The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Danielle and Michael Allen. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Plett.

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 Sierra Quinn Mckinney and Jodee Mckinney. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Simons.

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. Vlastimil Dlab, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Helena Dlab, and Nancy Cruz. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Deacon (Nova Scotia).

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

The Hon. the Speaker: The sitting is suspended until 8 p.m. Senator Galvez, you will have the balance of your time when we return.

(The sitting of the Senate was suspended.)

(The sitting of the Senate was resumed.)

(2000)

The Hon. the Speaker: All those senators in the chamber who are in favour of the motion will please say, “yea.”

The Hon. the Speaker: The vote will take place at 8:36 p.m. Call in the senators.

(2030)

Motion in amendment of the Honourable Senator McCallum negatived on the following division:

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Gold, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Gagné, for the second reading of Bill C-5, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

The Hon. the Speaker: Simon Hopkins has just graduated from Carleton University with a Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management, specializing in International Policy Studies, Security and Defence. In the fall, Simon will continue his studies at Carleton with a Master of Journalism. Simon says he is honoured to have served the last two years as a page working during many historic events. He would like to thank the Office of the Usher of the Black Rod, the page leadership team and his colleagues for their hard work and support over the last two years.

On behalf of all senators, thank you, Simon, for your dedication and hard work.

The Hon. the Speaker: John Shand, our Chief Page, will be continuing his studies next year at the University of Ottawa, studying Political Science with a minor in Psychology. Having now finished his third year as a page, John has been proud to represent the province of Manitoba and honoured to have served as Chief Page for this past year. He would like to thank the Office of the Usher of the Black Rod, the Senate page team and his friends and family who have made this unique and wonderful experience possible.

On behalf of all senators, thank you, John, for your service.

The Hon. the Speaker: Are honourable senators ready for the question?

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore informed the Senate that a message had been received from the House of Commons with Bill C-28, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (self-induced extreme intoxication).

(Bill read first time.)

The Hon. the Speaker: All those senators in the chamber who are opposed to the motion will please say, “nay.”

The Hon. the Speaker: I’m sorry, Senator Galvez, it is now six o’clock. I apologize, but I have to interrupt you.

Pursuant to rule 3-3(1), I’m required to leave the chair and suspend until eight o’clock unless it’s agreed that we not suspend. If you wish the sitting to be suspended, please say “suspend.”

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Kutcher, will you take a question?

Senator Kutcher: Absolutely.

The Hon. the Speaker: I see two senators rising. Do we have agreement on a bell?

The Hon. the Speaker: In my opinion, the “nays” have it.

And two honourable senators having risen:

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, today we pay tribute to three more of our dedicated Senate pages who will be leaving us this summer.

Nonso Morah is honoured to have had the opportunity to represent the province of Alberta within the Senate Page Program this year. She is looking forward to starting her second year at the University of Ottawa, studying Conflict Studies and Human Rights in both official languages, with a minor in Creative Writing. Nonso looks forward to pursuing new challenges and working in the service of her community. She says she will forever cherish her time as a page and is grateful to all who contributed to making it such an incredible experience.

On behalf of all senators, thank you, Nonso, for your dedication.