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

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of our former colleague the Honourable Asha Seth, accompanied by her husband, Dr. Arun Seth.

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Lena Diab, Member of Parliament for Halifax West.

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

Senator Martin: I’m glad to hear it is a priority. However, leader, the Auditor General found that RCMP veterans wait significantly longer than Canadian Armed Forces veterans for decisions on their applications, with a wait time of 51 weeks versus 37 weeks. Women wait 24% longer than their male counterparts to have their applications processed. As well, francophone veterans, whom you mentioned, wait 21% longer than anglophones.

These ongoing discrepancies between different groups should not come as a surprise to this government. In fact, I raised the long wait for benefits faced by francophone veterans with Minister Petitpas Taylor during Question Period last month.

Will the NDP-Liberal government ever be able to improve service to all veterans, regardless of the group to which they belong, or does your government still believe, as the Prime Minister said in 2018, that veterans are asking for more than the government is able to give?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, senator, for the question, and thank you for your continued advocacy on these important issues.

The government, as I’m sure we all are, is appalled by the shocking overrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in our justice system. I’m advised that the government has confirmed its commitment to addressing first the disproportionate prevalence of Black, Indigenous and other marginalized groups in higher-security facilities; second, the systemic racism present in the custody rating scale; third, the timely delivery of correctional programs to reduce recidivism; and finally, diversity of our workforce and implementation of diversity training. This is a top priority for our government. The government is working closely with stakeholders and with Correctional Service Canada to address and implement reforms and the various recommendations from independent investigators.

Hon. Claude Carignan: My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.

Leader, last week I asked you about the passport delays. Right now, travelling in Canada is like navigating an obstacle course. First, you have to wait in line for hours to get a passport. If you’re lucky enough to get a passport, now you have to get yourself to the airport. There, your journey starts with useless requirements that increase delays and create unnecessary lineups.

However, it’s even worse on the way back. People have to queue up for hours to get to the customs officer. Some of them then have to wait several more hours to get their luggage.

When will the government listen to the airline and tourism industry and end its useless, contrived requirements, such as the ArriveCAN app, so that Canadians can travel on the same terms as other travellers elsewhere in the world? We are a bit of a laughingstock right now, leader.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, my question is also for the government leader in the Senate. Last week’s report from the Auditor General shows that the NDP-Liberal government continues to fail our veterans when it comes to the timely processing of their applications for disability benefits. The Auditor General found that veterans applying for benefits for the first time wait an average of 39 weeks for a decision — more than double the service standard of 16 weeks. The report stated the service standard itself has not been met for seven years. As well, Veterans Affairs Canada doesn’t know if any of the initiatives taken recently to speed up processing have worked or whether they slowed down processing instead.

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Leader, why does your government continue to do such a poor job of providing our veterans with the benefits they earned in service to our country?

Hon. Marie-Françoise Mégie: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Two weeks ago, on May 25, to mark the second anniversary of George Floyd’s death, the U.S. President signed an executive order on the use of deadly force in policing. On December 16, 2021, Prime Minister Trudeau clearly set out the following priority in the Minister of Public Safety’s mandate letter:

Prohibiting the use of neck restraints in any circumstance and the use of tear gas or rubber bullets for crowd control alongside developing national standards for the use-of-force;

If the Minister of Public Safety hasn’t yet prohibited the use of neck restraints in any circumstance, would he consider announcing plans to deliver on that commitment at the Coalition for Canadian Police Reform conference being held next week?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Jennifer Vornbrock of the University of Victoria. She is the guest of the Honourable Senator McCallum.

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

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Government leader, last Friday marked three years since the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released. Each one of these cases involve families who want to know what happened to their loved one. They want justice, and they want cold cases reopened.

Leader, a year ago I asked you for an update on the status of RCMP investigations into these cases based on information provided in answer to one of my written questions on the Order Paper. I asked what your government was doing to assist the RCMP in resolving more of these cases and if arrests had been made or charges laid. I never received an answer in that year. Leader, what progress, if any, has been made in resolving cold cases since the final report was released?

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. The provisions to which you refer are important ones. I am pleased that the consultations and the process have begun. Again, I will try to get a specific date and report back.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for that question; it is an important one. I will have to make inquiries and report back. As you know, the bill has just been tabled in the other place and will be studied and debated. I’m sure I will be able to have an answer for you in a reasonably short period of time.

[Translation]

Hon. Patricia Bovey: Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, according to the mandate letter of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, the minister will proceed with the implementation of the Accessible Canada Act and the harmonization of accessibility standards across Canada.

It has come to my attention that benefits in my province of Manitoba are clawed back once a disabled person’s threshold of allowed dollars is reached. That threshold is below the poverty level.

Are discussions for the Canada disability benefit dealing with concerns of provincial clawbacks, and is the minister responsible working towards a harmonization of accessibility standards and the transition off disability payments to ease the financial burden on people with disabilities?

Senator Carignan: Leader, the Prime Minister is aboard his own plane right now, on his way to the Summit of the Americas. I hope he will take note of the measures currently in effect in California and draw inspiration from them. As for the Prime Minister’s return, do you have any idea how long it will take him to get off his plane, collect his bags and get home?

Senator Gold: What a question. No.

[English]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you. I don’t have a date of publication. I will make inquiries and report back.

Senator Gold: Thank you for raising this question. Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer to your question. I will make inquiries and report back as soon as I can.

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Pate, seconded by the Honourable Senator Dean, for the second reading of Bill S-233, An Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income.

Senator Gold: Again, thank you for your question. It’s an important one, and I thank you for your commitment to the issue. I will make inquiries and report back.

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