Senator Dupuis: May I clarify my question? Obviously, my colleague didn’t understand my question as I worded it.

Senator Marshall: Thank you very much, Senator Gold, for that response.

The Auditor General’s second report on IT systems was also very interesting. That report discussed the largest IT project undertaken by the federal government, estimated to cost $2.5 billion. It’s going to replace the 60-year-old Old Age Security system, as well as the 50-year-old Employment Insurance system that more than 10 million Canadians receive benefits under.

Since its launch in 2017, numerous obstacles and delays have been encountered in its implementation. The Auditor General has expressed concern over the project —

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Audette, seconded by the Honourable Senator LaBoucane-Benson, for the third reading of Bill C-29, An Act to provide for the establishment of a national council for reconciliation, as amended.

Senator Ringuette: What a shame. But I suspect a colleague would also like to participate in this debate. Thank you.

Senator McCallum: We are not leaving anyone out unintentionally. That is the reality.

I disagree with the word “Indigenous.” This country has moved from using “Aboriginal” to now using “Indigenous,” and that includes all the groups.

When I look at the history of how First Nations people were targeted — as were the Inuit people — they were specifically and persistently targeted by legislation to bring them down, and that has to be taken into account. It was all about the land. The country needs to know. We hear “time immemorial,” and when I use that term, that is from the Cree term. There is a Cree word for “time immemorial.” Can you comment on that?

Senator McCallum: I have spoken to Métis people, and I met with the Manitoba Métis Federation this morning. I have spoken to them about this amendment; they agreed with it. I said to them, “First Nations women are the matriarch of the Métis Nation because without them, and without the people who came over — the French, and the British — there would have been no Métis Nation.”

How can you say, Senator LaBoucane-Benson, that there were three groups here, when the Europeans hadn’t come, and there were only the First Nations? First Nations includes all the tribes that were here. It’s the original peoples — it is just that we can’t come up with one term. In Cree, we call ourselves nêhiyawak, but they didn’t take that into consideration — it’s human beings.

That’s why it is very important. This is truth and reconciliation. The truth is there were only First Nations and Inuit peoples when people landed here. Can you comment on that?

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Audette, seconded by the Honourable Senator LaBoucane-Benson, for the third reading of Bill C-29, An Act to provide for the establishment of a national council for reconciliation, as amended.

Senator Petitclerc: Thank you, Senator Gold.

I understand that Minister of Transport Rodriguez has requested to meet with Air Canada. Can you convey to them that solutions to the problems faced by persons with disabilities are not going to be arrived at politically? They need to be solved on the ground. The Rick Hansen Foundation is clear that it has to involve proper training, understanding consequences and letting people bring their wheelchairs on board. Can you pass on that message?

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question and for adding to the insinuations of wrongdoing that you make with no evidence or justification whatsoever. The government stands by its practices to manage the economy and its affairs in an honest way for the benefit of Canadians.

Senator Ringuette: May I respond to that?

Senator Poirier: Thank you. I appreciate it.

Senator Gold, your government also introduced Bill S-14 on October 19. That was a few days before the $30-million announcement from Minister Guilbeault. The timing is interesting, as both announcements on a related issue were made at the same time. As government leader, could you shed light on this? Is the announcement of October 24 related in any way to the measures contained in Bill S-14?

Senator Plett: How many people would be able to get away from the food banks if we hadn’t spent $670,000 on KPMG, $54 million on the “ArriveScam” app, $100 million on Liberal insiders at McKinsey, $256 million to Beijing’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and $35 billion for the failed Canada Infrastructure Bank, leader? It’s not worth the cost. How can the Trudeau government justify this waste with a record number of Canadians going hungry?

Senator Gold: The government continues to act in a prudent and responsible way. Listing all of these matters does not change the fact that the government remains committed to helping Canadians, whether it’s through the rising costs of food with the various measures I have outlined on numerous occasions in this chamber.

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Audette, seconded by the Honourable Senator LaBoucane-Benson, for the third reading of Bill C-29, An Act to provide for the establishment of a national council for reconciliation, as amended.

Senator LaBoucane-Benson: Yes, I do agree with you. That is my understanding.

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Hon. Rose-May Poirier: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to Georges R. LeBlanc, an Acadian veteran who passed away in Moncton on October 15 at the age of 100, surrounded by his family.

Born in Memramcook on January 6, 1923, Mr. Leblanc was a veteran of the Second World War and a highly respected member of his community. He fought in the Canadian army in Eastern Europe in 1945 with the Régiment de la Chaudière.

Last January, he was honoured by the Memramcook Golden Age Club for becoming a centenarian. He was one of the two remaining Acadian World War II veterans from Memramcook.

I want to extend my sincere condolences to Mr. Leblanc’s family and friends.

These days, it is becoming increasing important to honour the veterans who are still with us, along with the memory of those who have died. I had the honour to pay tribute to four Acadian veterans from my region when they were awarded the Senate 150th Anniversary Medal in 2017 and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal last February. All four of them were very active and engaged in their community, and I commend them for that.

They were Léonard Boucher of Bouctouche, a veteran with the Pictou Highlanders, Paul Maillet of Coal Branch, who made a valuable contribution as a volunteer with the Harcourt Legion, Léonard Pitre of Rogersville, who has been active in his community with the air cadets and the legion, and Edmond Daigle of Richibucto. The most senior member of the Richibucto Legion is still actively involved in his community. Mr. Daigle will be celebrating his 98th birthday on November 13, and I want to wish him a wonderful birthday.

I would also like to thank all the brave women and men who protect our freedom and safety in these times of turmoil. This Remembrance Day, we need to pause for a moment to acknowledge all those who have made sacrifices to give us peace and freedom.

Honourable senators, we must keep honouring them every year on Remembrance Day so that their sacrifice and memory live on. Please join me in commemorating all those who served to protect our freedom and in thanking them for their sacrifice. Lest we forget.

Thank you.

[English]

Senator Cardozo: My supplementary question is regarding mitigation. The Transport and Communications Committee is looking at the effects of climate change on transportation infrastructure across the country. What are your thoughts on the most important mitigation needs that we should be dealing with as a country?

Senator Plett: The Prime Minister is not worth the cost. He has no common sense. He thinks he can outsource leadership. One thing he’s good at, though, is taking care of his friends. In 2016, Liberal MPs voted to shut down a committee study into a tax-evasion scheme involving KPMG. At around the same time, a KPMG executive was named Treasurer for the Liberal Party. What a coincidence. Leader, why is it always Liberal insiders who get ahead under this government, while Canadians struggle to get by?