Senator Gold: Thank you for your question, Senator Woo. As I said, it is my understanding that there are still investigations under way, so I will make inquiries with regard to your questions in an attempt to have an answer as quickly as I can.

[Translation]

Senator Housakos: Will there be any point in investigating?

Senator Bovey: Thank you for that. I am encouraged, and they will be too. As you know, the federal government is an important funder of this event.

I would like to clarify that all of the participants have received a letter from the games with the registered event number on it. It was sent through the special event program from the IRCC, and was supported by the Canada Border Services Agency, or CBSA.

I understand that India is the only country at this point — out of the more than 50 expected countries — that is experiencing visa denials. Of course, we don’t want an international embarrassment, so I hope that you can assure us that work will be done very quickly to bring these athletes to the same stage of the process that the others are in terms of their ability to come to Canada.

Senator Yussuff: Again, thank you for the supplementary question. I think the suit that firefighters use when fighting fires certainly is problematic in the context of how it protects them from fire, but it doesn’t protect them from carcinogens.

Of course, I’m sure we will develop better suits as time goes on, but in the meantime, we need to figure out how those suits can be decontaminated after a firefighter comes back from fighting a fire.

Again, while the bill does not spell out which minister will be responsible for taking this bill up should it become law, in my humble opinion, it will be both the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Health because there are two aspects to the bill. Both ministers will have to collaborate on how they will engage their colleagues at the provincial and territorial level to ensure some of the requirements of the bill are met, but equally to address some of the issues that you have raised. For instance, the Minister of Labour can certainly speak to his counterparts about the need to have uniformity across the country as to how firefighter cancers are treated in regard to the workers’ compensation systems.

At the same time, given the provincial health and safety laws address the safety of equipment that you use — and that is in the context of the suit that they use — there could be a uniformed approach as to how those suits could be decontaminated if equipment should exist that can do so in other jurisdictions.

It would be equally important for these two ministers to collaborate but, equally, to ensure every aspect that the bill attempts to address will be accomplished in the context of that collaboration, recognizing that the system across the country — which is a patchwork — will require provinces and territories wanting to change that. Hopefully, moral persuasion and political efforts can make a difference at the end of the day.

As you know, the men and women who go out to do this job don’t question it. They understand there is risk, as I did speaking to Craig’s family. What was very hard, I didn’t have an answer in regard to why the workers’ compensation system in Ontario is denying them benefits and why, at the time when it’s most needed in their family, they have to ponder what would happen should they not get that workers’ compensation.

For his two children and his wife, while he is receiving treatment, something should happen. I think it’s terrible. Firefighters, of course, as you know, recognize that what they are doing is dangerous. At the same time, they sign up for it. We, as a society, recognize we need firefighters. In the absence of them, who will show up to fight the fires and help us with these challenges?

Yet, within the law, there are challenges that these workers face. I do believe with this bill, should it pass in the Senate and become law, we can certainly accelerate the efforts of the federal government in playing a leading role in bringing all of the elements and provincial and territorial governments together to carry out the objective of the bill.

Thank you.

Senator Kutcher: If that’s the will of the Senate.

Senator Kutcher: Thank you for that question. It is an important issue.

My intention is to bring the issue of health disinformation to committee study. I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to tell the committee what the limits of the study should be, or in what direction the committee should choose to study it. Committees are the masters of their own fates, and it would behoove the committee to make those decisions.

We have an incredibly excellent group of people on that committee, as all Senate committees do, and we want to ensure that those committee members and the steering committee — under the able leadership of Senator Omidvar — would make decisions regarding what the parameters of the study would be.

I want to remind the chamber that Senate committees have engaged in studies that have lasted for years, and that have made major impacts on improving Canadian society. My purpose here is to start with health disinformation — and should the committee wish to take it further, that would be the purview of the committee.

Senator Woo: That begs the question as to why the minister said all the Chinese police stations have been stopped. In fact, no evidence has been produced to confirm that there were Chinese police stations in Montreal, and no information has been offered to suggest that the two organizations did anything wrong.

However, the naming of these two groups and Minister Mendicino’s breezy declaration that all police stations have been shut down has cast a pall over the organizations for no reason other than fear, stigma and, dare I say it, racism. Funding for the good work of these organizations has been cut, including French‑language classes and settlement services for new immigrants. The 50-year-old Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal is now on the brink.

Senator Gold, when will the government clarify that the two organizations have done no wrong, and that, in fact, it is the organizations that have been wronged by reckless allegations, including one we heard today in this chamber? How will the government provide compensation for reputational and financial damage?

Senator Jaffer: Thank you, senator. What you said is very true — there is a time and place — but the world is small. We may reach out and get Canadians out, but there are also Sudanese who are suffering terribly, especially women and children.

What humanitarian efforts are Canada making with other countries to help out in this region? We can’t forget the suffering of the Sudanese either.

Senator Duncan: Thank you very much for that response. Is there perhaps a greater window, then, if we were to focus the energies of the bill and the regulation on the equipment? As I understand it, that is a key presentation that has been made.

Also, the workers’ compensation boards meet at least every year. There is a meeting of all of the boards across the country. Perhaps there could be a recommendation to the minister responsible in the bill that he or she be in attendance and attempt to work with the provinces and territories on this very important issue.

Senator Gold: First of all, the information that was released was, as you said, a confidential Canadian Security Intelligence Service, or CSIS, document. It’s certainly up to CSIS, and only CSIS, to decide what confidential information should be shared. That’s why the Prime Minister asked David Vigneault, the head of CSIS, to look into this matter.

Once again, these issues are complicated, they are serious and the government is dealing with them in a responsible way.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Baroness Margaret de Vos van Steenwijk and Lysbeth van Valkenburg-Lely. Also in the gallery is Nahla Valji, Global Coordinator of the Spotlight Initiative in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Jaffer.

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 Pierre Beauregard, Amelia Valdez, Samuel Beauregard and Azfar Adib. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Miville-Dechêne.

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

Hon. Brian Francis: Honourable senators, I rise today to mark Red Dress Day, also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People, which is observed annually on May 5. Red Dress Day is one of several campaigns started by activists to call attention to the staggering number of Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people who are extremely vulnerable to adverse experiences such as abuse, violence and death in Canada. It was inspired by Métis artist Jamie Black’s REDress Project, an art exhibit that continues to see red dresses hung in public places as powerful visual representations of the loved ones who should be wearing them today, as well as of the tremendous pain and trauma survivors and their families and communities grapple with daily.

The day also calls on government, institutions and others to take tangible and immediate action, which is key, given the ongoing failure to fully implement the 231 Calls for Justice identified by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in 2019.

These legal imperatives must be fulfilled to protect and save the lives of Indigenous women and girls and gender-diverse people, who deserve to live in a country where they are safe, secure and supported, no matter where they are.

Colleagues, this Friday people of all backgrounds will take part in marches and other events to remember the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people and to stand in solidarity with survivors, families and communities. I will join a walk in Charlottetown, hosted by the Aboriginal Women’s Association of PEI, the Native Council of Prince Edward Island, the Lennox Island First Nation, the Abegweit First Nation and the Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI.

I hope you will also find ways to participate in Red Dress Day, including by reflecting on what you can personally do to transform the strained and damaged relationship of Canada with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Together we can build a present and future where the power and place of Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people is restored.

Let’s stand for, with and by Indigenous leaders and grassroots activists, such as Senator Michèle Audette, who have brought awareness to this national tragedy and continue to demand urgent action and change.

Wela’lin. Thank you.

[Translation]

Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: I rise today to commend my guests from Quebec, Pierre Beauregard and Azfar Adib, for their dedication.

Mr. Adib is a PhD candidate in computer engineering at Concordia University. His research focuses on online age‑verification technology in order to ensure both the right to privacy and the safety of users, particularly children.

As for Pierre Beauregard, he’s the person who’s been the most involved in my efforts to advance Bill S-210, which seeks to protect children from exposure to pornography. The trials he has faced in his own life are what made him realize how great a risk these free, easily accessible platforms pose to children.

In 2017, well before I met him, Mr. Beauregard presented a petition to the Quebec National Assembly calling on the Government of Quebec to impose age verification. He has made more and more contacts around the world during the course of his research and activities.

For the past three years, he’s been writing me to keep me informed of all of the developments in the area. In my past career, we would have described Mr. Beauregard as a great source. Today, he’s a valuable ally. Thank you, Pierre. The support of citizens, parents and health professionals has been invaluable to me.

As Bill S-210 begins its journey through the House of Commons, there has been a lot of good news.

In Germany, the courts recently ruled in favour of the government and against MindGeek, the owner of Pornhub, to force it to comply with German law, which requires age verification for all users in that country. The fact that MindGeek houses its servers in Cyprus doesn’t mean it can sidestep German law, which aims to protect its children from serious danger.

In the United Kingdom, a sweeping online safety bill, which mandates age verification for access to pornography and other harmful content, will be passed by July.

In the United States, Louisiana recently became the first state to mandate age verification for online pornography. An additional 26 states, including California, New York and Massachusetts, have passed or are considering passing laws to control minors’ access to harmful online content.

The fight is not over, however. In our country and elsewhere, some people continue to resist and oppose common-sense rules whose drawbacks are minor compared to the importance of the objectives pursued.

Finding the right balance isn’t easy. We need to protect minors, but also protect people’s privacy. We need to protect the innocence of our children, but allow what is legal. We need to regulate pornographic content, but promote modern sex education.

In my view, these challenges are no reason to give up.

Thank you.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Baroness Margaret de Vos van Steenwijk and Lysbeth van Valkenburg-Lely. Also in the gallery is Nahla Valji, Global Coordinator of the Spotlight Initiative in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Jaffer.

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

Hon. Victor Oh: Honourable senators, I rise today in commemoration of Asian Heritage Month.

May is a special month in the Asian Canadian community. This is a time for our country to celebrate the contributions and recognize the sacrifices of Canadians of Asian descent and to reflect on the many challenges faced throughout our nation’s history.

With the one hundredth anniversary of the Chinese head tax and Chinese Exclusion Act this year and the influx of anti-Asian sentiment since the COVID-19 pandemic, this community has not only persevered but thrived and significantly influenced Canada into the prosperous nation it is today.

I was honoured to attend the Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs’ twenty-sixth awards gala in April. This annual event recognizes the significant contributions of nine forward-thinking pioneers of entrepreneurial spirit who have exemplified business success and contributed enormously to the community in service and philanthropy. As they told of their many hurdles, I felt proud to know that we live in a nation that nurtures the spirit of innovation that contributes to job creation and economic growth.

Colleagues, in my closing, I would like to reiterate that Canada would not be the country it is today without the contributions of the Asian Canadian community. However, I stand here proudly to acknowledge that Canada is a beacon of hope and light on the global stage in such a time of fear and uncertainty. It is a haven of multiculturalism and cultural inclusivity as we all strive to commend the contributions of our diverse citizens.

This Asian Heritage Month, let us honour Asian Canadians’ resilience and celebrate our nation’s multi-ethnic mosaic by participating in and supporting our local Asian heritage celebrations.

Thank you. Xie xie.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the Honourable Mr. Justice J. Patrick Moore and the Honourable Madam Justice Tamarin Dunnet, both from the Superior Court of Justice – Ontario. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Oh.

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 the Honourable Mr. Justice J. Patrick Moore and the Honourable Madam Justice Tamarin Dunnet, both from the Superior Court of Justice – Ontario. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Oh.

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 Pierre Beauregard, Amelia Valdez, Samuel Beauregard and Azfar Adib. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Miville-Dechêne.

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

Hon. Percy Mockler: As Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance, I’d like to begin by thanking the honourable senators on the committee and the support staff for all their hard work.

Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the tenth report of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance entitled Supplementary Estimates (C) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.