Senator Miville-Dechêne: I do not think, as others do, that it is the most important event in an election campaign. All the evidence shows that debates have very little impact on voters’ opinions. That being said, it is still an event. If broadcasters are able to get along and organize one, that is just fine. I think they realized, after the disaster of 2021, that having five or six journalists moderate the debate is not a good idea. Maybe they’ll go back to simpler formats, especially with private broadcasters having less money and facing a broader crisis in journalism.

On the French side, the largest private broadcaster struck out on its own. It told Radio-Canada, “We don’t want to work with you. We’ll hold our own debate.” We are very well served in Quebec. The debate organized by Radio-Canada, with a few other smaller media outlets, is a bit more formal, and we also have a private sector debate with a moderator and some back-and-forth. Some say that it is a bit chaotic, but diversity is always welcome. Actually, Senator Dasko, since you ask me how I feel, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and I can say that, at a time when Canadians have a tremendous need for public services, I feel that investing in an electoral debates commission when the entire media landscape is changing is a bad investment.

(On motion of Senator Clement, debate adjourned.)

[English]

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Woo, calling the attention of the Senate to the one hundredth anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the contributions that Chinese Canadians have made to our country, and the need to combat contemporary forms of exclusion and discrimination faced by Canadians of Asian descent.

Senator Gold: In an attempt to be brief, let me simply say that your assertions and assumptions about the reasons for the Prime Minister’s decisions are incorrect, nor is it correct to assume that nothing has been or is being done to investigate the serious allegations of foreign interference.

The Prime Minister made his choice for NSICOP based upon the needs of the committee at the time as he saw fit.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I have the honour to inform the Senate that the Clerk of the Senate has received certificates from the Registrar General of Canada showing that the following persons, respectively, have been summoned to the Senate:

Judy White

Paul Prosper

[Translation]

Hon. Judy A. White, of St. George’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, introduced between Hon. Marc Gold, P.C., and Hon. Michèle Audette.

The Hon. the Speaker having informed the Senate that there were senators without waiting to be introduced:

The following honourable senators were introduced; presented His Majesty’s writ of summons; took the solemn affirmation, which was administered by the Clerk of the Senate; and were seated:

Senator Gold: It is hard to keep repeating the same thing. Unfortunately, you leave me no choice.

Senators are appointed based on their skills and experience and based on the needs of the committee.

[English]

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

[English]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I have the honour to inform the Senate that the Clerk of the Senate has received certificates from the Registrar General of Canada showing that the following persons, respectively, have been summoned to the Senate:

Judy White

Paul Prosper

[Translation]

Senator Dasko: Thank you for your comments. I appreciated them.

You expressed doubt about the value of a commission. Clearly, the two times they have run the election, debates have been problematic. Do you feel there should continue to be at least one major English-language and one major French-language debate televised and online? Because it’s not just television; there is online access too. Do you feel that’s an important thing for the future of elections or just not at all?

[Translation]

Senator Gold: Honourable senators, on behalf of the GRO, I’m also pleased to welcome Senator Paul Prosper from Nova Scotia to our chamber.

Senator Prosper was regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations, representing the Mi’kmaw chiefs of Nova Scotia after having served as chief of Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation from 2013 to 2020. He is a proud graduate of the IB&M Initiative at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. In 2020, he was inducted as a member of the Bertha Wilson Honour Society at the Schulich School in recognition of his exceptional service to the legal profession and his community.

[Translation]

Senator Prosper has a wealth of experience in Indigenous legal issues, whether in the areas of research, disputes or negotiation. His main focus has been advocating for the rights of the Mi’kmaw people. He taught Mi’kmaw history, Indigenous and treaty rights, and Mi’kmaw governance at Cape Breton University. Over the years, he has worked for various Mi’kmaw organizations in areas such as oral history, studies on the use and occupation of land by the Mi’kmaw people, and research on claims, citizenship, consultation, First Nations governance, justice, community development and nation membership.

[English]

Senator Prosper, your background and experience make you a very welcome addition to the Senate of Canada. We all look forward to working with you and, indeed, benefiting from your great experience.

Senator Batters: Thank you very much for your comprehensive speech and for bringing this important matter forward. I think it’s something that many of us who have been concerned about this topic are thinking about, and then seeing the barrage of ads, as you described, that have been constant in the last several months.

I was wondering about the Ontario situation because I did read a little bit about that and you referenced it briefly. Could you please explain the difference between what the Ontario government is proposing to do in their limiting regulations that they announced late last month and what your bill would actually do? Thank you.

Senator M. Deacon: Thank you for that question, Senator Batters.

For several months, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has come out to say, “Listen, we want to tighten this up; we’re not happy with what is happening in Ontario.” So they have set a date in the new year, in February, and they are looking at some pieces. One is about ensuring celebrities are no longer in front of the screen. There are standards that define what celebrities are.

On some other pieces that I would say are considerations, but not to the degree that I’m referring to in this bill, there are two things: It’s the “what” and the “who” that Ontario is considering. “Who” means that I want to make sure we know, whether I’m living in Tuktoyaktuk, Prince Rupert or Halifax, that the standard is common and the expectation is really clear, which is a national jurisdictional piece. Looking at some of the other pieces, what about the time of day? There is a concept called five before and five after in some countries — and Canada could consider this — where you can’t do any advertising five minutes before a competition starts until five minutes after a competition is over.

There are a lot of pieces that have not been considered at this moment in the Ontario package but could be considered in a national framework that just tightens it up. We’re not cancelling gambling; we’re inquiring as to what makes sense to pull in the reins in every part of this country on the advertising. Thank you.

[Translation]

Senator Gold: No. As I explained, the Prime Minister looked at the needs, analyzing the committee and the diversity of skills and experience required when the committee was created. He also considered the issues facing Canada and the work the committee would have to do.

Senator Dalphond: Thank you for presenting your bill. This is a very interesting topic.

[English]

I read the bill as you were speaking. I was trying to understand which federal jurisdictions this will rest on. Is it criminal law? Is it within the power to regulate CRTC and broadcasting? Or is it something else? That is not clear to me. Thank you very much.

Senator M. Deacon: Thank you for the question, Senator Dalphond.

When we’re looking at this national framework, it would go to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. If you read through the bill, as you indicated you are doing right now, there will be work done with the CRTC also, and other partners.

I can’t guess. I can’t even look into the crystal ball to see how far the framework will be recommended in a jurisdiction, but those are the two big important pieces that I elaborate on in the bill.

Senator Simons: According to Little Red River chief, Chief Conroy Sewepagaham, their federal allocation is $1.1 million per year — a number that hasn’t gone up since 1997. The community of Fox Lake, with almost 3,800 people, has no doctor; they have four nurses and two paramedics. The community also needs federal support to build a bridge and to expand its airstrip. After this immediate crisis is over, will your government commit to meeting with the Little Red River Cree Nation and to addressing the long-term health and infrastructure needs of Fox Lake?

Senator Dagenais: Leader, the pandemic is over and people have started travelling again. Our plane tickets include airport fees for services that are grossly inadequate. Do you understand why I’m feeling skeptical today after hearing that the new president of the Montreal airport awarded a one-year contract to the former president to advise him on how to fix the problems he himself was unable to fix when he had the job? Is that a good use of the airport fees that are charged to travellers going through Montreal?

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. I hope that the efforts of the new president, including what you just mentioned, will have a positive impact on travellers and their experience. This is essential to the Montreal airport.

[English]

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. As the Minister of Immigration has remarked in the past months, the government is hoping to attract increasing numbers of skilled immigrant people who can, in fact, contribute to make up the shortfall in our skilled labour force in this particular area. Indeed, there is a labour shortage in many sectors.

It is a challenging and delicate balancing act when all the factors need to be combined in a rational, prudent and sensible policy. The government is committed to doing its part to meet that need.

Senator Cordy: I am glad that we agree that it has to be a coordinated effort of all governments and all sectors of the population who have concerns, like the people that our group met with yesterday.

Housing must be built as quickly as possible to meet the needs of Canadians. There is a critical shortage of non-market housing and supportive housing. A major hurdle to building 5.8 million homes over eight years is Canada’s labour shortages.

Senator Gold, there are simply not enough skilled tradespeople to build the number of homes that we need quickly. What steps is the government taking to bolster the construction labour market in Canada?

Senator Carignan: Apparently the issues don’t really affect francophones, and they don’t fundamentally affect the Atlantic provinces either. Not one of the 11 committee members comes from the four Atlantic provinces. Again, the Liberals are treating people from Atlantic Canada as second-class citizens, whereas five committee members are from Ontario. I know that during the previous rounds of committee appointments, two senators from Atlantic Canada were put forward as candidates but were rejected by the Prime Minister. Was that because those senators were Conservatives?