Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. Respectfully, the government is not of the view that its spending has, in fact, had those results. Paul Vieira reported that the economists at Desjardins Securities were quite clear in their analysis of the budget that the spending announced in the budget was not especially inflationary.

It is true that Canadians are suffering from high mortgage costs and high interest rates. This is a function of factors that go far beyond the government’s spending. Again, in the interest of respecting that my answers be short, I will refrain from citing all the examples that Mr. Vieira cited of why the economy of Canada is on a very sustainable and good track, despite the problems.

Hon. Salma Ataullahjan: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association concerning the Bilateral Visit to the United Kingdom, held in London, England and Cardiff, Wales, from January 16 to 20, 2023.

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association concerning the Parliamentary Transatlantic Forum, held in Washington, D.C., United States of America, from December 5 to 7, 2022.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable colleagues, before I call Question Period, let me remind you, as I noted yesterday, that many senators wish to take part in Question Period. It would therefore be appreciated if questions and preambles, as well as answers, could be as concise as possible. Thank you for your cooperation on this point.

Hon. Mary Jane McCallum introduced Bill S-272, An Act to amend the Director of Public Prosecutions Act.

(Bill read first time.)

Hon. Jane Cordy: Honourable senators, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association concerning the Sixty-seventh Annual Session, held in hybrid format in Lisbon, Portugal, from October 8 to 11, 2021.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable colleagues, before I call Question Period, let me remind you, as I noted yesterday, that many senators wish to take part in Question Period. It would therefore be appreciated if questions and preambles, as well as answers, could be as concise as possible. Thank you for your cooperation on this point.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for that question, which gives me an opportunity to set the record straight. I said, in answer to your question, that I had set the record straight, and the record was set straight in the press. In your question, you indicated that we had received an extradition request. However, as I explained to reporters, and as was published, that was not in fact the case. It was my fault. I misspoke.

[English]

To the chamber, I apologize.

[Translation]

In fact, France has not sent an extradition request to Canada. Canada has not received an extradition request. There has been no extradition request yet. As such, Canada cannot make a decision.

Hon. Claude Carignan: On April 27, I asked you about France’s request for extradition of a Canadian, Hassan Diab, who was sentenced on April 21, 2023 to the maximum punishment by the Special Assize Court of Paris, which issued an international warrant for his arrest. This conviction came after three weeks of debates, eight hours of deliberations and 43 years of painstaking investigations. Mr. Diab was found guilty of carrying out an attack, in 1980, on the Union Libérale Israélite de France synagogue, on Rue Copernic, which left four people dead and many injured.

At the time, you confirmed that your government had received the extradition request and was examining it. You also stated, and I will quote you so that it is very clear, “As soon as the decision is ready for publication, I will share it here in this chamber.”

Two months later, can you keep your promise and share the government’s decision with us?

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): My question is for the government leader in the Senate. Shortly after Minister Freeland delivered a budget full of inflationary spending, the inflation rate went up again. In its April report, Statistics Canada said Canadians paid over 28% more in mortgage interest costs that month, year over year. The International Monetary Fund, IMF, says Canada has the highest risk of mortgage defaults among advanced economies. This warning was delivered before the Bank of Canada raised the benchmark rate again, to 4.75%.

On Tuesday, our banking regulator told the banks to put aside more money in their “rainy-day funds” to cover defaults amid high household debt and high interest rates.

Leader, why doesn’t the Trudeau government recognize that spending fuels higher inflation and interest rates, which are sending mortgage payments sky-high?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. As I understand it, the navigator is meant to help connect Indigenous businesses and owners, Indigenous organizations and communities with programs and services that exist across many different departments and agencies of the federal government. Quite a number of those agencies are participating, including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions; indeed, there are over a dozen. They can be found easily.

They cover the span of this country and focus on economic development, women and gender equality and the like. The navigator process can be initiated by emailing navigator@sac-isc.gc.ca, providing certain details for one’s business community organization and information will be transmitted.

Hon. Tony Loffreda: My question is to Senator Gold, the Government Representative in the Senate. Yesterday was National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day to acknowledge and celebrate the history, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis. It is also the perfect opportunity to recognize the entrepreneurship and business acumen of Indigenous peoples.

There are many programs and initiatives to help Indigenous businesses access government funding and increase their market access. Navigating all these programs is quite overwhelming. There is very limited information online on how the service works.

Senator Gold, can you provide us with an update on the launch, structure and early results of these programs to help Indigenous entrepreneurs navigate through and find these programs?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for bringing the chamber’s attention back to the important issue of supporting healthy eating habits for everyone, including children, which we dealt with in the past.

With regard to the code you mentioned, I have been advised the code would only apply to its members, and only on a voluntary basis. While many of Canada’s food and beverage industry stakeholders are members of the signatory associations, I understand the code would not apply to a large number of small- and medium-sized enterprises as well as some large retailers and companies. Instead of adopting a voluntary code that may or may not apply to a given industry member, Health Canada issued a policy update two months ago — in April 2023 — with regard to restricting the advertising of food and beverages to children, starting with the advertising on television and in digital media. I have been advised that this policy update, which is the first step in the drafting of regulations, was informed by extensive consultations with the industry and partners between 2016 and 2019.

Hon. Kim Pate: My question is for Senator Gold. Both Minister Qualtrough and the Senate sponsor of Bill C-22 have acknowledged that the potential for clawbacks of the Canada disability benefit by private insurers is a real concern. How many Canadians does the government estimate are currently in receipt of long-term disability insurance and have income at or below the poverty line?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, senator. I suspect this information is not readily available — I certainly don’t have it — as persons with disabilities may have multiple sources of income, including from various private insurance providers.

I would reiterate to this chamber the government’s commitment to lifting Canadians out of poverty by assuring their basic needs, such as safe and affordable housing, healthy food and health care, are provided for. The government’s commitment to individual dignity is a key pillar in Canada’s First Poverty Reduction Strategy, which the government first released back in 2018.

Hon. Robert Black: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Senator Gold, as we have seen time and again, industry remains a vital partner in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sectors, from the adoption of the Grocery Code of Conduct to partnering with the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council for a national workforce strategy. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and other federal departments, along with stakeholders and policy-makers, know the importance of collaboration with industry in the ag sector. This helps to guarantee progressive and innovative approaches in making sure Canadians have access to healthy, high-quality foods.

The Association of Canadian Advertisers, along with Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada, Restaurants Canada and the Canadian Beverage Association, developed a code and guide for the responsible advertising of food and beverage products to children. These organizations represent companies like Ferrero North America, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Campbell Company of Canada, Burnbrae Farms, Cavendish Farms and many more. This ethical guideline and code often far exceed measures laid out in the proposed Bill C-252 and it goes into effect July 1 this year.

Senator Gold, my question is: Why are the code and guide not being considered in the process of adjusting the regulations to marketing to children? Why is your government not collaborating and engaging with all industry stakeholders, instead denying the aforementioned organizations the opportunity to appear during the committee stage of Bill C-252 in the other place? When will your government reach out to these organizations and work with industry? Thank you, meegwetch.

Hon. Jane Cordy: Thank you very much for that invitation. I will certainly follow through if I hear from the advocates. Thank you very much for that, Senator Gold.

Newborn screening for sickle cell anemia is an important tool for prevention and early diagnosis. Currently, only a select number of provinces and territories screen for sickle cell anemia. I’m pleased that former premier Stephen McNeil of Nova Scotia supported an approved newborn screening in my province in 2013 — 10 years ago.

Will funds under this program be available to the provinces and territories to help establish uniform screening policies across the country? What are the anticipated timelines for allocating the different funding streams to the provinces, territories and organizations?

Hon. Pamela Wallin: Senator Gold, in October 2022, Lilly pharmaceuticals stopped making Glucagon. No one was told — not drugstores, nor the millions of diabetics for whom this is a life-saving medication. They said it was on back order. They eventually replaced the product with a nasal spray that has horrific side effects. My adult niece nearly died three nights ago from choking on her own blood. Novo Nordisk makes a similar product called GlucaGen, but they cannot handle the extreme increase in demand for prescriptions. According to Novo Nordisk, they have been asking Health Canada to bring this product in from the United States to help save lives, as even Canadian hospitals have not been able to secure the product for life-saving measures, as my niece discovered three nights ago.

Senator Gold, can you please beg the Minister of Health and Health Canada to approve the import of the replacement product from the U.S. before someone dies? I’m not asking for an answer from you. Please just raise this as an urgent matter. Thank you.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you very much for bringing attention to Canada’s first-ever national strategy for drugs for rare diseases, which was announced earlier this year. It is supported, as senators may know, by an investment of up to $1.5 billion over three years. Regarding the distribution of the funds, up to $1.4 billion may go to the provinces and territories through the bilateral agreements that are being negotiated. Further details, including details with regard to your question on the issue of sickle cell anemia, will be announced as the negotiations move forward.

With regard to your other question, senator, my understanding is that the national strategy reflects extensive consultations that garnered diverse perspectives from over 650 individuals and organizations, including patients with lived experiences, family members and caregivers. If it turns out, senator, that, for some reason or another, the interests of those representing sickle cell anemia have not been consulted, please let my office know, and I will make every effort to connect them with the appropriate person.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): It is an important question. I’m not seized with the details of the negotiations; they vary from province to province and territory to territory. As we know, health is an exclusively provincial jurisdiction, but the federal government is providing funds. The provinces have happily agreed to share data. Beyond that, the Government of Canada has not purported to tell the provinces how to spend their money out of respect for their jurisdiction and for their particular needs. Again, I encourage those stakeholders to work with their associations, and their provincial governments, to put that on the table so that the available funds can be used properly and effectively. Thank you.