Hon. Leo Housakos: Too much to say and too little time to say it in, Senator Dawson. Honourable senators, I want to start off by saying that when I came to the Senate, Senator Dawson was one of the youngest senators here. He was Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, and I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence that that committee has become my favourite one in the Senate of Canada.

I’ll tell you this: Those of you who love the way I chair the committee, bring it up with my professor. Those of you who don’t like the way I chair the committee, also bring it up with Senator Dawson, whom I took close notes from during all these years.

Senator Dawson and I have a lot of similarities and a lot of dissimilarities. Of course, our similarities are that we both love Parliament and the political arena and we’re fiercely partisan when it comes to our political parties.

One of our dissimilarities is that he actually managed to get elected in the House of Commons, and I never did that. The other dissimilarity is, as you all know, I support Conservative right‑wing positions in politics, and he supports all the wrong ones. Despite that, I’ll tell you what I learned most from Senator Dawson. Despite the political battles on the floor of this chamber or at committee, he taught me that it doesn’t prevent you from becoming good friends. That’s what we have become through the years. He taught me that after those battles, you can have a glass of wine at the end of day — in our case, sometimes two and sometimes three. That’s really the most important thing I have taken away from Senator Dawson.

[Translation]

I would also like to point out that Senator Dawson was a great parliamentarian, both in the House of Commons and here in the Senate. Senator Dawson has been and still is a great Quebecer and a great Canadian. He is a role model for me, because he shows us that we can be both at the same time. We can be great Quebecers and support the Quebec nation and, at the same time, support our great country.

Senator Dawson, you are a role model. I have always taken copious notes, and it is something that I will never forget and will always cherish.

[English]

It’s important to highlight that in this chamber, there have been a lot of great parliamentarians, great legislators and great orators. Those are all great skills you can develop, but there is an intangible that Senator Dawson has that very few human beings have: He has a huge personality.

Senator Dawson, I’ll tell you this: You will never be forgotten, always be remembered in this chamber and in this institution and always missed. I wish you a great retirement. Enjoy your family. I know how much they mean to you. Enjoy the new addition to your family. When you come back, there will be a glass of wine waiting from me to you. We’ll miss you, Senator Dawson.

[Translation]

Hon. Leo Housakos: My question is for the government leader in the Senate. Government leader, yesterday, I asked you a question in regard to the Trudeau government’s censorship bill, Bill C-11, and the fact that Minister Rodriguez sent a letter to the chair of the CRTC — a chair he appointed — asking her to make sure she takes into consideration the rights and freedoms of Canadians when implementing Bill C-11. Your response yesterday, government leader, was the following:

. . . it’s the responsible thing for any government to ensure that those who are charged with enforcing the law — once this law does come into force — understand their obligations to respect our fundamental freedoms as guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The question is the following, government leader: Why does Minister Rodriguez have to write a letter to the chair of the CRTC when the bill is still before Parliament and he can write into that bill his exact wishes in black and white, so that regardless of who the chair of the CRTC is, there will be no ambiguity and neither Prime Minister Trudeau nor any other government will have the right to tell Canadians what to watch or post on the internet?

Senator Housakos: Government leader, you have to admit, it’s highly unusual for a minister of the Crown to feel compelled to write a letter to the chair of the CRTC asking her to respect Canadians’ rights and freedoms in regard to a law that hasn’t even gotten out of the door of the House of Commons. Clearly, even the minister himself felt compelled to have to do that. That in itself should raise some questions.

Senator Gold, yesterday, I asked you about the taxpayer-funded CBC announcing plans to move its operations entirely online. Senator Gold, the CBC can, to use your words, “speculate” and “anticipate” all it wants about the future but receives funding now to provide a service now to all Canadians in all regions.

My question is a simple one and one that we should all want an answer to: Would the aforementioned minister responsible be willing to write another letter in his nifty letter-writing campaign to the CRTC chair to ask her to guarantee that CBC funds are being used properly in alignment with their licensing obligations, or is it a one-letter-a-week policy by the Minister of Canadian Heritage to the CRTC?