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

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

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. No, I do not. There was an ethics screening that applied to the former interim commissioner from day one, as is the appropriate practice in such institutions in such cases.

I stand by what I said yesterday to defend her integrity, her competency and the role she was asked and agreed to play.

Now that she has decided to step aside, the government will be moving with dispatch to select a new interim commissioner. In that regard, the government will be working with all parties collaboratively to find the right person and to appoint them.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of two members from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Association, Constable Michael Hunt and Constable Justin Dawe. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Wells.

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

Hon. David M. Wells: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association concerning the Arctic Parliamentarians Summit — Nordic and North American Collaboration Report, held in Nuuk, Greenland, from September 11 to 13, 2022.

Hon. Marty Klyne, Chair of the Standing Committee on Audit and Oversight, presented the following report:

Thursday, April 20, 2023

The Standing Committee on Audit and Oversight has the honour to present its

SEVENTH REPORT

Your committee, which is authorized, on its own initiative, to supervise and report on the Senate’s internal and external audits and related matters, pursuant to rule 12-7(4), respectfully requests funds for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024.

Pursuant to Chapter 3:05, section 2(3)(b) of the Senate Administrative Rules, your committee presents herewith its budget report.

Respectfully submitted,

MARTY KLYNE

Chair

(For text of budget, see today’s Journals of the Senate, Appendix A, p. 1406.)

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, when shall this report be taken into consideration?

(On motion of Senator Francis, report placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)

[Translation]

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

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

Hon. Leo Housakos: Honourable colleagues, my question is for the Government Leader in the Senate. Senator Gold, although your government has been obfuscating when it comes to implementing a foreign agent registry, the Prime Minister recently tried to appear to support the idea, although at the same time cautioned that it would not be a silver bullet. It’s a pattern of this Prime Minister to talk out of both sides of his mouth.

Now, there is a member of your government tabling a petition in the House of Commons calling for the even near idea of a foreign agent registry to be scrapped altogether. The Prime Minister himself is now citing the internment of thousands of Japanese and Italian Canadians during World War II as an example of why the government is taking its time on this issue.

Senator Gold, we have heard those talking points before. We have heard those talking points from none other than Beijing, and its mouthpiece is right here in Canada. Not only does one thing not have anything to do with the other, but why is the Prime Minister resorting to tactics employed by the Communist thugs in Beijing to scare the very people he should be doing more to protect right here in Canada? Why is he doing their dirty work and their heavy lifting?

Hon. Brian Francis, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples, presented the following report:

Thursday, April 20, 2023

The Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples has the honour to present its

TENTH REPORT

Your committee, which was authorized by the Senate on Thursday, March 3, 2022, to examine the federal government’s constitutional, treaty, political and legal responsibilities to First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and any other subject concerning Indigenous Peoples, respectfully requests funds for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024.

Pursuant to Chapter 3:05, section 2(1)(c) of the Senate Administrative Rules, the budget submitted to the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration and the report thereon of that committee are appended to this report.

Respectfully submitted,

BRIAN FRANCIS

Chair

(For text of budget, see today’s Journals of the Senate, Appendix B, p. 1411.)

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

The Charter has been a fundamental transformative element in our Constitution since its enactment in 1982, and in that regard, it has had impacts that even surpassed the expectations of those who lobbied for it and worked hard to see it come to light.

It has transformed the work that we do here in the Senate. It has been an increasingly present part of our discussions and our role as we see it as senators to make sure that the Charter rights of Canadians are taken properly into account and respected in the laws that we are called upon to study and ultimately pass.

It is true that the pre-emptive use of the “notwithstanding” clause is something that is a preoccupation to many of us and, indeed, this government, as the Prime Minister has announced on many occasions.

The “notwithstanding” clause is — we have to remind ourselves — part of the Charter and was part of the bargain that allowed the patriation of the Constitution to happen. It is the government’s position that it should be used appropriately, and not irresponsibly, and in that regard, this issue is currently before the courts, as you know.

I have confidence, though, that the Charter has transformed the way we Canadians see ourselves in many different ways, and I believe it is secure in that regard. It is certainly secure in this chamber.

An Hon. Senator: That’s right.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question and for raising the number of challenges that farmers in this country are facing.

I’m glad you mentioned climate change amongst them because, in fact, farmers are on the front lines in dealing with climate change, whether the issue is flooding or droughts or storms. In my own region of the province where I live, my friends who are maple syrup producers did not have the easiest time this year with the tapping of their trees as a result of climate change.

The government is focused on taking environmental action throughout the country while supporting the competitiveness of farmers, who feed Canadians and, indeed, the world. That’s why the government has done a number of things. They have already exempted gas and diesel for farm use from pollution pricing. They have created a rural top-up for rebates, directly returning proceeds collected in proportion to the amount collected via the price on pollution, which translates to $100 million returned to farmers in 2021-22 and $120 million in 2022-23. Over the last two years, the government has invested $1.5 billion in programs to support farmers to reduce their emissions on farms and grow their operations. This includes a $0.5-billion program to purchase cleaner equipment, such as more energy efficient grain dryers and barn heating systems.

I could go on, but I think this demonstrates this government’s commitment.

Again, as I said on many occasions in this chamber, we are doing the right thing by our planet, by our environment and, indeed, by our farmers — who are the victims of climate change as much as any of us — while at the same time, the government is doing its best to offset the impact of these necessary measures on those, like farmers, who are paying a price.

Hon. Andrew Cardozo: My question is for the government leader in the Senate and it concerns the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

This week was the forty-first anniversary of the Canadian Charter Rights and Freedoms. This document, which is embedded in our Constitution, is one of the key statements about who we are as Canadians, our society and our values, and includes gender equality, Indigenous rights that date back to the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and freedom from discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour or religion. Yet, we run the risk of this foundational declaration being frayed at the edges with the use of the “notwithstanding” clause and the attacks on minority rights, whether in the courts, in slogans or online campaigns.

Senator Gold, what is your reading about how secure our Charter of Rights and Freedoms is, and what do you think needs to be done to defend its sanctity?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, the question of whether and how to set up foreign registry is one upon which the government is consulting — and properly so. That there are divergent views within Canada by Canadians on this subject is also to be expected in a diverse society.

The Prime Minister is not speaking out of both sides of his mouth, nor is he acting as a mouthpiece, and to disparage those who are raising questions about the possible collateral impacts of such an initiative at this stage of the consultations, to brand them and sweep them under as a mouthpiece of a Communist regime, frankly, is a disservice to those Canadians who, in good faith, want to see us have the right tools — as this government does — to address foreign interference and to add to the tools we already have and are deploying.

Again, colleagues, the consultations are under way. The government is serious about pursuing this, but it is listening to Canadians, as we would expect it to do.

Hon. Robert Black: My question is for Senator Gold, the Government Representative here in our chamber.

Senator Gold, as we all know, Canadian farmers are the backbone of this country. As an advocate for farmers, processors and rural Canadians, I am particularly concerned about the many ongoing issues that continue to create undue hardship on the agriculture sector. Labour shortages, climate change, ever‑changing regulations and supply chain management are just a few.

These issues share one common value, though: increased financial burdens for farmers and their families. Farmers are price-takers, not price-makers. They must continue to compete at market value and often are forced to swallow the costs of decisions beyond their control, and that is why I rise today.

Senator Gold, competition in the market for our farmers is made more difficult by your government because they are charged a tax on a tax. Recently, I received a copy of an invoice from a local farmer in Guelph, Ontario. Trish and Dean Scott reached out to me about the rising costs they are facing on their farm due to being forced to pay taxes on a tax.

Colleagues, not only are they paying the federal excise tax on their diesel and the carbon tax on fuel oil, but they are also paying Harmonized Sales Tax, or HST, on both of these taxes. Let me be clear, this is a tax on a tax — or should I say, a tax on a tax on a tax.

Senator Gold, can you please update the chamber as to why farmers — and, indeed, all Canadians — are being taxed on tax by your government? Will you share with this chamber what the Canadian government is doing to remove their tax on a tax?

Thank you.

Hon. Denise Batters: Senator Gold, this scandal-plagued Prime Minister continues to appoint his close family friends and Trudeau Foundation connections to get him out of hot water. Prime Minister Trudeau repeatedly puts Special Rapporteur David Johnston in a terrible spot, and now the Prime Minister has structured Johnston’s mandate so that he appears financially incentivized to find there should not be a public inquiry on Beijing election interference.

Mr. Johnston will be compensated $1,600 a day for his efforts, in addition to the lifetime annual $150,000 Governor General pension he collects. If he determined in May that there should be a public inquiry, his special rapporteur services would no longer be required, and his per diems would stop.

Senator Gold, it seems contrived to paper over the truth: Why won’t the Prime Minister come clean with Canadians and just call a public inquiry?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question and for underlying the tragedy happening in Yemen. I wish that were the only place such things were happening.

Since 2020, the government has put into place a process whereby permits for exports of arms are not granted automatically but need to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Canada continues to do that. It is the position of the government that it will continue to do that to ensure that this industry is carried on in a responsible way.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Wow, Senator Batters, to suggest that the Honourable David Johnston, the former Governor General, would be influenced by a per diem — and you were a lawyer, perhaps not on Bay Street — that is the equivalent of a few hours of work for professionals — but for any amount.

To suggest, imply or assert that somehow the Honourable David Johnston would be influenced by his per diem and that it would change the advice he would give the Prime Minister is really something that — I cannot find the parliamentary language to express how it makes me feel to hear this being treated with seriousness and that you are asking me to respond to a question like this. With all due respect, it does not dignify a response.