Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Actually, another former Bank of Canada governor, Stephen Poloz, last month pointed to the fact that Canada was second to last for productivity performance among the OECD — the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development — countries. He said that government red tape and overregulation are impairing Canada’s economic productivity and have created too much uncertainty for businesses.

He said:

I do think that there is a stronger incentive to clean up some of the regulatory issues, the red tapey type of issues that are slowing us down.

Senator Gold, do you agree that we must reduce the government’s red tape? What is the Trudeau government’s plan to reduce red tape and regulatory burden?

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding individual, a Canadian hero and beloved veteran of the Korean War, the late Donald Sudden, who passed away on November 22, 2022, just shy of his ninetieth birthday. He was the last president of the Korea Veterans Association of Canada Heritage Unit, which disbanded at the end of August 2021.

Don proudly joined the Canadian Army on June 7, 1951, and served with the Royal Canadian Artillery, 216 Battery at Petawawa, to train for Korea. He went to Korea in January 1953 and fought in hand-to-hand combat in the Battle of Hill 187 as a front-line gunner in the artillery, alongside the 3^rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment. He was on Forward Line Crew until the July 27, 1953, signing of the armistice, then was assigned peacekeeping duties on the White Front, now the demilitarized zone, or the DMZ.

He left Korea in March 1954 and returned to Canada. From 1965 to 1966, he served in Vietnam as part of International Commission for Supervision and Control, and from 1966 to 1967 in Cyprus as part of a peacekeeping mission.

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In 1972, he retired from the Canadian Armed Forces after 21 years of service.

Don’s smile would light up a room, with his contagious laughter and positive outlook on life. He was humble to the core, always appreciating life’s blessings. He was one of my most active Facebook friends. I will miss his thumbs up or hearts and comments on every single post that I made. I will also miss him on our Zoom calls with his signature smile and raspy voice.

To Grace, his beloved widow, I offer my sincere condolences. Don was a devoted husband, and your love was an inspiration. I will miss our visits and hearing Don’s stories. Please know that you are not alone. Don touched so many lives, and his legacy will live on in each of us. We will continue to share his stories and his zest for life and carry a little piece of him in our hearts. Through my advocacy work and that of others, we promise to hold high the torch and uphold the legacy of the Korean War and the selfless sacrifices of our veterans of the Korean War.

Honourable senators, please join me in remembering the late Don Sudden, a Canadian hero of the Korean War. May he rest in peace.

Senator Martin: Last summer it was the C.D. Howe Institute that issued a report which found that Canada was lagging behind other OECD countries for attracting investment. Researchers wrote:

Business investment is so weak that capital per member of the labour force is falling, and the implications for incomes and competitiveness are ominous.

William B.P. Robson writes:

Investment per available worker lower in Canada than abroad tells us that businesses see less opportunity in Canada, and prefigures weaker growth in Canadian earnings and living standards than in other OECD countries.

Senator Gold, do you agree with all the experts who say that Canada, under Justin Trudeau, is no longer attractive to foreign investors? And what is your government’s plan to correct this?