Hon. Michael L. MacDonald: Mr. Wilkinson, the people of Atlantic Canada are concerned, and need some reassurance and support from the federal government regarding the Atlantic Loop. Not long ago, you indicated that recent events were “a bump in the road.”

The Atlantic Loop is essential for Atlantic Canada. It will secure the power needed to phase out coal plants and pave the way for the provinces to meet their 2030 clean energy targets.

A few months ago, you indicated that the federal government was still actively pursuing this energy corridor, but, minister, I’m hearing that the project cannot be built on time if the construction doesn’t begin very soon. Time is of the essence. Minister, is the funding for the Atlantic Loop required to be in the spring budget for the project to go ahead? What are the repercussions if funding is not in the budget?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Jan, Jack and Freya Byrd. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Bovey.

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

(Pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on December 7, 2021, to receive a Minister of the Crown, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, P.C., M.P., Minister of Natural Resources, appeared before honourable senators during Question Period.)

Hon. Josée Verner: Thank you, minister. In April 2022, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Jerry DeMarco, concluded in a report that the Hydrogen Strategy for Canada overestimated hydrogen’s potential to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions because “unrealistic assumptions” were used. That’s a direct quote. In testimony before the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources in October, Mr. DeMarco explained that this was due in part to the fact that your department had favoured, and I quote, “a transformative scenario that assumed the adoption of aggressive and sometimes non-existent policies.” How would you respond to Commissioner DeMarco’s disturbing findings?

Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, P.C., M.P., Minister of Natural Resources: It’s a very important issue. Certainly, the timeline is short for a project involving so much infrastructure. We have worked hard with our provincial and territorial counterparts. I have a meeting with Minister Fitzgibbon on Wednesday to discuss the issue. Of course, energy and electricity fall under provincial jurisdiction. We know that we have a role to play in supporting the project, particularly when it comes to funding.

Obviously, we can’t have a situation where there is a cost for the people living in the provinces and territories in question, and we have some tools that we want to use, but right now, we are negotiating with our provincial and territorial partners. I am very optimistic that we can come up with a plan that works for Canada and for the provinces and territories, including Quebec, since Quebec is where the energy is coming from.

Hon. Mobina S. B. Jaffer, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, presented the following report:

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs has the honour to present its

TENTH REPORT

Your committee, to which was referred Bill S-11, A fourth Act to harmonize federal law with the civil law of Quebec and to amend certain Acts in order to ensure that each language version takes into account the common law and the civil law, has, in obedience to the order of reference of December 8, 2022, examined the said bill and now reports the same without amendment.

Respectfully submitted,

MOBINA S. B. JAFFER

Chair

Hon. Paul J. Massicotte: Welcome, minister. Canada’s boreal forests represent a quarter of the world’s forests. For many years, we’ve been a leader in sustainable forest management. These forests store a significant amount of carbon in the soils, and that carbon is released into the atmosphere during logging. It is estimated that 122 megatonnes of CO₂ are released every year through logging. Are these emissions accounted for by the government? If so, how does your government envisage reducing these emissions to meet our net-zero targets?

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

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

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

Some Hon. Senators: Nay.

Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: Welcome, minister. The rich Slave Geological Province alongside the Northwest Territories and Nunavut contains an abundance of minerals listed in the Critical Minerals Strategy — zinc, cobalt, rare earth elements and nickel, to name a few. The Kitikmeot Inuit Association advanced the all-weather Grays Bay Road and Port Project, which will, in addition to benefits such as community resupply and fuel storage, be key to unlocking the Slave Geological Province’s potential in Nunavut.

However, due to the severe impact of the COVID pandemic in the North, $21 million received by the KIA under the National Trade Corridors Fund to help further this project remains unused and is set to expire at the end of this fiscal year. I am asking if you would use your good offices to advocate for a year-long extension for this important infrastructure funding contribution.

Hon. Patricia Bovey: Welcome, minister.

You are aware of my concern for oceans and their fragility from our work together on Bill C-55. With that in mind, my question relates to the many suggestions that have been made to ship oil and natural gas out of Churchill through Hudson Bay and the Arctic Ocean. As Minister of Natural Resources and former Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, do you support these ideas? If so, what is your concern about the potential for environmental harm?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, we welcome today the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, P.C., M.P., Minister of Natural Resources, to ask questions relating to his ministerial responsibilities.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on December 7, 2021, senators do not need to stand. Questions are limited to one minute and responses to one and a half minutes. The reading clerk will stand 10 seconds before the expiry of these times. Question Period will last one hour.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Grand Chief Peter Johnston of the Council of Yukon First Nations and his family. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Loffreda.

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

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Honourable senators, I rise on a sombre note. The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to wage war on its own people, but with a laser focus on women. Women in Iran suffer under a system of discrimination and inequity. This is enshrined in their constitution and in their penal code. Their value under the law is precisely half the value of a man. They’re not allowed to wear what they want. They’re not allowed to practise certain occupations. They have limited property rights. Even worse, they are forced to give up their rights to their children on divorce. They are unable to travel without the permission of their male guardian.

Women who protest are routinely imprisoned, tortured, subjected to isolation in prison and raped. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, has been directed — directed — to shoot women who are protesting in their eyes, their faces and their genitals, making reconstructive surgery impossible to conduct.

Colleagues, women in Iran in the last month have said, “Enough is enough.” They are not just speaking out. They are leading their revolution with a roar, which is resonating across the globe.

I am delighted to tell you that the United Nations just passed a resolution removing Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women. Its presence on this body would have been rubbing salt in the wound.

However, we need to take other action that is within our reach. I am, therefore, very pleased to inform you that I have, together with MP Ali Ehsassi of Willowdale, launched an Interparliamentary Friendship Group for a Free Iran.

I urge all of you to sign on as members. We are making it simple for you to do so. Check the box, and send back your reply. There is no money involved. By signing up, you will ensure that the voices of Iranians, Iranian-Canadians and democracy lovers are amplified on Parliament Hill, and, as appropriate, we as legislators and parliamentarians will add our voices to theirs. We will connect members of the Iranian diaspora to parliamentarians — to you — and convene discussions with thought leaders and civil society leaders. By so doing, we will animate the discussion on Parliament Hill in a way to support the movement to a free and democratic Iran.

Colleagues, this is your opportunity to join our call, and I call on all those who are fighting for women, for life and for freedom.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Hon. Josée Verner: Minister, the Hydrogen Strategy for Canada emphasizes green hydrogen because of Canada’s enviable hydroelectric resources, especially in Quebec. This is indeed very promising, but electrolysis is expensive and uses a lot of electricity, which is in limited supply.

In March 2022, Sophie Brochu, the President and CEO of Hydro-Québec, said that the province’s surplus of clean electricity will run out by 2027. What are your thoughts on this important issue? Does it make you think that it might be a good idea to revise the federal strategy in light of this important issue?