Hon. Jane Cordy: Would you take a question?

I really want to thank you so much for doing this. I was on the Social Affairs Committee, and I remember that we heard that your bill was coming before us, it was Jury Duty Appreciation Week and I thought, “Oh, well, that’s nice.” But then you were our first witness, and you spoke about your experiences, what happened afterwards and how you had no preparation going in. Then the day after the trial, you go back to your regular life — as regular as it can be after going through the trauma.

I think you spoke about the underappreciation of jurors. I have known people who have served on juries. You see them again, and it’s great that they’re finished, but they can’t talk about what they went through. It’s not even right to ask them what they have gone through.

I guess my question would be this: During Jury Duty Appreciation Week — which I think will do really good things — what types of activities do you envision taking place so that Canadians understand what jurors have gone through? We often think that a trial lasts a week or two, but we heard one witness tell us that it was months and months, and then after all this period of time, walk back into his office the next day and move along just as if life had been going on as “normal” for the previous six or nine months he was doing it.

I’m wondering if you can give us some ideas of what you envision. Hopefully, people are very creative in what they do if this bill passes. Can you tell us some of the things you think might happen that would help jurors or potential jurors understand what’s going to happen, but also to help the general public have a better appreciation of the role that members of a jury play in our society?

Senator Moncion: Thank you for the question, senator, and thank you for all the good questions that you and all your colleagues on the Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee were asking when we, the witnesses, attended.

A lot of things are already in the process, and they were used last year in Jury Duty Appreciation Week. This information is being built as different provinces come into the program. Since we started working on the changes to the legislation for the secrecy rules, a Canadian Juries Commission has been created, and their work is to bring awareness to the work that jurors have to do.

They are working with provinces that want to come onboard. So there is information on the web that is available. There are all kinds of courses people can take or sessions they can participate in to prepare them for jury duty. There are different things that are done in different provinces.

This work has been building over the last couple of years, so more and more material is available. There is going to be more information provided for employers whenever a staff member is asked to be on jury duty. Understanding the obligations as an employer, the work that the juror is going to have to do and how time consuming that is — all this information is provided. But it will also be made more accessible.

The appreciation week just brings awareness. Then people will maybe start looking at that information and see what happens when they are called to become jurors. There is going to be more information available, and all kinds of tools are out there now to help jury duty.

Thank you.

(On motion of Senator Martin, debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Downe, seconded by the Honourable Senator Quinn, for the third reading of Bill S-258, An Act to amend the Canada Revenue Agency Act (reporting on unpaid income tax).

(On motion of Senator Martin, debate adjourned.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard: Honourable senators, I rise today in support of Bill S-280, An Act respecting a national framework on sickle cell disease. Thank you to my colleague Senator Mégie for giving us a comprehensive overview of sickle cell disease. We are privileged to have her medical expertise to inform the chamber about the complex medical details and challenges of this hereditary disease impacting descendants of Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, South America and certain regions of India and the Mediterranean.

I would also like to thank my colleague Senator Cordy for being a champion of this issue for many years, including her work in 2017 to have National Sickle Cell Awareness Day recognized. I want to thank and recognize the work of the honourable Tony Ince, MLA for Cole Harbour-Portland Valley, who presented and supported Bill 396, An Act to Establish a Sickle Cell Awareness Day, in November 2023 in my home province of Nova Scotia. June 19 will now be observed as Sickle Cell Awareness Day in Nova Scotia.

I support Bill S-280 and urge that it be sent to committee to be studied as soon as possible. Sickle cell disease impacts people living at a particularly vulnerable intersection — the intersection of race and disability. With daily life being so significantly impacted by the forces of racism and ableism, I believe this framework has a particularly important role in improving the lives of Black people with sickle cell disease. This intersection is the result of systemic issues and policy gaps. It requires policy solutions like this framework.

I agree with the importance of creating a national research network, improving training and diagnostic tools, setting evidence-based national standards, creating equitable neonatal screening, supporting public awareness campaigns and implementing a tax credit for families.

Members of my extended family and kinship group have been impacted by sickle cell anemia. For many years, African Nova Scotians suffered in silence because this chronic illness was considered a taboo topic — one you didn’t talk about anywhere or to anyone. I am grateful for the leadership of people like Dr. Josephine Etowa, which began when she was a graduate nursing student — she had the courage to take a stand — and Rugi Jalloh, who has led the volunteer work in Nova Scotia and across Canada on this issue. Their efforts have helped to raise awareness, reduce stigma and create policy changes. Now, colleagues, it is time to broaden the scope of this work nationally, and Bill S-280 positions us to do that.

In 2013, the Nova Scotia government announced the introduction of the Maritime Newborn Screening Program. Dr. Josephine Etowa was — as I said earlier — a graduate nursing student instrumental in bringing the sickle cell screening of newborns to Nova Scotia. The ability to screen babies as early as possible saves lives. It means that babies can access life-saving treatments early, preventing irreversible damage, reducing future hospitalizations and preventing serious symptoms from developing.

Dr. Etowa studies racism in health systems, and through her research, she identified the issue of a lack of screening for sickle cell disease. This early screening program is an excellent working example of race equity in the health system. A test that in mainstream medical systems may not seem to make a remarkable change for most children has the power to make a significant change specifically for Black families and other racialized families whose quality of life would be improved with the knowledge of an early diagnosis. Essentially, colleagues, this is an example of bringing a culturally responsive lens to health care systems.

I consulted with Ase Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities, who stated that they are in support of Bill S-280 in principle due to the capacity the bill has to improve the lives of Black people with this chronic illness. They recommend that the bill explicitly recognize the intersectionality of race and disability and how anti-Black racism impacts health outcomes and access to support and care. They also suggest that the bill explicitly recommend the framework include culturally responsive training for health care professionals.

They stated:

Bill S-280 represents a crucial step toward recognizing and addressing the unique challenges Black Canadians face with sickle cell disease.

When this bill goes to committee, I encourage you to invite Dr. Etowa and the Ase Community Foundation as witnesses. You will be enlightened.

The Sickle Cell Disease Association of Atlantic Canada recently sent out a newsletter, and in it the founder and President, Rugi Jalloh, recounted an interaction they had when they asked a person with sickle cell disease how they were doing. Their response was, “It hurts to breathe, but hey, I’m glad to be alive.”

They shared that this person was unable to attend the entire semester at university due to multiple hospitalizations, even with the usual educational accommodations that were offered. I share this person’s story to highlight how sickle cell disease can prevent people from accessing education and, subsequently, meaningful employment.

Honourable colleagues, for a person with sickle cell disease, the impact touches every area of their life, and a framework addressing this disease has the capacity to change lives for Black Canadians who live with sickle cell anemia.

I believe their lives are worth it. I urge you to see the importance of supporting Bill S-280, and I look forward to the committee work our colleagues will do to examine the whole impact of this proposed framework.

Asante. Thank you.

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

(Motion agreed to.)

(At 5:47 p.m., the Senate was continued until tomorrow at 2 p.m.)

Hon. Brent Cotter: Honourable senators, I rise to speak as the critic on Bill C-280, An Act to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (deemed trust — perishable fruits and vegetables).

I realize I have as much as 45 minutes today. I want to tell you that my speech is 21 pages long. I could call out the pages as I go, if you like.

I want to start on page 0. When I came to the Senate, I confess that I was surprised that I had, almost by accident and by experience in my career, bumped into many of the issues that we are addressing here, and I used to sit over in that corner in the nosebleed seats. I was there with former senator Judith Keating. We would compare notes on, remarkably, the kinds of things that we knew and perhaps didn’t even know that we knew.

One of the things I learned from former Senator Keating during those conversations was why she had asked Senator Percy Mockler to be her sponsor. I am sorry that he is not here at the moment. Some of you who are new to the Senate may know that former Senator Keating unfortunately passed away after only serving here for a couple of years. The temerity of the question was on my part, to ask her why she had asked Senator Percy Mockler to be her sponsor. She told me the reason was that, although she may not have agreed with everything that Senator Mockler stood for, she wanted to be a senator just like Percy Mockler.

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Simons, do you have a question?

Hon. Paula Simons: I do. Senator Cotter, would you accept a question?

The Hon. the Speaker: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?