Senator Plett: The Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre, asked the Prime Minister to explain this discrepancy three times during yesterday’s Question Period in the House of Commons. He also can’t tell us anything; it seems like you and him are alike there. The Prime Minister did not come close to answering, which is, sadly, what Canadians have come to expect from him, Senator Gold.

Can you explain the discrepancy here, leader? Are the U.K. and Canadian governments not sharing intelligence anymore?

Senator Plett: What is there that you can share — the time of day?

Senator Petten: Senator Gold, only two thirds of long-term care homes use the interRAI, the leading resident assessment tool connected directly to the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Will the government commit to dedicating resources to facilitate the usage of the long-term care facility interRAI tool by every Canadian long-term care home?

Senator Gold: Canada works closely with the U.K. and other Five Eyes partners, and we share intelligence and work collaboratively to defend our citizens.

It is obvious to all parliamentarians that neither the Prime Minister nor the Government Representative in the Senate is going to be disclosing what intelligence information is shared between countries, including the extent of it or the nature of it.

Senator Plett: Well, first of all, you should not make comments about whether people are here or not, but there are other speakers on the list.

Senator Gold: These are allegations and are not substantiated. For whatever reasons this promotion was given, I’m sure it was for similar reasons that the previous government gave promotions to that very same person on a number of occasions.

Senator Gold: I’m sure that the committee will do its work in the spirit of honouring the veterans, and will do so with dignity, integrity and a non-partisan approach to our veterans’ demands. I’m sure that they will have the appropriate level of cooperation from the government in that regard.

Senator McCallum: Honourable senators, with your leave, I would like to withdraw the motion and have the vote at 5:30.

Senator McCallum: No, I’m not.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Jasper, Hanna, Noa and Lucille, Senator Boyer’s grandchildren, as well as Norman Fleury, a Michif interpreter.

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

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, Veterans’ Week — leading up to Remembrance Day — is an important week for all Canadians. On November 3, Veterans’ Week began with the wreath-laying ceremony in the Senate Chamber. A solemn candlelit tribute to veterans was held at the Canadian War Museum on November 6. Ceremonies and events took place for National Indigenous Veterans Day on November 8. Over the course of Veterans’ Week, No Stone Left Alone ceremonies have taken place in cemeteries across Canada, where students and participants laid poppies on the graves of veterans.

This year — 2023 — also marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of United Nations peacekeeping, as well as the seventieth anniversary of the Korean War armistice. On Remembrance Day, we gather to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have served our great nation, and to honour the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. It is a day when we remember the profound debt of gratitude we owe to all of our veterans.

The Korean War is Canada’s third-bloodiest war. More than 26,000 Canadians served in Korea between 1950 and 1953, and more than 7,000 served in peacekeeping duties after the signing of the armistice. Those courageous men and women fought in harsh conditions — in a faraway land across an ocean — to protect the people of Korea from communist tyranny. They faced formidable challenges, and endured harsh winters, sweltering summers and the grim realities of war.

The battles they fought, like the Battle of Hill 355 and the Battle of Kapyong, stand as testaments to their unwavering determination and the indomitable spirit of our Armed Forces.

But it is not just their physical battles that we remember today — it is the emotional and psychological scars that many brought back with them. In the face of the horrors of war, they displayed remarkable resilience, and today, we remember those veterans who might still bear the invisible wounds of conflict.

Through their sacrifices, our Korean War veterans helped shape a world where freedom and democracy triumphed over tyranny and oppression. Their commitment to defending the principles we hold dear has left a legacy of freedom and peace that we continue to cherish today.

As we gather in this chamber to honour all of our veterans — past and present — we must also acknowledge the importance of supporting our veterans, not just on Remembrance Day, but every day. Let us be grateful for their service, and the service of those who — today — don Canada’s uniform. Let us commit to being there for them when they need care, understanding and support. On this Remembrance Day, let us pay tribute to them by ensuring that their legacies endure, and by promising to uphold the ideals they fought so valiantly to protect. We will remember them.

[Translation]

We will remember them.

[Editor’s Note: Senator Martin spoke in Korean.]

[English]

Hon. Rebecca Patterson: Honourable senators, during this week of remembrance, both conflict and geopolitical instability place the peace and security that we enjoy, as Canadians, increasingly under pressure.

Like countless conflicts in the past, Canadian women and men have always answered the call to defend Canada and our values — at home and abroad. In April, I spoke to you about the 38th Ottawa Overseas Battalion and the actions of Captain Thain MacDowell, who earned the Victoria Cross at Vimy Ridge.

In June, I relayed to you that Francis Godon of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles described how landing at Juno Beach on D-Day was like wading through ketchup because the sand was so thick and red with the blood of the fallen.

It is too easy to think of conflict as something in the past. Canadian schoolchildren learn about Vimy and Juno as a matter of study, and they wear poppies in November. They might even hear stories of modern veterans like Captain Ashley Collette, an infantry officer with the Royal Canadian Regiment, who received the Medal of Military Valour for her leadership under fire and her performance in combat. That was critical to defeating the enemy attempts to reoccupy a key village in Afghanistan.

But how will many of them learn about the other conflicts that Canadians have engaged in since the Second World War, such as the Battle of Medak Pocket? This battle saw our soldiers from the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry — 30 years ago in September 1993 — engage in an eight-day battle with Croatian troops.

Speaking about the conflict in the Balkans, one soldier who was there described their experience as follows:

One of the lessons is that civilization is a very thin veneer that can be readily ripped away and in this case, we saw neighbours killing neighbours. It was very, very sad to see.

But it speaks to the naivety that we have here in our country. We should be thankful for what we have. Canada is so secure and insular.

Colleagues, Canada’s security comes at a price. That price is paid directly by those who serve and have served. It also has a long-lasting impact on their families, loved ones and the communities that support them. All of us need to remember that.

Senators, this is my first Remembrance Day since my retirement from the Canadian Armed Forces. I invite all of you to reflect upon the moral imperative of the decisions that we, as senators, make about security and defence — which is paid for in blood by those Canadians who serve, and have served, this great country.

As we approach November 11, I will reflect upon those who served and came home — many with permanent wounds of service, both visible and invisible. I will remember our fallen who did not come home. I will never forget. We must never forget.

[Translation]

We will remember them. Thank you.

[English]

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Blais, and Regimental Sergeant Major, Chief Warrant Officer Larivière. They are accompanied by other serving members and veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Patterson (Ontario).

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Glen McCallum, President of the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan. He is the guest of the Honourable Senator McCallum.

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

Hon. Brian Francis: Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples be authorized to examine and report on the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, 2021 by Canada and First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples, including, but not limited to any of the priorities raised within the Government of Canada’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan, 2023;

That the committee report to the Senate no later than October 30, 2025;

That the committee retain all powers necessary to publicize its findings for 180 days after the tabling of the final report; and

That the committee be permitted, notwithstanding usual practices, to deposit reports on this study with the Clerk of the Senate if the Senate is not then sitting, and that the reports be deemed to have been tabled in the Senate.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Sarah Worthman, researcher, writer and queer heritage advocate. She is the guest of the Honourable Senator Cormier.

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

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, the report of the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer entitled Supplementary Estimates (B) 2023-24, pursuant to the Parliament of Canada Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. P-1, sbs. 79.2(2).

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, the Departmental Results Reports for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023.