Hon. Amina Gerba: Honourable senators, as I rise in this chamber to speak in response to the Speech from the Throne, I feel humbled by the work that needs to be accomplished, but I also feel a strong desire to help do that work on behalf of Canadians.

Before I begin, I want to recognize that we are gathered on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabeg, Anishinaabe, Atikamekw and Mohawk peoples. I extend my warmest greetings to them and to all First Nations, Métis and Inuit people in our country.

All Canadians should be part of the reconciliation effort, which, fortunately, is under way and must be given our support and ongoing attention.

Honourable senators, as I rise to make my maiden speech, I would like to thank my family, my friends and my business partners, who encouraged me to join you. I must also thank the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, who recommended my appointment.

I also thank Senators Marc Gold, Donald Plett, Raymonde Saint-Germain, Pierre Dalphond and Scott Tannas for their warm welcome at my swearing-in in November.

In the Speech from the Throne to open the Forty-fourth Parliament, the government emphasized the need to build a more resilient economy to ensure a better future for Canadians and Canada. In order to fully meet those goals, the government identified preserving and expanding trade as a top priority.

Honourable senators, I am pleased with these overarching goals. They are in keeping with the spirit of what I have tried to accomplish throughout my career. Over a quarter century ago, upon graduating from the Université du Québec à Montréal, I began working as a strategy consultant.

I was responsible for projects for Africa and for helping our companies expand their business to the African continent and around the world. That early experience taught me how complicated it is to do business with international partners.

As I navigated legal systems, customs and tax requirements, transportation logistics, financial and technology transfer, consumer habits and marketing channels, I quickly learned that our entrepreneurs need to know and master many ins and outs in order for their investment or commercial ventures to succeed.

I greatly admire and respect our fellow Canadians who are expanding our international trade. When it comes to the African continent, the lack of precedent, lack of knowledge about private channels and available public resources, lack of economic and business data and, in some cases, a tarnished reputation have made it even more challenging to provide consulting services that are useful to Canadian exporters. That realization inspired me to start a consulting firm called Afrique Expansion Inc. in 1995 to help make the Canadian business community more aware of the opportunities available in Africa.

Given the interest generated by our activities, especially our initial trade missions to Africa, three years later, in 1998, my husband and I started an international economic magazine called Afrique Expansion Magazine. Today, that magazine is a reliable reference work for North Americans to find economic information about Africa.

It is also the only Canadian magazine that is distributed in some 20 African countries. To further consolidate partnerships between Canadian and African companies, in 2003, we created the Forum Afrique Expansion, which has since become the largest business networking platform for Canadian and African investors and exporters.

Held every two years in Montreal, the forum brings together 500 African and Canadian decision makers and investors, as well as heads of Canadian and international financial institutions, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the African Export-Import Bank.

Many heads of state and government leaders, Canadian provincial premiers, and federal and provincial government ministers have also attended the forum.

Since its creation, the forum has organized over 3,000 B2B meetings and facilitated the signing of contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars for Canadian businesses.

Honourable senators, our country does have a presence in Africa and its major institutions, including the African Development Bank and the African Union. Although our diplomatic representation in Africa may have decreased in the past few years or decades, our representatives there are still dedicated and effective, as I have had the opportunity to witness on several occasions. I was delighted with our excellent diplomats there, whose presence and work are vital to the success of our businesses.

Some of our major institutions, such as EDC, have a modest but important presence on the African continent. We also can’t forget the outstanding work being done by our trade delegates, as well as Quebec’s delegations to Africa.

However, considering the objective data regarding Africa’s evolution and the extremely strong interest that the world’s most powerful countries are taking in Africa, it seems as though Canada is sidelining itself by failing to capitalize on the comparative advantages and opportunities available in Africa today.

During the first quarter of this year, China, Russia, Turkey, the European Union and Saudi Arabia have held or will be holding summits with the leaders of Africa’s 54 countries. Trade is on the agenda for all of these high-level meetings. Other countries, such as Germany, Italy, Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates, Korea, Israel and Brazil are accelerating major collaborations with Africa’s economies.

I want to reiterate that, unfortunately, it seems as though our country is sidelining itself by failing to capitalize on the comparative advantages and opportunities that can currently be derived from the demographic, urban, industrial and technological dynamics of a continent that may have up to 2.4 billion inhabitants, 2.4 billion consumers, by 2040-50, and that is one of the three largest communities of internet users in the world, along with India and China.

According to the 2020 report of the Observatoire de la Francophonie économique, Africa represents just 2% of all trade with Canada. There is room to expand our trade with Africa and, therefore, an opportunity to grow our economy.

Honourable senators, our country’s international trade portfolio is impressive. As you know, Canada and the European Union have strong trade and investment ties. Canada is also very involved in Asia, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership will enhance our economic ties with many Asian countries.

However, Africa is currently not on Canada’s radar when it comes to current and prospective exports and imports in goods and services. Why are we forgetting about Africa’s undeniable assets when seeking out trade opportunities, given that all of the world’s leading trading nations are looking to get their share of what will soon be one of the largest economic markets?

Honourable senators, Africa is a large market that is moving toward unification. Its GDP represents US$3 trillion. This market will make Africa the biggest free trade zone in the world.

By the middle of this century, one in four people will live on that continent, which will be the most youthful in the world by far. When it comes to maintaining global security and the planetary ecological balance and meeting the socio-economic needs of the human race, nothing about Africa’s affairs will escape the world’s notice. Moreover, Africa will play a key role in all global affairs. In order to be successful, Canada needs to recognize that and create a dynamic with Africa like the one it has developed and is seeking to enhance with Europe and Asia.

Honourable senators, I will make developing our relationship with Africa the main object of my contribution to advancing the affairs of our nation. That is baked into my personal and professional commitments.

Right now, I think that Canada should dedicate all of its expertise and its top institutional resources to supporting the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, or AfCFTA. This wonderful initiative will create a single market made up of the continent’s 54 countries and stimulate the enhanced international trade we are going to need.

As I stand before you, I have a dream that our country, Canada, will eventually sign a free trade agreement with AfCFTA and thus agree to include Africa in the modern economy, on the same footing as the other large economic regions of the world. This initiative would help increase trade between Canada and Africa, diversify Canada’s international trade and grow our economy.

In the meantime and in order to prepare, Canada could develop a policy to support Africa’s production of goods and services, similar to the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, which was enacted by the United States in the early 2000s. It would no doubt also be beneficial for us to review the economic strategy created by Washington last year called Prosper Africa, which focuses on accelerating investment and trade between Africa and the United States.

Honourable senators, enhancing our economic and trade relations with African countries, their regional economic communities and their continental free trade zone would certainly enrich our economy. It would also lead to greater political and diplomatic support for our international initiatives. We have needed that in the past, and we will need it again in the future.

Esteemed colleagues, through legislation and meaningful action, we, as legislators, can make things happen and participate in cultural, social and economic change.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to pursue these goals in this chamber with you and in solidarity with all of the Canadians we have the privilege to serve.

Thank you for your kind attention. Asante.

(On motion of Senator Gagné, debate adjourned.)

[English]

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Gold, P.C., seconded by the Honourable Senator Cotter:

Whereas on October 21, 1880, the Government of Canada entered into a contract with the Canadian Pacific Railway Syndicate for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway;

Whereas, by clause 16 of the 1880 Canadian Pacific Railway contract, the federal government agreed to give a tax exemption to the Canadian Pacific Railway Company;

Whereas, in 1905, the Parliament of Canada passed the Saskatchewan Act, which created the Province of Saskatchewan;

Whereas section 24 of the Saskatchewan Act refers to clause 16 of the 1880 Canadian Pacific Railway Contract;

Whereas the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed on November 6, 1885, with the Last Spike at Craigellachie, and has been operating as a going concern for 136 years;

Whereas, the Canadian Pacific Railway Company has paid applicable taxes to the Government of Saskatchewan since the Province was established in 1905;

Whereas it would be unfair to the residents of Saskatchewan if a major corporation were exempt from certain provincial taxes, casting that tax burden onto the residents of Saskatchewan;

Whereas it would be unfair to other businesses operating in Saskatchewan, including small businesses, if a major corporation were exempt from certain provincial taxes, giving that corporation a significant competitive advantage over those other businesses, to the detriment of farmers, consumers and producers in the Province;

Whereas it would not be consistent with Saskatchewan’s position as an equal partner in Confederation if there were restrictions on its taxing powers that do not apply to other provinces;

Whereas on August 29, 1966, the then President of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, Ian D. Sinclair, advised the then federal Minister of Transport, Jack Pickersgill, that the Board of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company had no objection to constitutional amendments to eliminate the tax exemption;

Whereas section 43 of the Constitution Act, 1982 provides that an amendment to the Constitution of Canada may be made by proclamation issued by the Governor General under the Great Seal of Canada where so authorized by resolutions of the Senate and House of Commons and of the legislative assembly of each province to which the amendment applies;

Whereas the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, on November 29, 2021, adopted a resolution authorizing an amendment to the Constitution of Canada;

Now, therefore, the Senate resolves that an amendment to the Constitution of Canada be authorized to be made by proclamation issued by Her Excellency the Governor General under the Great Seal of Canada in accordance with the annexed schedule.

SCHEDULE

AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF CANADA

1.Section 24 of the Saskatchewan Act is repealed.

2.The repeal of section 24 is deemed to have been made on August 29, 1966, and is retroactive to that date.

CITATION

3.This Amendment may be cited as the Constitution Amendment, [year of proclamation] (Saskatchewan Act).