Senator Gold: Currently, applicants have the option to attend in person or virtually, as I said. There is consultation going on now with regard to other proposed changes to the Citizenship Act that may be appropriate — in terms of other processes — but that is an ongoing process, as I described.

Senator Gold: The Prime Minister has put in place processes that he has deemed appropriate. He has appointed the Right Honourable David Johnston to examine the matter and provide advice. The government believes this is the appropriate process under the circumstances.

[English]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Again, thank you for alluding to the significant increases in investments in our military and in procurement — an ongoing issue of importance for Canada generally and for our North in particular. I’ll add that to my questions and report back when I can.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, senator, for your question. I don’t know. I’ll have to inquire. I’ll try to get an answer as quickly as I can in the hope that it will be useful to your study.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): I can’t answer your question. I can’t answer for an anonymous source, despite the fact that it was published in The Globe and Mail. The processes the government has put in place to address the situation you described are appropriate to answer these questions.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): I’m sorry that the answer you received, senator, was unsatisfactory to you. I’m not responsible for the answer when I’m not able to give one; I request it. If you would be kind enough to share the answer with my office, I’d be happy to inquire as to what additional information may be available, and I’d be happy to provide it.

Senator Gold: I agree with you entirely. The government is serious, and the CRA will be rigorous. But if I understand your question correctly, senator, you’re asking whether the deadline into the investigation will be extended in matters of ineligibility and potential fraud. In that regard, the deadline in the bills to which you referred doesn’t apply to cases of fraud or suspected fraud; therefore, there’s no need for an extension and the work will continue.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Senator, thank you for raising this. It’s an important issue, and an issue that some of us appreciate less because of living in urban environments. I now live in a rural environment, but it is not as difficult as the situation you described for too many Canadians. I will have to look into what Canada Post is continuing to do and what the government’s responsibility or role in that is. I don’t have an answer to your question, but I’ll certainly look into it.

Senator Gold: Well, there was a question at the end, was there not? I am proud to work as the Government Representative, and to serve the Senate in that capacity, and I will continue to do my best.

[Translation]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question, and I couldn’t agree with you more in terms of the importance of these ceremonies to the participants, the observers and their families.

The government wants to be very clear: All applicants will continue to have the choice and the option to swear or affirm their Oath of Citizenship before a citizenship judge or an authorized person at an in-person or virtual ceremony as the case may be. That remains the case. The government strongly wants Canadians to know that citizenship ceremonies are here to stay. IRCC — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — has resumed in-person citizenship ceremonies that were suspended due to the impact of COVID-19 to its operations and now actually offers virtual citizenship ceremonies to those for whom it’s appropriate.

The Oath of Citizenship is the final step to becoming a Canadian citizen. It’s a solemn promise to follow the laws of Canada and perform our duties as Canadians. The government is seeking input on proposed changes to the Citizenship Act to improve their experience and expand accessibility, and that is an ongoing process. Rest assured, citizenship ceremonies are here to stay.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): I would have had to have been in this position a lot longer to have the answer to your question at my fingertips. I certainly don’t have the answer. I will endeavour to find out who might have the answer and report back when I do get an answer.

Senator C. Deacon: Thank you very much, Senator Gold. Perhaps you could also add on to that the number of deputy ministers that have decided within their departments to prioritize the use of the Competition Bureau’s Competition Assessment Toolkit that has been made specifically for policy-makers and have reached out to the Competition Bureau’s competition promotion unit. Thank you.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. During the pandemic, as you all know, the government took very decisive and unprecedented action to help Canadians get through this crisis, to save lives and help our economy, and it worked. But it was clear from the beginning, as I have said on many occasions, that the CRA would begin verifications once the time was right and once it had the required data to do so. Indeed, as you alluded to, verifications have begun and assessments are being made and continue to be made as to where the efforts of the CRA should be focused.

It will take some time to complete this work. The government does not accept the numbers that the Auditor General put forward in terms of the magnitude of the problem, but there was a problem, of course. In that regard, fraud will not be tolerated. The CRA will continue to use all of its tools to identify and recover the amounts that were disbursed to ineligible recipients.

Senator Gold: Unsurprisingly, colleagues, I don’t agree. I think the Prime Minister has put into place the measures appropriate for the nature of the information that would have been shared by security organizations and others. He has put into place mechanisms that this government introduced, like NSICOP, and has appointed someone with impeccable integrity to advise him and Canadians on what additionally needs to be done to protect our democratic institutions.

Again, all the evidence accepted by all opposition parties shows that, in fact, the elections were not compromised despite efforts that were being made. Therefore, in that regard, Canadians should have confidence in the results of the last elections and confidence in the steps that the government and our institutions have taken and will continue to take to protect the integrity of our institutions.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. All of the investigations into the elections concluded that the elections were not affected by China’s and others’ attempts to interfere — attempts certainly they were — and, indeed, this is even the position of the Leader of the Opposition.

The Prime Minister has taken steps to address the issue and get to the bottom of it. The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, known as NSICOP, was asked to complete a review to assess the state of interference in federal electoral processes, as you know. The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, or NSIRA, has said it will set its own mandate and the scope of its study of the 43rd and 44th elections in the coming days. These findings will be reported to Parliament.

As we all know by now, the Prime Minister appointed the Right Honourable David Johnston as Independent Special Rapporteur to look into foreign interference. Honourable senators, it’s important to underline the specifics of this. Specifically, he will examine the information related to the 2019 and 2021 federal elections to determine what the government did to defend itself against electoral interference. He will build upon the work of NSICOP and NSIRA. He will identify any outstanding issues requiring attention so that Canadians can continue to have confidence in our electoral systems and our democratic institutions. He is to recommend any additional mechanisms or transparent processes, such as a formal public inquiry, that he deems necessary to reinforce our confidence, and will do this by May 23, 2023. He will submit regular reports to the Prime Minister, which will also be shared with the leaders of the opposition. These reports will be made available to all Canadians. He is expected to complete his review by October 31 of this year.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): No, we have strong working relationships in all areas — intelligence sharing and others — not only with our Five Eyes, some of whom you’ve mentioned, but also with many other democratic countries and others around the world. Canada punches above its weight in so many areas, and its contribution is well appreciated. In that regard, it is misleading and false to insinuate as you did.

Senator Gold: I don’t know the answer to the first question. The government is not afraid of the answers that its allies will give us because, as I said, our role is respected. It would take me too long, senator, to comment on all of the assumptions you made about what is going on in the minds of others. Suffice it to say that these are serious matters, and the government is taking them seriously.