Senator Gold: Given that the proceedings involving Mr. Wang are under way, it would be inappropriate for me to comment. All I can say, Senator Housakos, is that the government takes very seriously the interference of any country, including China, in our institutions and democratic process. We will continue to defend the interests of Canadians in that regard.

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore informed the Senate that the following communication had been received:

RIDEAU HALL

November 17, 2022

Mr. Speaker,

I have the honour to inform you that on behalf and at the request of the Right Honourable Mary May Simon, Governor General of Canada, Christine MacIntyre, Deputy to the Governor General, signified royal assent by written declaration to the bills listed in the Schedule to this letter on the 17^th day of November, 2022, at 7:36 p.m.

Yours sincerely,

Ryan McAdam

Director, Office of the Secretary to the Governor General

The Honourable

The Speaker of the Senate

Ottawa

Bills Assented to Thursday, November 17, 2022:

An Act respecting cost of living relief measures related to dental care and rental housing (Bill C-31, Chapter 14, 2022)

An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Bill C-5, Chapter 15, 2022)

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, with leave of the Senate and notwithstanding rule 5-5(j), I move:

That, when the Senate next adjourns after the adoption of this motion, it do stand adjourned until Tuesday, November 22, 2022, at 2 p.m.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. First, the government thanks the Office of the Auditor General for their report on the surveillance of Arctic waters. The government accepts the findings and the recommendations of the report and will continue to work with partners to address the gaps in Arctic maritime domain awareness.

For Canada, our maritime domain awareness in the Arctic is critical to ensuring we can manage the risks and respond to incidents that would have an impact on our security, environment and economy. I have, on a number of occasions, cited the investments the government has made, both to modernize NORAD, our space capabilities, our remotely piloted aircraft systems, our offshore patrol ships and the enhancement of our surveillance. I’ll not repeat those; they are on the record. It will continue to make investments and do what it needs to do to defend our North.

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, with leave of the Senate, and notwithstanding rule 5-5(j), I move:

That the sitting be suspended to await the announcement of Royal Assent, to reassemble at the call of the chair with a ten-minute bell.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Ovide Mercredi, Gerry Daly, Danielle Mercredi and Jason Taylor. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Pate.

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

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, my question today will touch upon what I asked you on Tuesday, which is the issue of foreign interference in our democracy, as confirmed by reports that the Prime Minister had been briefed in January that there was, in fact, interference by Beijing in the 2019 federal election. In particular, I want to ask you about a very stark contrast in your government’s policy approach.

On the one hand, your government is demonstrating total inaction on the issue of foreign interference. On the other hand, your government loudly proclaimed that foreign interference justified the invocation of the Emergencies Act earlier this year, even though CSIS clearly informed the government that the “Freedom Convoy” did not pose a national security threat and that it wasn’t supported by foreign state interference. Senator Gold, you will understand the resulting confusion.

Can you clarify what threshold your government adheres to when it comes to judging whether foreign interference constitutes a national security threat?

Hon. Marie-Françoise Mégie: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, the day before yesterday, parliamentarians had the opportunity to meet representatives from the Canadian Association of Radiologists. The association wanted to raise the alarm about the seriously antiquated medical imaging equipment in Canada and the need for strategic investment to improve access to medical imaging and, consequently, foster better patient outcomes.

According to the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, the number of CT scan and MRI machines per capita is significantly lower than in OECD countries. In fact, Canada significantly lags behind international standards in this area.

Will the Government of Canada listen to this call for urgent intervention and commit to collaborating with the provincial and territorial governments to ensure that targeted investments in health are allocated to improving medical imaging services?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. The government has been working with the provinces and territories for quite some time, not only by providing funding, but also by implementing a national health care vision that meets Canadians’ needs. The government has made significant investments to support health care systems, including $72 billion during the pandemic, and those investments will go up by 10% in March 2023 in addition to the 5% supplementary increase announced a few months ago. The government is committed to working with its provincial and territorial counterparts, regulatory bodies, health care workers and Canadians to create and implement strategies to improve health care in Canada. I am told that a collaborative process is under way to find concrete solutions.

Senator Gold: Thank you for the supplementary question. The government continues to prioritize investments in science, research and collaboration across multiple sectors to generate innovative solutions for priorities such as health. The government recently announced investments in the National Research Council of Canada to advance over 60 innovative research projects, including in the field of health.

Of the projects that are receiving funding, I would like to note the BC Cancer Agency and the Centre for Commercialisation of Cancer Immunotherapy, which are being granted $2 million and $1 million respectively to better equip hospitals with specialized infrastructure. Similarly, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is receiving $198,000 for the use of artificial intelligence and for the university. As Minister Champagne said, and I quote:

Supporting researchers and businesses across Canada who are working to innovate and build new knowledge is so important . . . . Together, we will achieve more and create real changes in critical areas such as health care, sustainability and technology.

[English]

Hon. Brian Francis: My question is for Senator Gold. Senator Gold, I read a troubling article in this morning’s The Globe and Mail written by Tanya Talaga. She explained that in September an Ontario regional pharmacist from the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, which is part of Indigenous Services Canada, sent a memo warning staff of the coming shortage of children’s pain medication and asking them to keep the expired product. The Globe and Mail health reporters could not find this type of directive anywhere else in Canada. In addition, another federal department, Health Canada, has advised against administering expired medication to children because it may not be safe or effective.

Senator Gold, could you please explain why there seems to be a different standard of care for First Nations children in Ontario? Could you also tell us whether this advice to stockpile expired children’s medicine has been provided to any other group in Canada?

Hon. Clément Gignac: Honourable senators, I rise today at third reading to speak to Bill C-31, An Act respecting cost of living relief measures related to dental care and rental housing, which was passed by the House of Commons on October 27, 2022. I would like to acknowledge all of my colleagues who have spoken so far and thank them for their thoughts. In particular, I would like to recognize the work of Senator Hassan Yussuff who so ably sponsored this bill in the Senate.

[English]

As a member of the National Finance Committee, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to study this bill. While some have pointed out to me that this bill, with over 35 pages, had been approved in clause-by-clause consideration at the National Finance Committee in just 15 minutes, without any amendments or observations, I would like to point out that this does not reflect all of the upstream work they had done on this bill under the leadership of our chair, Senator Mockler.

Indeed, we had five special meetings dedicated to this bill and heard from nearly 25 witnesses, including 3 federal ministers who were present at the same time before the Senate committee, probably a first in our recent history.

[Translation]

As stated previously, the purpose of Bill C-31 is to relieve the pressure that low-income individuals and families in Canada are experiencing. Unfortunately, they are the ones hit hardest by rising inflation. To be precise, where household income is below a set limit, this bill will provide up to $650 per year for two years to help pay for dental care for children under the age of 12 and up to $500 in a single lump-sum housing benefit for Canadians in need. Although the housing and dental benefits in Bill C-31 are temporary, they will still help those in greatest need.

I will now get into detail about each of the two measures in the bill.

Regarding the temporary dental benefit, the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates that the program will cost approximately $700 million until a permanent Canadian dental plan is established in 2025. During meetings of the Senate Committee on National Finance, I raised three concerns, which I would like to share with you.

[English]

As our colleague Senator Seidman demonstrated during the second reading of the bill, all the provinces have already implemented dental care programs, even if the coverage of these programs is very different from one province to another.

In Quebec, there is already a universal dental care program for young children under 10 years of age. This is partly why the Parliamentary Budget Officer, or PBO, estimates that Quebec would represent only 13% of the total cost of this new temporary federal program, despite representing a quarter of the Canadian population.

[Translation]

Given the federal government’s intention to extend this plan on an ongoing basis over the coming years to young people 18 and under, seniors and persons with disabilities, in a provincial jurisdiction no less, it is incumbent on the government to be flexible and consider that the provinces may use provisions to opt out with financial compensation, which is obviously conditional on meeting certain conditions.

At the same time, this pragmatic approach would be more respectful of a decentralized federalism, especially since the dental and dental hygiene professions are regulated by the provinces. What is more, the recommended fee structure for dental care delivery varies from one province to the next. In short, while supporting the federal objective to ensure universal dental care coverage from coast to coast to coast, in particular for young people, I hope the federal government — a bit like Senator Mockler was saying — is receptive to the demands of the provinces — including Quebec — that may want to administer their own dental care system with full compensation, if the conditions are met, obviously.

As I previously said in committee, there is already tension in federal-provincial relations in the area of health, as we saw in Vancouver, and there is no need to add another layer of tension by establishing a national dental care plan without consulting the provinces.

My second concern relates to the ability of dental clinics and all associated practitioners to suddenly accept all these new clients without imposing generalized fee hikes or increased wait times for current clients, who often find it difficult to get appointments.

We learned at committee hearings that there is a shortage of dental hygienists in Canada and that people have trouble accessing a qualified dentist across the country, especially in our more remote areas.

Let’s hope that the Canadian Dental Association and the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association will be able to work with educational institutions across Canada to address this challenge and provide these necessary services to all eligible young Canadians.

Let’s also hope that dental clinics will strictly abide by the fee schedule proposed by their professional association and will not take advantage by imposing a small surcharge, given the immediate increase in demand that may occur.

My third concern is the total annual amount that Canadian taxpayers will have to shoulder when the dental care plan is implemented in 2025. For now, the government expects that the annual recurring cost of the future dental insurance plan would reach $1.7 billion effective in 2025.

That does not take into account the fact that some employers might take advantage and decrease the dental coverage in their own dental insurance plan in order to save money. On that point I have the same concern as my colleague, the Honourable Senator Loffreda. What monitoring mechanism will be in place to prevent a considerable increase in the bill to Canadian taxpayers and to ensure that employers do not opt out to leave the government on the hook instead?

So far, no one has really been able to give us any answers. With rising inflation and the uncertainty surrounding the behaviour of employers toward this national dental plan, you will allow me, dear colleagues, to express some concern and a bit of skepticism about the estimated cost of $1.7 billion a year for this future plan, starting in 2025.

[English]

As we say in English, “Stay tuned.”

[Translation]

My next comments will focus on the second component of Bill C-31, the creation of a $500 one-time benefit for low-income Canadian renters. If this bill is passed, this benefit would be available to those who spend at least 30% of their income on rent in 2022, and whose income is less than $20,000 for a single person or less than $35,000 for a family. The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates that the cost of this one-time measure will be close to $1 billion.

Just as we did during the study of Bill C-30, in committee we raised the fact that, on average, 10% of Canadians, especially the poorest, do not file income tax returns for a variety of reasons. That percentage is even higher in Nunavut, as Senator Patterson has already mentioned. Consequently, these people will not receive the $500 one-time benefit unless they finally file their previous year’s return. The Minister of Revenue, in her testimony before the committee, tried to reassure us that she was doing everything in her power to encourage low-income Canadians to file their tax returns so they could access this program.

[English]

In conclusion, honourable senators, these targeted programs provided in Bill C-31, and contained in the recent Bill C-30, to help low-income Canadians are great initiatives that deserve our support.

However, as pointed out by Senator Cotter, the federal government needs to, and should, consult the provinces to find out — in good faith — which level of government is best placed to provide those dental services, given the fact that this is regulated by the provinces.

For now, the federal government has been able to launch many new initiatives over the last 12 months while significantly reducing deficits at the same time — thanks to inflation because inflation helps the government in terms of revenue.

One day, and, perhaps, not far away, the source of federal revenue will be less prolific and dry up due to a potential recession or geopolitical risk. We should avoid repeating the experience of the 1990s when it was the provinces that took the hit from the consolidation of federal finances, with massive cuts made to transfer payments to the provinces from Ottawa, due to the spending spree that had been put in place in the previous years.

[Translation]

In closing, I would like to thank all of my colleagues on the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance for their analyses and their commitment. I am already looking forward to examining the next bill with them, Bill C-32, which concerns the November 3 economic statement and promises to be rather substantial, since it is 172 pages long. At that time, I will have a lot of things to say about the various federal government initiatives in the wake of this pandemic and especially about the threat that the potential deterioration of the economy could pose to our public finances.

In the meantime, honourable senators, I will support Bill C-31.

Thank you.

Hon. Rosemary Moodie: Honourable senators, I rise in celebration of Canada’s children and National Child Day, taking place this Sunday, November 20.

National Child Day is a celebration of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was adopted by the UN on November 20, 1989. By signing that convention, we committed here in Canada to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential through the respect of their rights.

Unfortunately, as we celebrate National Child Day, our pediatric health care system is in crisis. Rates of respiratory illness have reached crisis levels in children’s hospitals across the country, leading to cancelled surgeries, overburdened emergency rooms and ICUs being forced to operate above capacity. In my province of Ontario, ERs are seeing respiratory complaints at triple the seasonal average in kids aged 5 to 17. Simultaneously, we have a crisis on pharmacy shelves. Children’s pain and fever medications are in short supply, leaving many parents unable to manage their children’s illnesses at home.

Children are our future. If we hurt them or allow them to be hurt or fail to respond to their hurt, we hurt ourselves. At the National Child Day breakfast that I co-hosted on Tuesday with Senator Francis, I called on attendees to be authentic in our celebrations. Authentic celebration means a commitment to work for the changes our children need and to address the issues they face. Federal, provincial and territorial leaders must work together for the good of children across Canada, not only on this file but on all files. Our children should never be jurisdictional bargaining chips.

Colleagues, this crisis is just one in which it is clear we need a strategy for children in Canada. This crisis was not created overnight. Good leaders identify and address problems long before they become critical. The best gift we could give children for National Child Day is the assurance that we will work together to ensure that they have a brighter future.

As I conclude, I want to invite all colleagues and staff to a panel discussion on Monday afternoon, co-hosted by myself and Children’s Healthcare Canada, on this crisis, how it happened and where it goes from here. It will include pediatric health care leaders from throughout Canada and will be moderated by The Globe and Mail columnist André Picard. We do hope you can watch. Thank you, meegwetch.

Hon. David M. Wells: Honourable senators, today I rise to pay tribute to William “Bill” Saunders, who served in the British Royal Navy during the Second World War and was a pillar of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 1 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. After a long life of dedicated service, Bill Saunders passed away at the age of 101.

At 18 years old, Bill joined the navy and served from May 1940 to July 1946. He was a ship’s gunner during the war, including the D-Day Allied invasion of Normandy, and was in the convoy when the first Allied vessels arrived to liberate Hong Kong in August 1945.

Bill followed in the footsteps of his father, William Saunders Sr., who was a member of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during World War I and fought in the Battle of the Somme.

Bill joined the Royal Canadian Legion in 1949 and served as their Sergeant-at-Arms until he was 98. As its longest-serving member, Bill spent almost every day at the Legion Branch 1 and was always around for a chat or to give advice. As a mentor to many young men and women, Bill is remembered as a quiet personality who loved reading and sharing his knowledge with others.

As Branch 1 President Colin Patey said:

If you needed to know something, Bill was the one to go to because he had either seen it, done it or could tell you which direction to go in.

As part of his volunteer work, Bill helped advocate for the needs of the elderly veterans confined to their homes and was instrumental in bringing to schools educational programming around remembrance.

His photo hangs on the wall at the entrance to the Legion Branch 1 members’ lounge in St. John’s. It was Bill Saunders and people like him who helped to protect our freedoms and the way of life we enjoy today.

Bill is predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth Brenda. They were married for 69 years. He is remembered by his community and his loving family: three devoted children, Denise, Diane and David; as well as his three grandchildren, Jennifer, Rhys and Stephanie; his sister, Jean Chafe; as well as nieces and nephews. And, of course, a legion of friends.

Hon. Marty Klyne: Honourable senators, I rise to pay tribute to Joseph Hildebrand, a soldier, rancher and family man from Saskatchewan who was killed while fighting for freedom in Ukraine.

Joseph died while helping to retrieve casualties near the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, an epicentre of fighting in eastern Ukraine. For him, however, this was no ordinary mission, nor was Joseph an ordinary soldier. He was a volunteer, a man who chose of his own free will to go overseas and to put himself in harm’s way by joining the fight, to stay true to his beliefs and to help others.

Being a soldier was Joseph’s calling. Shortly after high school, he served two tours of duty in Afghanistan, where he saw combat and helped train Afghan forces. When he returned home, he worked as a rancher and raised a family, whom he loved dearly. Joseph was a true country boy and he loved his home, but he was always a soldier at heart. It’s hard to believe, but this was not Joseph’s first effort at serving overseas on a volunteer basis. He previously went to great lengths to join the battle in Syria when the conflict broke out there some years ago.

As his family members have described it, Joseph’s desire to serve in the Armed Forces was “an itch he couldn’t scratch” while working as a civilian. When the war in Ukraine broke out, he felt compelled to do his part. For him, it wasn’t a choice — he had to go. Joseph knew that he was doing the right thing by going to Ukraine, even if that meant putting himself in danger.

As senators will know, while Canada has provided support to Ukraine in the form of military aid, supplies and training, our country has not taken an active combat role. Yet a small but brave number of Canadians have gone anyway, and Joseph was one of them. His memory is a testament to those who have died in the ongoing battle for freedom.

Joseph Hildebrand lived and died in service to others. We will never forget his sacrifice. Our hearts are with his friends and family as they endure this difficult time. I hope they take comfort in knowing that he is a hero. Thank you.

Hon. Leo Housakos: Honourable senators, I rise today to give thanks to the Macdonald-Laurier Institute for their work earlier this week in hosting a very distinguished panel of guests to discuss Canada and Cuba in the world of expanding authoritarianism and for inviting me to be part of the discussion.

Those distinguished guests included none other than the pro‑democracy activist and defender of human rights Rosa María Paya, who has dedicated her life to promoting international solidarity with the people of Cuba and seeking justice for her father, Oswaldo Paya, a name many of you may be familiar with.

Rosa is the founder of an organization called Cuba Decide. She was joined by other freedom fighters and defenders of human rights: Michael Lima, Sarah Teich of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Dr. Angel Omar Vento and Josefa Vento.

During the event, we discussed the ongoing struggle of the Cuban people for freedom, dignity and basic human rights. The Cuban people have long suffered under generations of vicious dictators who have curtailed the rights and freedoms of the citizenry with oppressive acts of violence, murder and detention. And never has their struggle been more apparent than in the events we have seen unfold in the past few years.

But we also spoke about how that fits into the rise of authoritarianism around the world and what countries like Canada need to do to fight it.

Even now, the continued calls by freedom-loving Cuban Canadians to support those leading the peaceful struggle for human rights and democracy in Cuba have thus far been ignored by our government, whose policy toward Cuba has been based on silence and, even more worrisome, inaction.

Given the new reality that the world is living with, it is more important than ever that Canada supports unity among defenders of democracy at a global level in the face of accelerated expansion of authoritarian regimes around the world.

The world is entering a new era that requires new strategic thinking to redefine international relations between democracies and autocracies. Canada should take a significant step in that direction by denouncing the illegitimacy of the Cuban regime, whose system and representatives have never been freely elected by the people.

Instead of supporting and legitimizing the same Cuban regime that justifies the invasion of Ukraine with Kremlin propaganda, Canada should recognize the pro-democratic opposition in Cuba as a valid interlocutor in our relationship with the island.

Long live democracy. Thank you.

Hon. Brian Francis: Honourable senators, I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered on the traditional unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people.

I rise today on behalf of our colleague Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard, who could not be with us today. Her words are as follows:

I wish to pay tribute to an incredible person, Mi’kmaw Elder Dr. Daniel Paul. I have known Dan Paul for many years and have always admired his drive for social change and his fierce dedication to bringing justice to the Mi’kmaq.

Daniel Paul has been instrumental in expanding our collective understanding of Mi’kmaq history and helping to dismantle colonialism in Nova Scotia. His book We Were Not the Savages is essential reading for all Nova Scotians. In his own words, “it’s our history.” His attempts to achieve a more just society have benefited all Nova Scotians, including African Nova Scotians.

Dan Paul advocated for the critical re-evaluation of Halifax’s founder, Edward Cornwallis, as a celebrated figure in Nova Scotia. Dr. Paul has been a long-time advocate, informing the public about Cornwallis’s violent history of scalping proclamations and cultural genocide.

The Cornwallis statue in downtown Halifax was finally removed in 2018, and I will always attribute that triumph largely to his 30 plus years of public education.

During my time teaching social work at Dalhousie University, Dr. Paul regularly appeared as a guest speaker in my classes. Dan Paul has advocated for contributions of Indigenous people to be recognized in Nova Scotia. Today, I invite Canadians to learn more about his contributions to social change.

His impact is significant, and he continues to inspire many social work students who have had the privilege of learning through reading the fourth edition of his book.

Elder Daniel Paul, thank you for all you have done for Nova Scotia. Your commitment to social change is admirable and will continue to inspire me for years to come.

Asante, wela’lin, thank you.

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance be authorized to examine and report upon the expenditures set out in the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023; and

That, for the purpose of this study, the committee have the power to meet, even though the Senate may then be sitting or adjourned, and that rules 12-18(1) and 12-18(2) be suspended in relation thereto.

Hon. Elizabeth Marshall: My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Senator Gold, last July the government and the Assembly of First Nations reached an agreement in principle to compensate First Nations children and families harmed by the on-reserve child welfare system. To support the agreement in principle, the appropriation bill — approved in June — provided Indigenous Services Canada with $20 billion to compensate those children and their families. But, last month, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal would not approve the agreement in principle, and the government still has the $20 billion approved.

My question is about the $20 billion. It is a significant amount of money. It is in the fiscal framework. At this point in the fiscal year — which ends in four months — it is unlikely to be spent. If it is not spent, it could be used to reduce the deficit.

My concern is that the government will use it for some other purpose and spend it. Since the agreement in principle has not been approved, what is the government planning to do with the $20 billion?