Senator Coyle: Absolutely.

Senator Coyle: Thank you for your question, Senator Omidvar. That is exactly what I said. Although I think the overall intention was to have a 12-month or one-year maximum timeline, we actually have a maximum timeline of 24 months, which was also mentioned by the sponsor of the bill. You are absolutely correct, however. I support this and trust that it will be much sooner than that. In fact, it could be at any moment following Royal Assent.

[Translation]

Senator Coyle: Senator Gold, I now have a question about the upside of AI.

The growth of AI start-ups has been nothing short of remarkable, accelerating fourteenfold since 2000 and showing no signs of slowing down. The global AI market is booming and is projected to reach a value of $190 billion by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 36.62%. By 2030, the impact of AI on the world’s GDP is expected to be substantial, adding a remarkable $15.7 trillion and boosting the global economy by 14%.

Senator Gold, while I believe it’s crucial that federal legislation be in place to govern the development, deployment and ethical use of AI, given our country’s established presence in the global technology sector, Canada has an opportunity to position itself as a leader in the field of AI technology.

Senator Gold, we know competition in the field is accelerating. Could you tell us what steps are being taken by the federal government to firmly and quickly position Canada to be a global leader in artificial intelligence, or AI?

Hon. Mary Coyle: Senator Gold, in a few days, our Prime Minister will join the other world leaders for the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan. Hiroshima was chosen as the host location to symbolize Japan’s commitment to peace. On August 6, 1945, 140,000 people lost their lives when the first atomic bomb was dropped by the U.S. on Hiroshima, destroying the city and forever changing our world.

Recently, Russia threatened to deploy its nuclear weapons in Ukraine. The scientific discovery of nuclear fission led some to create weapons to destroy life, and led others to create medical technologies to save lives.

Senator Gold, on Monday, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, gave a talk at the Design Exchange in Toronto, and, yesterday, he spoke at the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on artificial intelligence, or AI, oversight. He began his testimony by saying that OpenAI was founded upon the belief that AI could improve nearly every aspect of our lives, but that it also creates risks; therefore, we have to work together to manage those risks. He went on to say that regulatory intervention by government would be critical.

Senator Gold, you’ve spoken in this chamber about Bill C-27 — it is currently in committee in the House — which includes the artificial intelligence and data act. For other technologies such as nuclear, which have both pitfalls and promise, we have strong global regimes in place to regulate them.

Senator Gold, could you tell us if a global regulatory framework to establish safeguards against the potential harms of AI will be discussed at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, or at other international fora in the near future?

Hon. Mary Coyle: Honourable senators, I rise today on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people to speak at third reading of Bill C-22 — a bill I supported at second reading.

Before delving into the substance of my remarks, I would like to join my colleagues in congratulating Speaker Raymonde Gagné on her appointment to this crucial role in our chamber. Your Honour, I have every confidence you will fulfill your duties with the dignity and wisdom you are known for.

Back to the matter at hand — in my second-reading speech, delivered on Valentine’s Day, I said:

Bill C-22 was passed unanimously in the House after a detailed study and with amendments. Our job is not to unduly hold up the bill, while at the same time, we need to work efficiently to fulfill our responsibility to ensure that we have legislation that enables the creation of a robust Canada disability benefit which will have the intended outcomes of significantly reducing poverty and supporting the financial security of persons with disabilities — one which clearly responds to what people living with disabilities are asking for.

Colleagues, many people living with a variety of disabilities in Canada are living in poverty today. What every one of them agrees on is the urgency to get this benefit in place and the much-needed money flowing to them as soon as possible.

Honourable colleagues, yesterday we heard the Chair of the Social Affairs Committee, Senator Ratna Omidvar, deliver that committee’s report on Bill C-22. She spoke with respect and gratitude for the many helpful witnesses who contributed to the work of the committee in its efforts to study and improve Bill C-22. I join her in thanking all witnesses and, in particular, those with disabilities as well as the broader disability community in Canada who have been so clear and constructive in their guidance on this important bill.

I am not a member of the Social Affairs Committee, also known as SOCI, and I was unable to attend their meetings due to a timing conflict with our Foreign Affairs Committee. But one of my colleagues, Ben Gormley, attended the meetings studying this important bill for me. I have read most of the transcripts and, in particular, the discussion at clause-by-clause consideration of the bill.

Colleagues, I would like to commend all members of the Social Affairs Committee for their hard work, dedication and commitment. I read in the transcripts that many of our colleagues on the committee had experienced sleepless nights as they agonized over getting this bill right for those it is intended to benefit. These colleagues, from all groups in the Senate, fulfilled their senatorial duties with exemplary leadership. They listened and they decided to act.

I would also like to commend the bill’s sponsor, Senator Brent Cotter, for taking on the responsibility of introducing it to us and ensuring the bill moves smoothly, appropriately and in a timely manner through this chamber. Thank you to its critic as well for that incredibly thorough and thoughtful speech. You’ve brought up things, Senator Seidman, that will be important for us to carry forward as we pass this on from our chamber at this time.

Honourable senators, for months we have been receiving correspondence from and meeting with persons with disabilities and organizations advocating for their rights and interests. Earlier this month, I hosted representatives of MS Canada at the Senate. One of their key priorities is ensuring the Canada disability benefit becomes available to people with MS — those who would need it from time to time and those who have come to need it full time.

You also heard me speak at second reading about my brother John, who has been living with a very tough mental health disability since he was 14 years old. He was 55 years old when the Canada disability benefit was promised in the Speech from the Throne in September 2020. He will be 58 next month and my hope is that this important benefit will start to flow before he turns 59. For now, he and others like him in Ontario are expected today live on the $1,230 per month provided by ODSP, or the Ontario Disability Support Program; people in Nova Scotia receive $950. As I have said before, this legislated poverty is our national shame.

Colleagues, I think we all know that there are tensions at play between those who are advocating for swift passage of this bill without any changes and those who want amendments to the framework legislation. Our Social Affairs Committee has acutely felt and has worked hard to acknowledge and respond appropriately to the pressure of those tensions.

Minister Carla Qualtrough, another leader worthy of our praise and respect for her leadership on improving accessibility in Canada and for bringing forward this historic legislation, has told me — and also told the committee — that she is open to considering improvements to the legislation.

The balancing act is really about how much needs to be adjusted in the bill at this stage versus what can be left up to the next important stage of co-development of regulations.

Colleagues, as we well know, it very much comes down to the complicated matter of trust: trust in the people charged with the job, trust in the process, trust that there will be true co‑‑development with trusted representatives of the disability community and trust in the government to live up to its stated commitments.

Our colleagues on the SOCI committee did a thorough job of studying, crafting and debating potential amendments meant to improve the bill. As we have heard from Senator Omidvar, there are amendments passed that respond to concerns raised by members of the disability community about matters related to clawbacks; appeals processes; the adequacy of the benefit amount given that persons with disabilities experience higher costs of living than the average Canadian and may face additional barriers because of their gender, racialized or Indigenous status or other intersecting statuses and, very importantly, the timing, with the intention that the money should flow as soon as possible.

Colleagues, I will not speak about all of the amendments but will rather focus on the two amendments which relate to timing. We’ve already heard earlier today from the bill’s sponsor and its critic on this matter of timing.

We heard from Senator Omidvar yesterday that all witnesses before the committee agreed that the Canada disability benefit should begin being paid out as soon as possible. The committee made two amendments with the intention of honouring that wish.

Again, as Senator Omidvar reported yesterday, the committee adopted an amendment to clause 11 requiring that, within 12 months of the coming into force of the bill, the Governor-in-Council must make the necessary regulations to begin paying out the benefit.

The committee also made an amendment clearly outlining the authority of the Governor-in-Council to fix a date for the coming into force no later than one year after Royal Assent.

Colleagues, my fear is that although the committee had every intention of ensuring the shortest possible timeline for the commencement of paying out the benefit — even sooner than 12 months, if possible — I’m concerned that the way the bill has been amended means it could take up to two years until persons with disabilities in Canada start to receive this important benefit.

When this possible consequence was raised at committee, Elisha Ram, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Income Security and Social Development Branch, Employment and Social Development Canada said:

The proposal today would give the Governor-in-Council to fix the date within one year, so it could be earlier but no later than one year. Then we have to stack on top of that the amendment that was adopted last week, which indicates the regulations have to come into force within 12 months of the act coming into force. . . . at the limit, that would give up to 24 months for the regulations to be introduced. . . .

We also contacted the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel to help us interpret the outcomes of these amendments. They confirm that:

Regulations could in theory be made on the day the Act receives Royal Assent until two years after it receives Royal Assent.

So, colleagues, where does that leave us? Might the combination of these amendments referring to the timeline have the unintended consequence of possibly extending rather than contracting the timeline for getting this critical benefit to people living with disabilities? Again, will this come down to a matter of trust?

The government has assured us they want to get this benefit in place as quickly as possible. Those from the community of persons with disabilities at the regulation drafting table with the government will assuredly push for speedy implementation.

Colleagues, in passing these amendments, our committee is trusting that their intent to reinforce the importance that the Canada disability benefit flow in as timely a manner as possible is clear and will be acted upon by the government.

Colleagues, I — like our committee members, every person in this chamber and, I’m sure, the overwhelming majority of Canadians — am in complete solidarity with our disabled brothers, sisters, children and neighbours in wanting Bill C-22 to deliver as soon as is humanly possible on its important promises of financial security, poverty reduction and dignity for all.

Honourable senators, let’s continue to push for an urgent delivery on this important promise. Wela’lioq, thank you.