The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Alan Kruzell, Board Member of the Soil Conservation Council of Canada. He is the guest of the Honourable Senator Black.

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

Senator Tannas: I think that’s still possible. I think we can defeat this amendment, if that’s what the Senate wishes to do, and we can defeat the message and start all over. That can be done, if that’s what we want to do.

But if that’s not the way the cards fall, I’m a pragmatist, and I come from a long line of Alberta pragmatists, and I would rather make sure that what is likely to be the eventuality, that we do our best with it, rather than shout at the rain and not do it.

Thank you.

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question, senator, but I repeat: Ms. Richard is a career public servant and served this country honourably and with distinction through the Harper government years and through the current years and is eminently qualified to discharge these roles.

Senator Gold: What the government cares about is assisting Canadians who are going through very challenging times, as are citizens around the world. In fact, that’s what the government has done.

The government cares about Canadians; that’s why it is supporting Canadians, and that’s why it is investing in Canadians. This government cares about prudent fiscal management of the country, and I repeat, because the evidence demonstrates that: Of all the G7 countries, we are doing better than all by many indicators. In that regard, this government will continue to stay the course.

Yes, the government has invested in our future. Yes, that is necessary for our children and grandchildren to have careers and jobs in a sustainable economy and on a livable planet.

Hon. Robert Black: Honourable senators, this week is National Soil Conservation Week, spearheaded by the Soil Conservation Council of Canada. Each year, during the third week of April, this week-long event highlights the importance of soil health and soil science to Canada’s economy, environment and future.

Soil health has continued to be an increasing concern amongst agricultural and environmental communities for years. Innovative and progressive research has continued to show growth in understanding the extent to which soil health affects our arable land. Continued support from all levels of the government, as well as Canadians from coast to coast to coast, remains essential in our work toward healthy soil.

Did you know, honourable senators, that the smell of fresh, healthy soil can reduce depression? According to a study by the University of Colorado Boulder, Mycobacterium vaccae — antidepressant microbes found in soil — is also being investigated for improving cognitive function, Crohn’s disease and even rheumatoid arthritis.

Studies like this show how important soil is not just for our farmers, but also for the health of all Canadians. It cleans our water, filters our air and helps sequester and use carbon to produce the high-quality foods that we, as Canadians, enjoy.

According to the Soil Conservation Council of Canada, soil erosion costs Canadians $3 billion each year. This is why it is important that we find common ground — or soil — across the provinces in order to approach this challenge and find collective solutions. I applaud the thousands of soil advocates throughout the country who dedicate so much time to bringing awareness to this important cause and issue. Soil is a finite resource, and we, as Canadians, must continue to care about it in order to grow our food.

Therefore, honourable senators, during this National Soil Conservation Week, I encourage you, my colleagues, and Canadians throughout the country to learn more about how each of us can support soil health. It is no longer a secret about the great effects that the quality of soil has on our nation. By working together, Canada can continue to succeed in feeding the nation and the world. The future of this country, and inevitably of the world, is intrinsically linked to the health of our ecosystem which, in itself, hinges on soil health. Thank you. Meegwetch.

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Stacia Keen, Darren Schemmer, Wendy Harris, Gale Lee and Apollinaire Ihaza. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Gerba.

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

Senator Tannas: Yes.

Senator Manning: I’m not finished yet.

Senator Jaffer: Leader, there is a real migration crisis on the southern border of the United States, with millions of people fleeing persecution, only to face inhumane treatment and detention at the American border and then be sent back. Many years ago, I myself was involved in it as a refugee lawyer when Canada let people from South America enter our country. I had to help work with the Mennonite community to bring them here to Canada. The Canadian government is promising to create a new refugee program for 15,000 migrants fleeing persecution and violence in South and Central America. It’s not enough. More needs to be done. How does the Canadian government plan to respond to this challenge, or will we turn a blind eye to this humanitarian crisis and the violations of human rights associated with it? Thank you.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

Senator Gold: Senator Housakos, the issue of foreign interference is a serious one, and I only wish at least that both sides — both questioner and answerer — would be able to discuss it in a way that is absent the insinuations and smears that are implicit in your question.

The fact is that the world has changed, and our understanding of China has changed since 2015-16 and at present — and properly and understandably so. When banks engage in irregular behaviour, thank goodness we have institutions that call them out. In that regard, the system worked.

Senator Bernard: I’ll just say, Senator Gold, that we would appreciate if you would make inquiries and report back to the chamber. Thank you.

[Translation]

Hon. Fabian Manning: Honourable senators, today I am pleased to present Chapter 75 of “Telling Our Story.”

As you are all aware, 75 is a very significant number in this place, and selecting that number for this particular chapter is not a coincidence.

In the past, I have spoken in this chamber about the productive and successful lives of many of my fellow Newfoundlanders and Labradorians — those who have chosen to live and work in the province, and those who have journeyed beyond the rock to make their mark in the world. Today, I am adding another person to that list.

George J. Furey was born on May 12, 1948.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Stacia Keen, Darren Schemmer, Wendy Harris, Gale Lee and Apollinaire Ihaza. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Gerba.

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

Senator Manning: I’m not finished yet. I have one more line.

I will conclude with an old Irish blessing that we are very familiar with back home in Newfoundland and Labrador: Your Honour, may you be in heaven a full half hour before the devil knows you’re dead.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Alan Kruzell, Board Member of the Soil Conservation Council of Canada. He is the guest of the Honourable Senator Black.

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

Senator Gold: I’m not in a position to know exactly. I don’t know how these discussions are unfolding and therefore I really don’t know what the timetable may be. I’ll make some efforts to find out where things stand and report back when I get an answer.

Senator Gold: I am not in a position to tell you why the events unfolded as you have described, but I can assure you that the federal government will do what it can, in conjunction with the Government of Nova Scotia, to assist those in the communities affected by the tragedy.

[English]

Senator Manning: I hope you are not eating up my time. I will start again.

George J. Furey was born on May 12, 1948, in the beautiful town of Avondale, Newfoundland and Labrador. That was less than a year before Canada joined Newfoundland.

George was one of eight children, with four brothers and three sisters. In the words of George’s son, Andrew, in his book entitled Hope in the Balance, George’s mom, Mary, had a will that was bigger than the judgment of those around her. Her family was her greatest passion.

When George was just six years old, his three sisters went to the Belvedere orphanage in St. John’s, which was, at the time, run by the Sisters of Mercy. George and his brothers went to the Mount Cashel orphanage where his mom got a job working as a cook for the Christian Brothers’ private residence next door to the orphanage. Mary Furey’s family would survive and prosper.

George later attended Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree, along with a Bachelor of Education degree, in 1970. These were followed by a Master of Education degree from Memorial University in 1976. During his career as an educator, George was a teacher with the Roman Catholic school board in St. John’s, a supervising vice-principal of the Port-au-Port Roman Catholic School Board and a supervising principal in the town of Dunville with the Placentia-St. Mary’s Roman Catholic School Board.

After a successful career in education, George attended Dalhousie Law School and completed a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1983. He was called to the Bar of the Law Society of Newfoundland & Labrador in 1984 and subsequently named a partner in the St. John’s law firm of O’Brien, Furey & Hurley. While in his second year of practising law, he successfully challenged the Criminal Code language on sexual assault and proved that, with the advent of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, certain Criminal Code provisions were unconstitutional. In 1989, he was named senior partner at the firm O’Brien, Furey & Smith and in 1993 was appointed to the Provincial Police Complaints Commission and subsequently appointed as Queen’s Counsel in 1996.

On the advice of then-prime minister Jean Chrétien, George was appointed to the Senate of Canada on August 11, 1999. He served on many of the standing committees in the Senate, such as Legal and Constitutional Affairs, and as Chair of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration.

On December 3, 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Senator Furey to the position of the forty-fifth Speaker of the Senate of Canada, the very first person from Newfoundland and Labrador to hold this position. For 24 more days, he will also hold the title of the longest-serving member of the Senate.

I, like many of you, have witnessed our Speaker perform his duties here in Ottawa, in the chamber, throughout our great country of Canada and around the world. He has done so with a high degree of humility, dignity and professionalism, along with a great sense of humour. A few weeks ago, here in Ottawa, during the visit of U.S. President Biden, our Speaker was nothing short of a class act. I feel confident in saying that I believe the words and the eloquent delivery of his speech on the floor of the House of Commons made us all feel very proud to have him represent us during this special event.