceed the 5% target no later than the end of fiscal 2024-25.

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Marshall, please —

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Marshall, thank you. Senator Gold, your response.