Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Senator Gold: I don’t know the amount, but I will do some research and get back to you once I have a answer.

[English]

Hon. Pamela Wallin: Senator Gold, in the wake of widespread public concern, the government finally set up so-called public consultations on their plan to deal with online harms, which of course included what we knew as Bill C-36 in the last session. Unfortunately, it was all carried out behind closed doors. The government has also decided not to release any of over 300 submissions or its report.

We spoke directly to many of the groups. They had no commercially sensitive information to protect, and most went ahead and made their submissions public regardless.

From open media to the internet society, there was powerful criticism of the legislation and of the consultation process itself. The criteria were too narrow, and the whole process risked being politicized by conducting it during an election campaign. This is an important issue that will impact how Canadians use the internet and just how free our speech will continue to be.

Will this report ever be made public, and will senators have access to it for committee study? If there is any commercially sensitive data, of course it could be redacted.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, Senator Wallin. It’s an important one. I don’t know what the status of the publication of this report is and I will certainly make inquiries.

As members of this chamber would know, the issue of harmful material — including hateful material — is a matter that remains very much a preoccupation of this government. The government has announced that it intends to introduce new legislation in a timely manner that will require social media platforms to take action on illegal content, like child sexual exploitation, and remove it. I think we all look forward to receiving that bill and having the opportunity to study it.

Senator Wallin: We, of course, already have laws on the books regarding hate, and I’m wondering: If the government has continued to refuse to make any of this public, will they at least follow the guidance of the more than 300 submissions that consistently said this legislation is both “unliberal” and “creepily totalitarian”?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): The abuse and criminal abuse of CERB or any other program is unacceptable. Investigations are being pursued, and legal action will be taken where possible and where necessary.

[Translation]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, Senator Martin.

The government knows that, in its efforts to assist all Canadians through the challenging pandemic, problems did occur in the design and implementation of programs, and it knows that the GIS adjustments have been hard on some seniors this year. I am advised that the government is working hard on this issue to find the right solution to benefit Canadians.

Although it perhaps goes without saying, I should remind this chamber that, notwithstanding some of the gaps in the programs that were developed and introduced with exemplary speed and efficiency, this government, with the support of other parties and with the support of us here in the Senate, managed to provide support for our economy, for our businesses and for Canadians that allowed us — and continues to allow us — to weather the storm in very good stead. For that I think all of us should be grateful — that we had the ability in this country to provide assistance to Canadians, old, young and in between.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, the time for Question Period has expired.

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

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

(Motion agreed to.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this bill be read the second time?

(On motion of Senator Carignan, bill placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading two days hence.)

(1430)

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The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you kindly, Senator Mercer.

(At 4 p.m., pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate earlier this day, the Senate adjourned until 2 p.m., tomorrow.)

Appendix—Senators List

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, Senator Omidvar, for your question and for giving me some time to inquire. Regrettably, I have not received an answer yet.

I have been assured the government desperately wants to see Mr. Badawi reunited with his family and remains committed to supporting him and them. When I do hear back from the government with particulars, I will report it in a timely manner.

Senator Bellemare: As you know, Quebec is dealing with a serious labour shortage. In September, Quebec’s job vacancy rate was 7.3%, which amounts to 280,000 unfilled positions. This is unprecedented in Quebec or anywhere else.

In the meantime, the number of people actively looking for work was more than 255,000. To address this problem, yesterday the provincial government announced a $3.9-billion five-year plan to provide bursaries and allowances for people willing to participate in training and skills development in certain key sectors.

Senator Gold, don’t you think we could make better use of EI to address these problems?

As the Government Representative in the Senate, you are also able to share our questions with the government. I would like to make a small suggestion. Why doesn’t the government task the Senate with conducting public consultations on employment insurance in the provinces? These reports could then be sent to the government with a view to reforming the system. What do you think?

Senator Omidvar: Thank you, Senator Gold. I look forward to hearing from you on that response, as does Mr. Cotler.

I understand that citizenship applications are backlogged for many because of the virus, but we have families who have been waiting for close to two or three years to get an initial response to their application, even though we significantly increased the budget of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, last year, and the Budget Implementation Act, or BIA.

As one example, members of the Syrian family I sponsored in 2016 were disappointed that they could not vote in the last Canadian election because they were not yet citizens. Their 16‑year-old son, who is a graduate of high school, desperately wants to join the Canadian Armed Forces, but he cannot because he is not yet a Canadian citizen.

I hope you will agree with me, Senator Gold, when I say: What more could this country want from its refugees? Will you kindly inquire into these delays for many anxious wannabe Canadians?

Hon. René Cormier: Today is World AIDS Day, a reminder that this pandemic, which first emerged 40 years ago, is still going strong, and that sustained resources are needed to eradicate it.

Exactly one year ago today, on December 1, 2020, I moved a motion in this chamber that was adopted by the Senate, calling on the Government of Canada to evaluate the cost of implementing its five-year action plan on sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, to establish national targets in the fight against HIV/AIDS and to increase funding for the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada.

Yes, there was the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, there was an election. Sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections did not cease to exist, however. National targets in the fight against HIV/AIDS are still essential to eradicating this disease, and more money is needed to fight HIV/AIDS now than ever before.

Senator Gold, what does the Government of Canada plan to do during this Forty-fourth Parliament to respond effectively to the needs identified in that motion?

Hon. Leo Housakos (Acting Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader in the Senate. Senator Gold, yesterday, your predecessor right here in this chamber waxed poetic about the wonderful things and accomplishments of this new independent Senate and the policies that have been implemented here in regards to the new-found independence of the Senate. And I get it; you’re both very proud of the work your government has done, as all senators who have come before us through this august chamber are proud of the work this great institution has done. But one of the things that Senator Harder lauded about yesterday was the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments. Of course, that prompted me to think that there have been countless occasions in this chamber where we’ve asked the government to be forthright in regards to the activities of that board, and we’re still waiting for answers to those questions.

As you all know, that board is obligated to file reports in the spirit of transparency and accountability in regards to its financial obligations and its activities to taxpayers. Out of curiosity, I went back to the site, and I see that the last time there was any filing in regard to the Advisory Board for Senate Appointments was December 5, 2018. Even by the Trudeau Liberal government’s standards, you have to admit, government leader, that’s a little bit excessive. Three years is a little bit much when it comes to not being accountable.

My question is very simple: Why hasn’t this board filed public accountability reports, as they’re obligated to do? And in the last three years, has the government received any reports from this advisory board?

Senator Housakos: Senator Gold, we’ve been asking repeatedly in regards to the activity of the board and the fact that it has not been public and transparent, both in terms of expenses and the processes that they’ve been carrying out.

Leader, I’ll give your government this: I will give it full credit for consistency, because they consistently fail to provide transparency when we ask these simple questions. Yesterday, our colleague Senator Marshall asked again a simple, basic question where the public accounts come into effect: Where is the debt management project? Simple questions. She’s still waiting for answers. And today, I’m forced again, prodded by a speech by Senator Harder, to ask a simple question: Where are the reports of the Advisory Board for Senate Appointments? It has been three years and we’ve been asking repeatedly about this. So can we have a transparent, accountable question when it comes to the Advisory Board for Senate Appointments? When will they make it public?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, on November 23, 2021, the Senate adopted an order that “the position of Speaker pro tempore be filled by means of a secret ballot by all senators to be held at the earliest opportunity, using the process established by the Speaker for the election of the Speaker pro tempore in the Second Session of the Forty-third Parliament, with timelines adjusted for the current session at the Speaker’s discretion”.

The process established last session was that the election of the Speaker pro tempore be by ranked ballot.

For the current session, a senator who wishes to be a candidate will have to communicate his or her interest by email to the Clerk of the Senate by noon on Monday, December 6, 2021.

At the start of the sitting after Monday, December 6, I will announce the names of the senators who are candidates. Instead of proceeding to Senators’ Statements, we will then hear from the candidates for a maximum of three minutes each, irrespective of the total time required. If there are fewer than six candidates, any balance of time can be used for regular statements.

The voting will start shortly after we have heard from the candidates. Details about the confidential system will follow shortly before voting is to start. Only the Clerk will have access to information about the vote. He will not reveal any of this information to anyone.

Senators will be able to vote until 6 p.m. on the day after voting starts. That deadline could be extended, if required, for technical reasons. When they vote, senators will rank as many candidates as they wish, with one being their first choice, two their second, and so on. If, however, there are only two candidates, senators will only be asked to select one candidate.

After the voting, the Clerk will count the votes in private. After the initial count, the candidate, or candidates, with the fewest votes will be dropped and those votes redistributed to the next active preference on the ballot, if one is indicated. The process will continue with successive rounds until a candidate has a majority of votes that are still active. If, after all possible distributions, two or more candidates have the same number of votes, a run-off election will be held.

The name of the chosen candidate will be announced at the start of the sitting following completion of counting. A motion to name that senator as Speaker pro tempore will then be deemed moved, seconded, and adopted, without debate, amendment, or further vote. No further details will be provided, and the Clerk will keep all information related to the vote confidential.

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Honourable senators, I would like to take part in the debate for a moment to note that the topic we are discussing here is very important. I would also like to congratulate Senator Boisvenu, the sponsor of this bill, as well as Senator Moncion, who described her experience as a jury member. I would like to add a few comments, so I will adjourn the debate for the balance of my time.

(On motion of Senator Dalphond, debate adjourned.)

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