Senator Moodie: Would Senator Woo take a question?

Senator Dalphond: Senator Gold, is the federal government prepared to work with all the Indigenous senators on strengthening the Indigenous Languages Act and improving access to services in Indigenous languages throughout the country as soon as possible?

Senator Loffreda: Yes.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day — a day to celebrate the history, diversity and achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples across Canada. May I also acknowledge Senator Greenwood for her incredible achievements to date.

Today, we recognize the countless number of Indigenous peoples from all walks of life whose contributions and achievements have bettered the lives of their own people and all Canadians.

There are many inspiring individuals who have paved the way and continue to do so. I won’t be able to list them all today. However, I wish to pay a special tribute to the service and sacrifice of our brave Indigenous veterans — especially those of the Korean War, to whom I and millions of people of Korean descent owe our lives.

One such veteran is the late Tommy Prince, who not only served in the Korean War but also in World War II. He is the most decorated Indigenous-Canadian war hero. Today, and always, we must remember our ancestors, our elders and all those who fought for freedom and democracy.

Canada is filled with so many inspiring First Nations, Inuit and Métis men and women. I encourage everyone, especially today, to take the time to learn and read about the many contributions of Indigenous peoples.

The historical relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada is complex. Therefore, it is important that today, on National Indigenous Peoples Day, we acknowledge and make a special effort to cultivate and recognize the remarkable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples in building our country. As we look to the future, we not only want to celebrate these worthy Canadians but also to demonstrate our gratitude and respect. Thank you.

Hon. Mobina S. B. Jaffer: Honourable senators, on July 11, Ismaili Muslims in Canada and around the world will gather and celebrate Imamat Day, which marks the day that His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan succeeded his grandfather to become the forty-ninth hereditary spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims.

Over the past 66 years, when so much has changed in the world, the Aga Khan’s unwavering commitment to improve the lives not only of Ismaili Muslims but of vulnerable people around the world has remained the same.

For more than six and a half decades, the Aga Khan has built upon his grandfather’s legacy, providing education for girls and advocating for equality for women. It is because of the guidance and work of the Aga Khan and his grandfather before him that my mother attended school. It is because of that same guidance that my sisters and I were afforded the same opportunities as my brother. Personally, I would not have had the honour and privilege of standing in this chamber had it not been for the investment and belief in women’s education.

His Highness the Aga Khan also arranged with then-prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau for thousands of Ugandan refugees to seek asylum in Canada. He found my family and many other Ismaili families the best country in the world to live in, and he encouraged us to always call Canada our permanent home.

At one of the most difficult times of our lives, the Aga Khan told us that we should never become a demotivated, marginalized minority; instead, we should demonstrate the will to rebuild our future — and we have done just that.

Honourable senators, the Aga Khan has committed his entire adult life to service. He has been a beacon of hope during extremely challenging and divisive moments in global history, and he continues to drive change by promoting pluralism and diversity and challenging the world to view difference not as a weakness but as a powerful force of good. He has said:

Diversity is not a reason to put up walls, but rather to open windows. It is not a burden, it is a blessing.

Honourable senators, on the occasion of Imamat Day, I know you will join me in thanking the Aga Khan for challenging us to make space for one another, to understand and accept our differences and to find ways to build and grow from them.

To my Ismaili brothers and sisters around the world, khushali mubarak. Thank you.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Senator Greenwood’s son Reid Church and her granddaughter, Everly Church.

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

Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: Honourable senators, it gives me great pleasure to rise today to recognize the bright Inuit leaders of tomorrow.

Today, I was fortunate to meet the participants in the Inuit Executive Career Development Program. This program was developed by the Government of Nunavut to increase Inuit leadership capacity. It supports Inuit career development and the advancement of individuals into senior management and executive positions.

The program started in September 2021 and 11 participants are currently enrolled. They are slated to finish the program in December 2023.

Over three years, this program will support Government of Nunavut employees through the completion of a Graduate Diploma in Leadership and Management from Athabasca University. The program provides wraparound supports such as study tours, access to subject-expert mentors and elders, and customized Inuktut language training.

It has been my honour and privilege to speak with these participants about the role of the Senate and, in particular, my role in advocating for Nunavummiut. We had candid discussions this morning about both the big challenges but also the tremendous opportunities in our territory.

Developing strong Inuit capacity at the executive level is crucial to realizing the dream we have for Nunavut. In government and across all industries, when we talk about Indigenous employment, it cannot just be focused on the entry or unskilled level. We need to ensure there is representation at the semi-skilled, skilled and managerial levels. We need to ensure we have Indigenous representation at the C-suite level. That is how long-term change and a shift in the status quo occur, and that is why I am so pleased to recognize and to have hosted this group here today.

Finally, honourable colleagues, I want to join in wishing you all a happy National Indigenous Peoples Day on this very special day — the longest day of the year and a day of glorious 24-hour daylight in most of Nunavut. I am delighted to be introducing these future leaders of Nunavut — most of whom, as you have probably noticed, are women — on this very important national day of celebration of Indigenous peoples.

[Editor’s Note: Senator Patterson (Nunavut) spoke in Inuktut.]

Thank you. Qujannamik.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Senator Greenwood’s son Reid Church and her granddaughter, Everly Church.

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 participants in the Government of Nunavut Inuit Executive Career Development Program. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Patterson (Nunavut).

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 participants in the Government of Nunavut Inuit Executive Career Development Program. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Patterson (Nunavut).

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

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond introduced Bill S-270, An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations (live horses).

(Bill read first time.)

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

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

[English]

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for raising this again, Senator Plett. It is difficult to understand the pain that the families of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy must have felt. We continue to suffer with them as they are reliving the tragedy that befell them.

Positions that the government may have taken in the past in the face of litigation are not something that I’m in a position to comment upon. However, as the Representative of the Government of Canada in the Senate, I understand the preoccupation of those and I certainly will make inquiries to better understand the circumstances.

Hon. Éric Forest: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie concerning the Meeting of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee of the APF, held in Brussels, Belgium, from May 23 to 25, 2022.

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

I don’t have the information you requested. As you pointed out, when the government has information about the costs, it is publicly disclosed.

Therefore, I will make further inquiries to obtain a more definitive answer to your question.

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, the Standing Committee on National Defence is very concerned about security in the Arctic, as you know. In Senate Question Period, the minister responsible for the Canadian Coast Guard said that she would provide a cost estimate for the procurement of two Polar-class icebreakers.

However, in a response tabled yesterday, her department is refusing to make that information public. One of the excuses given is that your government has not yet signed a contract with either the Davie or Vancouver shipyards. However, the Trudeau government has released cost estimates for surface combatant ships, even though no contract has yet been signed.

Explain the logic to me, leader. Why has the government provided cost estimates for the construction of warships when it has no cost estimates for the Polar-class icebreakers?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, I will put on the record part of a Montreal Gazette article dated August 13, 2021. It concerns the court case brought by the families of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy to obtain information from the Parole Board of Canada and Correctional Service Canada as they prepared for Paul Bernardo’s parole hearings. It states:

As legal victor, the government wanted the families to pay its legal costs for fighting for the killer’s privacy — in a lump sum of $19,142.27.

Lawyers for the government argued the families weren’t pursuing public interest litigation but a personal pursuit: “Their personal motivation is to use the information sought to make statements to the parole board,” the government agreed.

I have a hard time even talking about this, leader. It is so shameful and so horrific that these families have been tortured by this government.

Leader, your government wanted these families to pay the government’s legal bills because it was personal to them. It was personal to them that their daughters had been tortured, raped and murdered.

The judge later reduced the amount. Seeking the amount of costs in the first place, leader, was wrong, was it not?

Hon. Éric Forest: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie concerning the Working Group on Reforming the APF Constitution, held in Paris, France, from November 3 to 4, 2022.