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

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

Hon. Robert Black: Honourable senators, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the tenth report of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, which deals with Bill S-236, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Employment Insurance Regulations (Prince Edward Island).

(For text of report, see today’s Journals of the Senate, p. 1695.)

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

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

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Margot Kontak‑Forsyth and Morley Forsyth. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Coyle.

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

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

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

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. I’m not in a position to comment on what The Globe and Mail is reporting, nor am I in a position to comment on what information or the nature of the information that may have been provided to Global Affairs. What I can say is that with regard to the particular allegations that were made public in The Globe and Mail about the actions in relation to MP Chong, the government was made aware of those through The Globe and Mail and took action appropriately and expeditiously to declare that person persona non grata.

Hon. Tony Dean: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs, which deals with the subject matter of those elements contained in Division 24 of Part 4 of Bill C-47, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 28, 2023.

(Pursuant to the order adopted April 27, 2023, the report was deemed referred to the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance and placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)

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

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

Hon. Patti LaBoucane-Benson (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That, when the Senate next adjourns after the adoption of this motion, it do stand adjourned until Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at 2 p.m.

[Translation]

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Government leader, according to a recent report of The Globe and Mail, the activities of the People’s Republic of China agent expelled from Canada last week were known to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, or CSIS, since he arrived here in 2018.

The Globe and Mail reported that while he was in Canada, this diplomat:

. . . took pictures of dissidents, monitored events held by them, documented their identities and sent the information back to China’s secret police . . . .

According to The Globe and Mail, CSIS began sharing sensitive information about this diplomat with Global Affairs Canada in 2020, leader, including his meetings with staff of Liberal MPs. The Trudeau government knew this diplomat was spying on Canadians and did absolutely nothing to stop it for three years. Not one week, leader, for three years. How is that in the best interests of Canadians?

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Margot Kontak-Forsyth and Morley Forsyth. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Coyle.

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

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

Colleagues, I cannot comment on the specifics of the discussions that might be or are taking place at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, but I have been advised that the government is engaged with its G7 partners to ensure that the proper regulation of the risk posed by AI is taken seriously and moves forward at the international level. I have been advised further that the government is in discussions with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, and the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, or GPAI, on discussions regarding AI. Also, Minister Champagne is meeting directly with international partners to coordinate on the responsible international regulation of AI.

Hon. Leo Housakos: My question is for the government leader in the Senate. I’d like to take us back, unfortunately, to COVID-19 which was a terrible time for all Canadians, and directly and indirectly touched us all.

Government leader, I have to rise today to ask questions about Canadians who were intimidated, persecuted and victimized by the incompetence of this Trudeau government, particularly with regard to your tool — which was, on many occasions, brought into question here — called ArriveCAN or, as I called it during COVID, “ArriveCAN’T.” Will your government apologize and pay reparations to those Canadians who, despite using the app, were forced into quarantine because of glitches in the app, as well as those who presented their paper copy proof of vaccination upon re-entry to Canada but were fined for not using the app itself, including Canadians like Joanne Walsh?

What does your government intend to do? Does your government have any plans to compensate these Canadians whose right to enter this country unimpeded was breached because the Trudeau government just couldn’t admit that they messed up and their ArriveCAN “ArriveCOULDN’T”?

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

The efforts of the federal government, as well as all the provinces, territories and municipalities, to protect Canadians in the face of an unprecedented worldwide pandemic are well known. In very large measure, they were successful in terms of protecting Canadians from the physical and medical ravages of COVID. Far too many became sick and far too many died, to be sure. Canadians and their families paid a terrible price, but it would have been much worse had the government not acted as it did in collaboration with the provincial, territorial and municipal governments, as well as the not-for-profit sector.

With regard to your specific question, I will certainly bring your preoccupation — the issue that you raised — to the attention of the appropriate minister.

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. Andrew Cardozo: Madam Speaker, first of all, I must say that I’m very honoured to be asking a question in your first week as Speaker of the Senate. Congratulations.

My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

[English]

I want to ask about artificial intelligence, or AI, in a sense picking up from my colleague who asked a question on this subject earlier. Indeed, it has been growing over many years, but I think 2023 will go down in history as the year when AI crossed a Rubicon and perhaps became more intelligent than human beings. First with the beginning of ChatGPT and the soon to follow GPT-4, and the unthinkable letters from the leaders on March 29 written by the owners and inventors of AI calling on the world to slow it down. Even Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the godfather of AI, spoke on CBC Radio this weekend and called on governments to take action to put controls on AI. It’s worth repeating: Inventors of AI are asking the government to intervene in the evolution of their invention, which seems to be going out of control. This week, I’ll be issuing an article by software technology specialist Shawn Brayman on this and how AI relates to polarization.

What is the government willing to do to respond to getting things under control in this world of AI, which seems to be running out of control?

Hon. Scott Tannas: My question is for Senator Moncion, Chair of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration.

Senator Moncion, some months ago, the Senate agreed to conditionally support a return to what is sometimes called the “one-clerk model,” where the Prime Minister would appoint the Clerk of the Senate through a hiring process under his or her control — as has been the tradition for more than 100 years — and that concurrent with the appointment, the Clerk of the Senate would have ultimate executive leadership and responsibility for both the legislative and the administrative operations of the Senate. The condition expressed by the Senate was that we retain the right in the future to remove the administration chief executive function from the Clerk and place that responsibility with someone else of our choosing if we so desire.

I’m wondering if you’ve been consulted or been given an opportunity to review the proposed job description for the new Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the Parliaments. If so, are you satisfied that the Senate’s right to unilaterally remove the role of administration leadership is sufficiently clear to all participants in the recruiting and hiring process?

Hon. Paula Simons: I have a question for the Government Representative. As of this afternoon, there were 91 active wildfires in Alberta, including 15 wildfires of note, which were so deemed by the province because they pose a threat to public safety, communities or critical infrastructure.

First, I want to thank the government and the people of Canada for providing military support to Alberta in this time of emergency, and I want to say that I, for one, am proud that we live in a united confederation where Canadians support one another when there is a regional crisis.

But Government Representative, in 2005, the Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy predicted many of the drought conditions and types of fires we’re seeing now. Edmonton journalist and author Ed Struzik, who is one of Canada’s leading writers on wildfire, has called that strategy “dead in the water,” which he blames in part on a lack of funding and a lack of buy-in from premiers and provinces.

Can you tell us, in the face of the mounting economic, environmental and human costs, is it time to renew the Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy and put it into action?

Hon. Lucie Moncion: Thank you, Senator Tannas, for the question. The second part of your question is a little bit more difficult to answer because of the rules and the act which that particular position is under the purview of.

The recruitment and hiring process is not under the purview of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration. Under subsection 130(b) of the Public Service Employment Act, the Clerk is appointed by the Governor-in-Council. Therefore, I cannot comment on the second part where we don’t yet have the powers that you are enumerating about with respect to removing that person from office.

As to the first part regarding the job description of the new Clerk, I am confident in the process that is under way to ensure proper functioning of our institution. As you know, much of the Clerk’s job description is statutory in nature and described in our Rules. I will refer you to the Rules of the Senate, under the Clerk position. So far, we have received the proposed job description, which is aligned with its counterpart in the House of Commons. This review took place a few months ago and also comprised salary scales, which were part of the review.

The other portion that I worked on was asking our former Speaker, before he left the Senate, to communicate with the Privy Council Office on a few pending matters, one of which is the appointment of the Clerk of the Senate. The Speaker did put in the request and informed me that the process would be enacted in due course. We still have to define “due course.”