Hon. Leo Housakos (Acting Leader of the Opposition): Government leader, I’d like to follow up on the question from my colleague Senator Carignan who unfortunately didn’t get an answer on a very important issue.

The Secretary-General of NATO has made it clear repeatedly that they would like Canada to carry its fair share of spending when it comes to maintaining their request of 2% of its GDP investment in security and national defence, particularly in the context of the threats democracy is facing around the world, including the threats we potentially face in the Northwest Passage in this country and the Arctic with Putin being right next door to us. Your government has failed.

Now, with your coalition with the NDP, a party that has unequivocally said they do not support any defence and security spending, will your government continue to fail now that you have this new coalition in not respecting the call of our security friends and allies around the world that want us to carry our fair share in our spending when it comes to supporting NATO and its security capability on behalf of Canada and Canadians?

Senator Housakos: Government leader, as you likely know, your NDP coalition partner had this to say about Israel in its 2021 federal election platform:

Canada must play an active and constructive role in advancing peace, beginning by suspending arms sales to Israel until the end of the illegal occupation.

I guess this is the NDP-Liberal government’s position now, isn’t it, leader? Isn’t this why B’nai Brith shouldn’t expect any help from your government to remove a UN Human Rights Commission chair highly biased against the State of Israel?

Hon. Leo Housakos (Acting Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Earlier this month, B’nai Brith Canada sent a letter to Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, seeking his support for the removal of the chair of the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory of the UN Human Rights Council. The joint letter was signed by Hillel Neuer, the head of UN Watch, who stated:

By heading this inquiry despite having repeatedly declared Israel guilty of precisely the crimes that she is supposed to investigate, Navi Pillay embodies the injustice of the UN and its human rights council when it comes to the selective treatment of the Jewish state.

Senator Gold, my question is very simple. What is your government’s response to B’nai Brith’s letter? Also, will the NDP-Liberal coalition government support their simple request?