The Hon. the Speaker: In my opinion, the yeas have it.

And two honourable senators having risen:

Senator Gold: I will add that to my questions.

[English]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate), pursuant to notice of March 23, 2023, moved:

That, notwithstanding the provisions of rule 12-12(1), the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration be authorized to appoint senators who are not members of the committee to its subcommittees, provided that, for greater certainty, no member of the Standing Committee on Audit and Oversight may be appointed to a subcommittee under the terms of this order.

Hon. Mary Coyle: My question is for Senator Gold, a little bit more on evidence and science.

Last week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, released a summary for policy-makers from the last eight years of climate science. It shows that although global temperatures have already risen by 1.5 degrees Celsius, with urgent action, it is still possible but increasingly difficult to keep it below the 1.5-degree target.

At the report’s launch, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres presented his “Acceleration Agenda,” a comprehensive plan based on the IPCC report which calls for developed countries to commit to reaching net zero by 2040.

As we know, Canada has committed to reaching net zero by 2050, the previous agreed-upon goal, and has targets and a plan to reach that goal.

My question, Senator Gold, is: Will Canada recalibrate our national emission reduction targets and plans in line with this new scientific evidence and accelerate our ambitions and actions in order to reach net zero by 2040?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. The well-being of our marine species is a priority for the government. The government remains, through Fisheries and Oceans Canada, committed to protecting the welfare of cetaceans based upon the authorities granted.

As you know, the Bill S-203 received Royal Assent and that, going forward, bans the captivity of cetaceans in Canada under the Fisheries Act and the Criminal Code.

There are amendments and exemptions — I won’t repeat them. If a request that a cetacean be moved to another facility is received by the department, the minister would review this application and be guided by the policies in place in order to make a decision as to whether to issue the appropriate Fisheries Act permit.

As you know, of course, in Canada, aquatic parks and zoos, animal care laws and private property of animals — like Kiska — are under provincial jurisdiction. The federal government has a role to play and will play it responsibly.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of His Excellency Darius Skusevičius, Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Canada; His Excellency Kaspars Ozoliņš, Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia to Canada; and His Excellency Margus Rava, Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to Canada.

I know I speak on behalf of all honourable senators when I say that Canada stands shoulder to shoulder with its partners in the Baltic region, as friends and as allies.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Michael Spavor, Yejin Kim, Simon David Cockerell, Linda Tung Yu, and baby Cyrus Rongxi Cockerell-Yu. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Woo.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore informed the Senate that a message had been received from the House of Commons returning Bill S-203, An Act respecting a federal framework on autism spectrum disorder, and acquainting the Senate that they had passed this bill without amendment.

[English]

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Klyne, seconded by the Honourable Senator Harder, P.C., for the second reading of Bill S-241, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (great apes, elephants and certain other animals).

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

Senator Gold: I will certainly make inquiries, senator, but as I tried to answer, the fact is — as the Auditor General found — the data has not yet been fully collected or analyzed, and so the government is committed to doing that. It will just take time for that. I’ll do my best to get at least a progress report such that we know that we’re heading in the right direction, which I firmly believe we are.

Hon. Marty Klyne: Senator Gold, people around the world are saddened by the recent death of Kiska, the world’s loneliest and Canada’s last captive orca. Captured in 1979, her five calves died young, and she lived alone in Marineland in Niagara Falls for over a decade.

Kiska also inspired Canada’s ban on new whale and dolphin captivity, yet Marineland still holds over 30 belugas, five dolphins and plans to sell the park. Many Canadians hope to see the remaining whales moved to a planned whale sanctuary in Nova Scotia or, otherwise, to the best possible homes.

Does the Government of Canada support this goal? How can the public work with the government to prioritize and expedite helping these whales?

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate), pursuant to notice of March 23, 2023, moved:

That, notwithstanding the order adopted by the Senate on September 21, 2022, the sitting of Wednesday, March 29, 2023, continue beyond 4 p.m., if Government Business is not completed, and adjourn at the earlier of the completion of Government Business or midnight;

That rule 3-3(1) be suspended on that day; and

That committees of the Senate scheduled to meet on that day for the purpose of considering government legislation be authorized to meet after 4 p.m., even though the Senate may then be sitting, with rule 12-18(1) being suspended in relation thereto.

Senator Gold: Thank you, senator. I will certainly bring this suggestion to the attention of the government, and I will report back, if I can, with any decisions or thinking in that matter.

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question.

I believe the statements that were made both reflect the government’s position and both can be coherent and true.

[Translation]

Senator Martin: The Trudeau government never proactively disclosed that Accenture was administering the CEBA program. It kept this information from parliamentarians and from taxpayers. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business told The Globe and Mail that it had thousands of contracts with the Trudeau government about various issues with the CEBA loans and had no idea that Accenture was behind all of it. Export Development Canada has acknowledged that this arrangement is ongoing, so we have reason to believe that the Trudeau government has given Accenture more than $61 million.

Leader, what is the total value of the contracts given to date to Accenture to administer the CEBA loans, and how much more will it receive?

Hon. Senators: Agreed

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate) moved second reading of Bill C-43, An Act for granting to His Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.

She said: Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to Bill C-43 which implements the Supplementary Estimates (C) for the 2022-23 fiscal year.

I intend to speak at greater length regarding the spending items contained in Bill C-43 as part of my remarks at third reading tomorrow.

If approved by Parliament, voted budgetary spending for this fiscal year would increase by $4.7 billion — or 2.1% — to a total of $224.6 billion. Much of the new voted spending is intended to provide military aid to Ukraine; help developing countries address the impact of climate change; reimburse First Nations and emergency management service providers for on-reserve response and recovery activities; write off unrecoverable student and apprenticeship loans; and preserve current capacity and service levels at the Canada Revenue Agency call centres.

These estimates also show, for information purposes, changes in planned statutory expenditures. Statutory budgetary expenditures are forecast to rise by $5.6 billion — or 2.6% — to a total of $218.7 billion.

Before concluding my brief remarks, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance for their study, and thank Senator Marshall in advance for her work as the critic of this bill. Thank you. Meegwetch.

Some Hon. Senators: Yea.

Some Hon. Senators: Nay.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I received a notice from the Government Representative in the Senate who requests, pursuant to rule 4-3(1), that the time provided for the consideration of Senators’ Statements be extended today for the purpose of paying tribute to the Honourable Landon Pearson whose death occurred on January 28, 2023.

Is it agreed to continue tributes in Senators’ Statements?