Senator Plett: Your Honour, I won’t belabour this, but I want to correct the record. This is indeed a government bill. This is a bill that has been introduced by the government and you, Senator Dalphond, are the sponsor of a bill that has been brought here by the government. So let’s not muddy the waters. This is a government bill — a report — that you didn’t appreciate, nor did the government leader. So, for the record, Your Honour, this is a government bill.

Senator Cordy: Thank you, Senator Gold. That is very positive.

We know that a motion made in the other place — or in this place — does not necessarily compel the government to act; although, you have said that they will be doing that, which is a positive thing.

As you stated, the alert systems are the jurisdictions of the provinces and territories. My question is: Will the federal government take a leadership role so that it is not just one province or one territory but, in fact, the whole country? Will the federal government take a leadership role to make the alert system a reality, and will the federal government provide some funding to help the provinces and the territories set up the alert system?

Senator Gold: Again, the short answer to your question is that the government is of the view, notwithstanding the motion, which is not binding on the government, that the best way forward remains that which is outlined in the Special Rapporteur’s report and the steps that are going to be taken.

With respect to your question — because there were a number of preambular statements — surely, Senator Housakos, you are not suggesting that the cultural institutions such as the one referred to yesterday by our colleague Senator Woo were in every corner illegal police stations simply because there are allegations that some activities within that large organization that has served the community for 50 years have been alleged to have been illegal, and that is what has been investigated.

It may very well be the case — though I have no information to this effect, because this is not information that the RCMP shares with the government during an ongoing investigation — that certain activities were indeed shut down and may have popped up again. We will not know until the investigations are done. Again, I think it is irresponsible, with all due respect, to categorize these as untruths or “mistruths” — whatever the term was, as Hansard will reveal — or lies, as your leader has just shared with the chamber. I think it is more accurate and responsible to await the results of the independent RCMP investigations into this very serious matter.

Senator Yussuff: First, thank you for your question, Senator Plett.

As you know, the courts have ruled in regard to minimum sentences. The government reflected that in regard to its action. But, in regard to the current average sentence for smuggling and convictions, on average those who are convicted serve eight years of their sentence. As you know, and as I said in my speech, the government has signalled, again, that it will increase the sentence for those smuggling guns into our country.

There are many things that the government is doing to deal with firearm infractions at the community level — including how we can prevent young people from adopting habits where they associate with individuals who might persuade them into gun crime. The government has dedicated a lot of resources to ensure that we can achieve that. They’re working in many border communities to stop smuggling, as well as raising awareness and support for police officers on the front lines to ensure that we don’t have illegal guns in our country.

I think those efforts need to continue as long as necessary because criminals who want to smuggle illegal firearms into our country will continue to do so. We have to find ways to combat that, and work to strengthen legislation. This bill offers us some direction to ensure those things can happen, but, at the same time, it is about supporting our front-line officers who are doing their best at the border, and other areas, to ensure they can catch these people, and ultimately put them in the legal system, so that we can try them and ensure they serve sentences for the behaviour that they are involved in.

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. As I have stated on many occasions, and I will repeat it again, it is the position of the government that the Special Rapporteur’s mandate has been discharged in an exemplary fashion with the publication of the report. The ongoing work that will follow the report is and will be to the benefit of Canadians and our security against foreign interference.

Senator Batters: Did he say “no”?

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. Look, it is a challenge in government to work across departments. From my experience in the last three and a half years, I can attest to the fact that on many policy fronts there are three, four or sometimes even a larger number of ministers who are mandated to work together on this, which is a serious attempt to not be trapped in silos. The government is attentive to that and, in my experience, is in fact doing that. I will certainly bring this to the attention of my colleagues in the other place to reinforce the point that you made, which is a totally valid one.

With regard to what we can do in the Senate, the Senate can do many things. We are the masters of our own house. That includes, if the Senate so wills, launching a study on this and providing some input, guidance and reflections to the benefit of this and any future government.

Senator Plett: No, it was not.

Senator Plett: I would like to hear the motion.

Senator Dalphond: No.

Senator Pate: Thank you for that, Senator Gold.

Do you have any information or can you shed any light on when exactly we are likely to see Bill C-22 coming back to us so that people with disabilities can be pulled out of poverty?

Senator Plett: I didn’t hear the motion.

Senator Yussuff: With pleasure, my friend.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Senator Shugart’s wife, Mrs. Linda Shugart, and his daughter, Robin Shugart.

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 Dr. Ibrahima Socé Fall, Dr. Anthony Solomon and Alison Krentel. They are the guests of the Honourable Senators Boehm and Kutcher.

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

Senator Batters: Would Senator Dalphond take a question about that intervention?

Senator Carignan: There seems to be a disconnect between what this government says and what it does. Once again, one of the Commissioner of Official Languages’ recommendations is a three-year plan for the Treasury Board to rectify the situation by 2025.

Senator Carignan: There seems to be a disconnect between what this government says and what it does. Once again, one of the Commissioner of Official Languages’ recommendations is a three-year plan for the Treasury Board to rectify the situation by 2025.

Why do we need the Commissioner of Official Languages to come up with a three-year plan? Is this government incapable of governing and making its own plans to address a disastrous report on official languages?

Senator Plett: In a democratic society, the government doesn’t have to adhere to democracy.

Senator Housakos: Not this one.

Senator Plett: That was on debate, Your Honour.

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question.

Although I am not familiar with all of the details as to how the $2.5 million will be allocated, as I said, it will be allocated to set up the standing Indigenous table on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and to include the implementation of a Red Dress alert.

I will bring your question to the attention of the appropriate minister or ministers, but this is a very important start on which the federal government is taking the lead.

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