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

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. I will have to make inquiries with regard to when we might expect those, and I will be happy to report back.

Senator Gold: Thank you. I will certainly make inquiries, and I will respond back to the Senate with the answer that I can provide as quickly as I can provide it.

[Translation]

Senator Duncan: Thank you to the Government Representative for that answer. Would you please provide us with a written answer that details the recommendations that were made after this initial review? These recommendations that were done do not appear to be public, and the committee has not had a chance to look at them. Would you please provide us with a written answer detailing the recommendations, and also when those recommendations might be made public?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, under the Trudeau government, Canadian streets are less safe, and that is a fact. We see this reflected in a recent report from Statistics Canada which shows the national homicide rate has increased for a third consecutive year. Moreover, nearly one quarter of killings in 2021 were connected to gangs. Without a doubt, this displays your government’s utter failure to address the gang problem that has been steadily growing over the last four years.

Senator Gold, does your government acknowledge that its soft approach on crime has facilitated this increase, and does it take any responsibility for all of the harm inflicted on innocent Canadians?

Senator Plett: If the government acts responsibly, that would mean they would start to act responsibly, not continue to. We have seen no evidence of any of that in the last seven years.

Senator Gold: The government’s suite of measures that it has introduced to reform the criminal justice system — to crack down on the illegal importation and sale of drugs, and the illegal use of assault weapons — are designed to make Canadians feel safer. They are designed to be responsible responses to a serious social problem. The government will continue to act responsibly to that end.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Denise Pictou‑Maloney. She is the guest of the Honourable Senator Audette.

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.

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

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to also draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Camilla Daun Rizzi, Zoe Côté, Radia Sentissi and Philippe Trancart. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Audette.

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

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the Kamengo Cultural Troupe from Uganda. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Bovey.

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

Senator Gold: I have to admit that I don’t have a direct answer to your question. The reason why the government asked the provinces to share their data is clearly because what we had was inadequate to best serve Canadians. That said, I’ll inquire with the government and try to obtain a more direct answer to your question. Thank you.

[English]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, and for the confidence that you have in me to have the answers at hand. Regrettably, I don’t, but I will certainly make inquiries and report back.

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond introduced Bill S-256, An Act to amend the Canada Post Corporation Act (seizure) and to make related amendments to other Acts.

(Bill read first time.)

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

(On motion of Senator Dalphond, bill placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading two days hence.)

[English]

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, pursuant to the order adopted December 7, 2021, I would like to inform the Senate that Question Period with the Honourable Patty Hajdu, P.C., M.P., Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, will take place on Thursday, November 24, 2022, at 2:30 p.m.

[Translation]

The Senate proceeded to consideration of the first report of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages (Subject matter of Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts), tabled in the Senate on November 17, 2022.

Hon. Jim Quinn: Will the senator take a question?

Senator Brazeau: Absolutely.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

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