Hon. Clément Gignac: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

In her November 3 economic statement, the Minister of Finance had a few surprises for the financial sector. On the positive side, there were smaller-than-expected deficits for the previous and current fiscal years, and the government expressed an intention to return to a balanced budget within five years. However, the government’s decision to stop issuing real return bonds has caused some surprise among the country’s pension funds and insurance companies, which are the traditional purchasers of such products to protect themselves against inflation-related risks.

As my colleagues may recall, real return bonds were introduced with great fanfare in 1991, shortly after the Bank of Canada and the finance minister of the day jointly adopted a 2% inflation target. Now, as National Bank’s chief economist recently noted, Canada will be the only country that no longer issues real return bonds.

Senator Gold, my question is this: Can you clarify the reasons behind the finance minister’s decision to abruptly stop issuing real return bonds, since her economic statement contained only three lines to explain her decision?

Senator Pate: Many of us are well aware of Chancellor Sinclair’s numerous well-deserved honours, his leadership at the bar and on the bench as the first Indigenous judge appointed in Manitoba and the second in Canada and his work exposing Canada to the human rights and Charter violations, systemic discrimination and overrepresentation in the child welfare and criminal legal systems, including issues of murdered and missing Indigenous peoples that dates back decades. He co-chaired the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Since issuing the report in 2015, his commitment to seeing all 94 Calls to Action implemented has not wavered. Most recently, he urged us to fix Bill C-5 to meet the Calls to Action that address the mass incarceration of Indigenous peoples by freeing judges from the shackles of mandatory minimum penalties.

With wisdom, thoughtfulness and clarity, he continues to urge and inspire all of us to do and be better.

Senator Christmas is also a brilliant leader and advocate with a kind and generous heart. He has worked tirelessly to safeguard Mi’kmaq sovereignty and treaty rights in Nova Scotia and urge reconciliACTION. Before coming here, Senator Christmas was instrumental in taking his community from near bankruptcy to its current circumstances of being one of the most successful and thriving First Nations in this country. In his home community of Membertou and elsewhere, he continues to work to address the persistent challenges that too many face at the hands of discriminatory attitudes and systems that persist.

Senator Christmas’ outstanding achievements and service have been previously recognized with numerous awards and honorary degrees, and among the mountain of his contributions here, many of us will always remember his most touching tribute to his World War II veteran father.

Honourable senators, please join me in celebrating the wonderful recognition of these two amazing, inspirational and fabulous leaders. Meegwetch. Thank you.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the Fall Economic Statement 2022.

[Translation]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the Public Accounts of Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, entitled (1) Volume I — Summary Report and Consolidated Financial Statements, (2) Volume II — Details of Expenses and Revenues, (3) Volume III — Additional Information and Analyses, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-11, sbs. 64(1).

[English]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, a Charter Statement prepared by the Minister of Justice in relation to Bill C-31, An Act respecting cost of living relief measures related to dental care and rental housing, pursuant to the Department of Justice Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. J-2, sbs. 4.2(1).

[Translation]

Senator Plett: Senator Gold, saying it does not make it a reality.

The government has not shown any of what you have just said. Leader, the urgency of this threat seems to be evident to our Canadian intelligence officials, to experts on China and to our allies, and yet not to your government.

We know that the Chinese regime is targeting our democratic process. We know that they are targeting Chinese Canadians through police stations operating on Canadian soil. And yet the Prime Minister continues, leader, to sit on his hands.

Leader, when will your government abandon its failed strategy of appeasement, which only emboldens this rogue regime in China?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): I don’t have the answer to that question. I do know that our national security agencies are doubling down on allegations and on threats from foreign bad actors such as China. As I said before, maintaining the integrity of our electoral system remains a priority for this government, as it is and should be for any government. As the Prime Minister has said:

We have taken significant measures to strengthen the integrity of our elections processes and our systems, and will continue to invest in the fight against election interference, against foreign interference of our democracies and institutions.

Hon. Jean-Guy Dagenais: My question is for the Leader of the Government.

At the G20 summit in Bali, U.S. President Joe Biden and the Chinese President had seemingly cordial and constructive formal discussions. This morning, there is talk of warming relations between China and the United States. At that same summit, the Chinese President has had formal bilateral talks with several world leaders, but not with Mr. Trudeau. In the meantime, our Prime Minister continues his solo efforts to position other Asia‑Pacific countries as a counterweight to China. Yet China is a key economic player. The U.S. knows this, but Mr. Trudeau does not.

In light of this situation, can you explain to me how we can be expected to believe that Prime Minister Trudeau’s foreign policy is not reducing, or even undermining, Canada’s influence? Are we being reduced to minor player status?

Senator Gignac: Thank you for your answer, Senator Gold. I would appreciate it if you would do that. Following the announcement of the Department of Finance’s decision, the Canadian Bond Investors’ Association, which represents more than 50 of the largest institutional investors in the country, with over $1.2 trillion in assets under management, issued a press release yesterday asking the minister to reconsider her decision and to take more time to consult stakeholders and assess the ramifications of her decision.

Senator Gold, in the interest of promoting transparency and preserving the independence and credibility of the Bank of Canada, would the Minister of Finance be prepared to present the Bank of Canada’s recommendation on this decision to the Department of Finance?

Hon. Ratna Omidvar: Honourable senators, I realize I have an impossible task as I stand between you and a good, well-earned rest, but I beg your indulgence. In turn, I promise to be really short — 10 minutes — and hopefully, I will leave you somewhat enlightened as I speak to Senator Coyle’s inquiry on climate solutions.

I wish to thank Senator Coyle for her leadership on this matter, even as she is with other world leaders in Sharm El-Sheikh for COP27. I think it is entirely appropriate that I make this tiny contribution in our chamber today on this matter.

The evidence of climate change is before us, and it is undeniable: the increasing storms, melting glaciers, the rising temperatures in our oceans and the severe droughts. No country on Earth will be immune to these changes.

We also know that climate change will produce a knock-on effect in creating mass displacement, not just for the short-term as we saw in B.C., but for the abiding longer term. Already, as I have mentioned in this chamber, there are 100 million people on the move because of war, persecution, corruption and breaches of human rights. Now, we are beginning to see the mass influx of climate migrants. The International Organization for Migration, or IOM, has estimated that there will be over 1 billion environmental migrants in the next 30 years. Some estimates have it as high as 1.4 billion by 2060.

I ask this question, honourable senators: Where will those people go? How will they be absorbed? How will this movement be covered?

It is entirely possible that Canada and Canadians themselves will not be a receiving country of climate migrants but a sending country, so a global response to the climate migration challenge is imperative.

It also presents us with an opportunity to do business differently — to imagine a collective response that does not limit itself to what a nation state determines in its own narrow interest. More than in any other area, we need to move on from thinking that we belong to a particular land or that a particular land belongs to us because, as we know, climate change does not recognize borders. The solutions on climate migration must become central, then, both to immigration and the climate change movement, and not exist in separate silos as they do today.

There are a number of different proposals to consider.

In 1990, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that climate migration could be the single most important consequence of climate change. That was 30 years ago, but nations have only begun to discuss this impact in the last few years.

Former Canadian ambassador Rosemary McCarney wrote in a paper for the World Refugee and Migration Council that:

There is no comprehensive international regime of “implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures around which actors’ expectations converge” for addressing climate displacement. . . . there is a patchwork of initiatives . . . .

Initiatives that have disparate actors and silos that straddle multiple policy agendas. Ms. McCarney believes that both substantive and organizational actions are needed to address global governance of climate displacement. Responses should be grounded in fundamental principles of human rights, gender equality and inclusion. Gender-based analysis should be a key to understanding and assessing the gendered impact of climate change. She rightly concludes that this phenomenon needs an international legal framework to address climate change-related, cross-border displacement that can guarantee access to territory, assure status and rights during stay and offer long-term solutions.

Ms. McCarney also calls for the creation of a central institution or actor to serve as a focal point for policy implementation, supervision and research to bring about coherence, consistency and achieve a robust global governance. In other words, she is calling for a new international legal framework with a new international central institution.

There is much that Canada can do at the international level to push this policy agenda forward. However, we know that global change is not easily done. The calls for multilateralism at a time when there are strains and stresses upon existing frameworks — the logjam at the United Nations Security Council — do not bode well for such proposals, necessary and sensible as they may be. To get broad, far-reaching support from all nations will be challenging.

Therefore, we come to a second, less perfect but incremental proposal: a kind of “mini-multilateralism,” as the World Refugee and Migration Council has suggested, through the creation of regional arrangements where neighbouring states come together because regional spillover is inevitable. To some extent, the regional coalition between Colombia, Ecuador and other neighbouring countries in response to the displacement of Venezuelans serves as a bit of an example for this idea. In the context of climate change and migration, a regional arrangement in the Americas to deal with the inevitable crisis facing the Caribbean islands could be a start. Most of The Bahamas, including Nassau, is projected to be under water by 2050 with an estimated population of 396,000 people who will come knocking on the doors of the United States, Canada and Mexico.

We already have well-crafted agreements with these three jurisdictions — such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA — and so these could be a springboard to craft other instruments on climate migration. This is akin to what Professor Craig Damian Smith of the Toronto Metropolitan University proposes: a coalition of the willing — of like-minded states — with a commitment to solidarity focused on climate refugee settlement to come together as a club — a club with standards, norms of behaviour and even targets for climate refugee resettlement. To borrow language from our Minister of Finance, it would be a sort of “friend-shoring” in the context not of global supply chains and trade, but in the context of climate displacement.

In the migration space, there are already far too many bad actors who threaten international norms by wildly going their own way. This coalition could be an alliance of the good cops to counteract the Rambos, and if it works on a regional level, it would be easier to imagine more nation states joining in.

Going even more narrowly and thinking bilaterally, Canada could partner on climate migration policies with a like-minded ally like Germany to develop shared policies, protocols and frameworks on climate migrants. Germany, as I have said before, is a natural partner for us. We are both nations of immigrants and both believe in the rule of law, but we also both know that the tail will wag the dog without proactive measures. In other words, neither of us want to be faced with thousands of climate migrants on our doorsteps without the proper legal frameworks in place.

Finally, Canada can do more on its own and in its own time. Our current immigration processes do not adequately encompass climate migration as a reason for admissibility into Canada — not in the refugee space and not in the economic space. We need to create a new space with additional new numbers, and with the appropriate machinery of government attached to it.

Further, Canada’s policies for settlement agencies need to be updated. Currently, climate change migrants are not explicitly captured in this framework, and this may limit their ability to access services.

We have had many discussions on climate change in this chamber, and I think it is an über-complex issue. We have talked about the carbon footprint, resource extraction, pipelines and gas tanker bans. As we look at these issues, let’s remember to place climate migration squarely on the agenda as well, otherwise the tail will truly wag the dog. Thank you, colleagues.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this bill be read the third time?

(On motion of Senator Gagné, for Senator Yussuff, bill placed on the Orders of the Day for third reading at the next sitting of the Senate.)

[English]

Hon. Percy Mockler, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance, presented the following report:

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

The Standing Senate Committee on National Finance has the honour to present its

SEVENTH REPORT

Your committee, to which was referred Bill C-31, An Act respecting cost of living relief measures related to dental care and rental housing, has, in obedience to the order of reference of November 3, 2022, examined the said bill and now reports the same without amendment.

Respectfully submitted,

PERCY MOCKLER

Chair

Honourable senators, I want to thank the members of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance, as well as the sponsor of the bill, Senator Yussuff, for their work and their dedication.

I would also like to thank the outstanding staff, including the clerks, the analysts, the interpreters, the communications staff and our office staff, who worked very hard to support our work.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. No, that is not the case at all. As I said recently in response to another question, Minister Joly and the Government of Canada are in the process of preparing a new strategy for the Indo-Pacific region. It is no secret that relations between Canada and China have been difficult for some time now. Canada is working to maintain a good rapport with its allies in the region to counterbalance China’s claims and actions with respect to human rights and the other hostile acts perpetrated by that regime.

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. As I said, the government is positioning itself in a world that is different from the one that existed in the time of Prime Minister Chrétien and the others you mentioned. China and its international aspirations are very different now, and the government understands that very well. I repeat that the Government of Canada is committed to defending our interests and the democratic interests of our allies around the world.

[English]

Hon. Salma Ataullahjan: Government leader, food bank usage in Canada is at an all-time high. Demand is especially strong among both domestic and international students amid soaring tuition fees and skyrocketing food and housing costs. Senator Gold, Canada’s international students are among some of the brightest talents in the world, and they are a key part of our country’s future. They contribute billions of dollars to the Canadian economy. It is shameful that many of them are having to turn to food banks to survive. When will your government get serious about the affordability challenges that are keeping our youth and our students from getting ahead?

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, Canadians are very generous people. We are generous with our time, whether volunteering at a local food bank or a homeless shelter, baking cookies for our children’s or grandchildren’s local school or donating to the many charities and non-profits that do so many great things for our communities.

To recognize such acts of kindness, we honour those outstanding contributions of Canadians and people around the world today, as it is National Philanthropy Day. Philanthropy is the love of human kind, and that love can take many forms.

The charitable and non-profit sector in Canada is huge. According to Imagine Canada, the sector employs 2.4 million people, which is 1 in 10 Canadian workers; it contributes 8.3% of Canada’s GDP — an estimated $192 billion — and it sees 13 million volunteers give close to 2 billion hours a year.

Colleagues, as many of you know, Canada became the first country in the world to officially recognize National Philanthropy Day. Our former colleague the Honourable Senator Mercer successfully helped navigate legislation through Parliament to officially recognize the day in 2012. We are so very proud of that, because we should be proud of all of the efforts of the volunteers and sector employees who give of their hearts to help so many in need.

I am pleased to give my thanks today, and I encourage all honourable senators to join me in showing appreciation for those who give their time, their money and their care in support of others. Thank you.

Senator Gold: The Government of Canada is very awake, attentive and mindful of the threat that China poses and will continue to take the action that is necessary to protect Canadian interests.

Senator Plett: We aren’t questioning the intelligence people that we have in Canada. We’re questioning the lack of action of this Prime Minister, not the intelligence community.

Senator Gold, policy experts and intelligence officials have indeed been sounding the alarm on the threat of the CCP for years now. With all the information available to us, it is clear that they are getting increasingly aggressive, yet your government has not adjusted its approach accordingly. Rather, it sits by while our institutions come under threat.

Yesterday, we learned of Chinese espionage at Canada’s largest power utility. This certainly will not be the last incident we hear about. How many more espionage charges will need to be laid before Trudeau and his government wake up?

Hon. Nancy J. Hartling: Honourable senators, November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and this week, we welcome to the Hill 30 kids with Type 1 diabetes from across Canada, along with their parents, for Kids for a Cure, Les enfants pour une guérison. It is so exciting to have you here with us.

As one of the co-chairs of the All-Party Juvenile Diabetes Caucus, I encourage you to learn about the funding priorities in the JDRF, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s, 2023 Pre-Budget Submission and learn about these kids’ reality. JDRF is a leading global organization funding Type 1 diabetes research, and they are absolutely committed to a cure.

This disease affects millions of people, and they will ensure new therapies are developed and address mental health issues common to those with Type 1 diabetes. Thanks to JDRF for all you do.

For me, the reality struck home when Max, my grandson, was diagnosed when he was only two years old. I learned a lot over the past eight years, and he is one of the most important reasons that I am involved with diabetes advocacy. I would like to highlight two very special youth friends with Type 1 diabetes, T1D, who are here with us today from New Brunswick. They have been here visiting us this week.

[Translation]

I had the pleasure of meeting Vanessa Galluchon and her mother, Judy Roy, from Dieppe, New Brunswick, during the Kids for a Cure event in Ottawa in November 2018. Vanessa was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 13 months old. She is now 16 going on 17. Vanessa told us that living with Type 1 diabetes is not easy and that she is working hard for a cure. She raised $4,815 for the Walk to Cure Diabetes in Moncton. One of her favourite pastimes is riding her horse, Déjà. She will graduate from École Mathieu-Martin in the spring. She hopes to go to university in September. Good luck, Vanessa.

[English]

I also had the pleasure of meeting Mariah Inglis and her father, Robert, in the virtual JDRF meetings with kids with T1D in Atlantic Canada. Mariah is 13 years old, a Grade 8 student living in Sackville, New Brunswick. She was diagnosed with diabetes when she was nine. Mariah has been advocating for a cure by raising awareness, participating in JDRF fundraising walks, speaking at events, holding a bake sale and hosting unique fundraising activities with a focus on diabetic devices. She continues to meet with provincial health policy-makers. In her spare time, Mariah enjoys playing basketball, travelling, baking, water sports and horseback riding. Bravo.

As we move forward, let’s all support JDRF and all of the kids to “make Type 1, Type None.”

Thank you.