Senator Gold: I’m not in a position to answer that, senator, other than to say that both represent measures that the government is taking to enhance our park system for the benefit of all Canadians, both to provide the necessary land resources, which is done in consultation with stakeholders and communities, and to provide the funds necessary to achieve the overall purposes of the department.

Senator Moodie: Thank you. With the recent history of the pandemic that we have lived through, Canadians are justifiably focused on the government’s stockpile of essential health care supplies, such as flu and COVID vaccines, masks and other protective equipment. Does the government have a sufficient stockpile of these essentials for the 2023-24 winter season?

Senator Gold: Thank you for that. Again, vaccines are our best defence, and to date, I’m advised that more than 11 million total doses of the new formulation — that’s mRNA XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccines — have already been delivered by the Government of Canada to the provinces and territories to support the immunization programs in those provinces and territories. I’m assured that doses will continue to arrive and be distributed throughout the fall.

Senator LaBoucane-Benson: Senator, I don’t disagree with your rendition of history at all. I do disagree that in the preamble it says “Indigenous peoples.” It doesn’t say “Métis.”

Truly, every law in Canada is written in the language of the colonizer. “Indigenous” is not a Cree word. The Cree people don’t call themselves “Cree people.” The Métis people don’t necessarily call themselves “Métis people” in Michif, and yet here we are in the language of the colonizer, writing a bill that is talking about reconciliation.

I think the word “Indigenous” meets the standard, and is good enough in this bill at the beginning because it is inclusive. It doesn’t leave people out unintentionally, but I don’t disagree with the history that you are putting forward.

Senator Martin: I would appreciate your responses to my specific questions regarding the rent supplement program.

The Veterans Emergency Fund provides financial help to veterans experiencing a crisis. A briefing note produced in March for the Veterans Affairs minister states:

Every year since the program started in April 2018, the demand for the Veterans Emergency Fund has been more than the $1 million dollars of annual funding.

As this program has been underfunded every single year since it began, are Canada’s veterans still asking for more than the government can give, as Prime Minister Trudeau said once before?

Senator Gold: It is important that there are proper resources to meet the legitimate demands of veterans, and I certainly will bring this particular matter to the attention of the minister.

Senator Dupuis: In both French and English, the word “immemorial” refers to a time in the distant past of human history, without necessarily giving a specific date for the arrival of the Inuit, the arrival of the Indians, the arrival of the Métis, according to the terms used in section 35 of the Constitution Act. These are not my preferred terms, but I’m using the ones we have. Is that how you understand this?

[English]

Senator LaBoucane-Benson: I thank you for that. If this bill were perfect, it would name the actual nations that were here, and it’s not. Using inclusive language would help Métis people understand that we acknowledge that they have traumas as well, that they have suffered as well, that they went to day schools and some residential schools, that they experienced systemic racism, and that they have lived their lives in a country that has seen them as less than — and that is why I am advocating for inclusive language.

[Translation]

Senator LaBoucane-Benson: Thank you, senator. I’m sure my colleagues would all agree that I am not the person to address the translation issues between French and English.

But I take your point. If I understand, what you are saying is “time immemorial” as it’s expressed in French and English may mean different things. No?

[Translation]

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 Gold: All of the circumstances around this, including which person is telling the truth or not telling the truth, are matters that are being investigated by the RCMP. There will be no further comment from the government or from the representative of the government in this place pending the conclusion of those investigations.

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.