Senator Wells: Senator Gold, you will recall that I asked you that question about three or four weeks ago.

My supplementary question is, given the thousands of Canadians who gave $10 or $20 to the “Freedom Convoy” — and the government froze hundreds of accounts of those who gave — would you agree that this exhibits a gross lack of foresight by the government that there would be a run on banks by the thousands who gave?

Senator MacDonald: Senator Gold, yesterday we received a written response to a question that Senator Martin had asked about whether Canada would bring Iran to the International Court of Justice. However, the response really didn’t answer the question, so I’ll ask you again.

The government admits that further attempts to negotiate with Iran are futile. Will your government hold to account those responsible for this crime by bringing this case before the International Court of Justice?

The Hon. the Speaker: If you do not wish to grant leave, honourable senators, please say no.

Senator Moncion: Thankfully, we know that the Government of Canada is working very hard to help these Canadian families and these Ukrainian women. However, it is clear that Canada’s legislative framework heightens the inequality between women in different countries. The government is facilitating several aspects of assisted human reproduction elsewhere in the world, which benefits Canadians, but it has not considered the impact of its legislation on other parts of the world. The committee could also examine these important issues and propose solutions.

(1640)

When the current legislative framework was created and then implemented, the Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies told the government to proceed with care. In fact, Proceed with Care was the title of its final report, published in 1993. At the time, the government did not have the data to understand the actual impact of the policy it was proposing. We now know that the health, safety and well-being of surrogates, gamete donors, children born through the application of assisted human reproductive technologies, and future parents would be better protected by regulations than by criminal prohibitions.

[English]

No empirical evidence exists that would support a differential treatment in the western countries towards paid surrogates and women who become surrogates for altruistic reasons. Both are at risk of power imbalances and need to be better protected under an adequate regulatory framework.

Empirical evidence has significantly reduced concerns that arose in the early days of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act. It was believed and some still believe now that, in wealthy countries, surrogates would be vulnerable women who would serve the needs of wealthy families. Evidence has proven that in countries that are comparable to Canada, there is no overrepresentation of poor, uneducated or racialized women among surrogates or donors.

For example, in 2015, Maneesha Deckha, professor and Lansdowne Chair at the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria, published an article in the McGill Law Journal. In it, she refers to U.S. research and the profile of surrogate mothers in Western countries by quoting Erin Nelson, professor of tort law. She says:

Contrary to feminist arguments made in the early days of ARTs, the women who act as surrogates are not poor, uneducated women of colour who comprise some sort of reproductive ‘underclass’ to serve the needs of wealthy white women.

While this dichotomy is one of the reasons why Canadian lawmakers justify the need to criminalize commercial surrogacy and gamete donations, it is not based on empirical evidence.

Paid or not, in the context of a wealthy country like Canada, what is needed is a legal framework that looks after everyone’s health and safety. Criminalization only fosters a climate of fear and silence, which stifles discussion and increases the risk that vulnerable people will be exploited, whether we are talking about surrogate mothers, intending parents, gamete donors, gamete recipients or children.

A Senate study would provide recommendations based on testimonies and up-to-date empirical evidence that were not, at the time, available to the sponsors of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act and the Baird commission.

[Translation]

In conclusion, our world has changed considerably since the adoption of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act and even more since the Baird Commission released its report in 1993. In light of the empirical evidence in recent academic publications and testimony from various stakeholders, the time has come for Parliament to review the extent of the empirical evidence on assisted human reproduction, to ensure that there is a legal framework that truly protects the health and safety of Canadians and that guarantees fairness and justice for the intended parents, surrogate mothers and children born through the application of assisted human reproductive technologies.

Whether or not you agree with decriminalizing payment for these practices, the time has come to review and study these issues through a 2022 lens.

Dear colleagues, I urge you to support this motion and authorize the Standing Committee on Social Affairs to study this important issue.

Thank you for your attention.

(On motion of Senator Seidman, debate adjourned.)

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Moncion, your time is up. Are you asking for five more minutes?

Senator Moncion: May I have five more minutes?

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Senator Richards, I understand you have a question, but there’s only 12 seconds left.

Hon. Rosa Galvez introduced Bill S-243, An Act to enact the Climate-Aligned Finance Act and to make related amendments to other Acts.

(Bill read first time.)

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

(On motion of Senator Duncan, debate adjourned.)

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Patterson, would you take a question?

Senator Patterson: Yes.

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

Hon. Michael L. MacDonald: Senator Gold, the families of flight PS752 continue to seek justice for their loved ones who were killed in January 2020 when Iran shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet with Russian-made missiles. Following Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, the families of flight PS752 issued a statement declaring their solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

In a decision released in January of this year, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice awarded $107 million plus interest to the families of six victims aboard this flight, which they can now try to collect with the seizure of Iranian-owned assets abroad. Senator Gold, what is the Government of Canada doing to help these families collect on the court’s ruling?

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Dupuis, do you have a question?

Senator Francis: Thank you for your answer, Senator Gold. The Public Health Agency of Canada also opened up an application process for additional funds for crisis services that took place last year, and the application process closed in the fall. Senator Gold, could you advise us as to whether or not any applications from P.E.I. received funding?

Senator Gold: Senator, thank you for your question. I don’t know the answer to that. I will have to undertake to try to find the answer.

Hon. Sabi Marwah: Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That section 2 of Chapter 4:03 of the Senate Administrative Rules (SARs) be amended by adding the following after subsection (2):

“(3) During periods of prorogation and dissolution, the senators who were members of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Committee of Selection on the day on which Parliament was prorogued or dissolved may exercise collectively the powers of the Committee of Selection under subsection (2).

(4) If a senator referred to in subsection (3) retires, resigns or otherwise ceases to be a member of a particular recognized party or recognized parliamentary group for any reason during a period of prorogation or dissolution, he or she simultaneously ceases to be a member of the Committee of Selection for the purposes of subsection (3), with the resulting vacancy to be filled by the leader or facilitator of the party or group to which the senator had belonged.”

Hon. Leo Housakos (Acting Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader in the Senate.

Every March for the last four years the Trudeau government has made payments of almost US$40 million to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which is a major part of China’s strategy to expand its authoritarian governance and influence throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

According to an answer to a question on the Senate’s Order Paper, one final payment is scheduled to take place this month. That’s another US$40 million in Canadian taxpayers’ money going to a regime that even Prime Minister Trudeau now has to admit is playing democracies against each other. Leader, has your government made this payment this month? If so, why?

Is the NDP-Liberal government ready to put an end to this payment? Are they willing to pull Canada out of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank? Will you agree to these conditions?

Senator Housakos: I appreciate that, government leader.

Over the last few years, more than $1.1 billion in approved or proposed funding has been tied to Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank projects in Russia. This means Canadian taxpayer dollars have been committed to improving Russia’s highways, supporting their railway system and supporting an infrastructure that they have used over the last few months in the most nefarious ways.

A week after the start of Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank announced that it had put all of its activities in Russia and Belarus on hold and under review.

Leader, there is nothing to indicate that China will suspend these projects indefinitely. It has been exactly one month since the war in Ukraine began, and China still hasn’t condemned Russia’s invasion.

Why should Canadian taxpayer dollars continue to support this group?

Hon. David M. Wells (Acting Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader in the Senate.

Back in February, Senator Gold, more than 200 bank accounts worth nearly $8 million were frozen when the federal government used emergency powers related to the “Freedom Convoy.” During a committee meeting in February, federal officials reported that most of the accounts were in the process of being released.

Senator Gold, can you confirm that all affected bank accounts have been unfrozen?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, senator, for the question. It’s an important one.

Canada has contributed $2.6 billion to the global fight against the coronavirus. This includes a total of $1.3 billion to support access to the COVID Tools Accelerator.

Canada has also committed to donating the equivalent of at least 200 million doses to the COVAX facility by the end of 2022. This includes both financial commitments to COVAX and surplus dose donations. I’m advised that, as of March 4 of this year, 13.9 million surplus vaccine doses have been delivered through the COVAX facility, and the equivalent of 87 million doses have been provided through financial support.

I’m further advised that Canada has provided $50 million to the Pan American Health Organization to support efforts to introduce COVID-19 vaccines and ancillary supplies to reach those living in situations of vulnerability across the Caribbean and Latin America, including at-risk Venezuelan migrants and disadvantaged populations.

Portions of this grant, colleagues, are being used to procure vaccine doses for countries through the organization, and these are in addition to Canada’s commitments to COVAX.

Senator Coyle: Thank you very much, Senator Gold. You did mention something about ancillary supports, and I want to probe a little bit there.

We know that in addition to vaccine supply issues, many countries have difficulties in terms of a lack of appropriate vaccine infrastructure, including around the cold chain maintenance and vaccine storage.

What is Canada doing to address the gaps in infrastructure that are causing further delays in vaccine access in low-income countries?

Senator Gold: Thank you, senator, for your question and for your long-standing work in support of the charitable sector, which is well known to all of us, certainly in Quebec.

I’m advised that most charities, in fact, meet or exceed their disbursement quotas but that there is a gap of at least $1 billion in charitable expenditures in our communities that exists today.

With regard to the specifics of your remaining questions, I will make inquiries with the government and report back to the chamber as soon as I receive an answer.