Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Colleagues, while most of us were peacefully sleeping in our beds on Friday, October 6, the sirens in central and southern Israel began to blare out a warning of incoming rockets. This sound is not unusual for those who live in Israel, but as the sun began to rise that Saturday morning, what was about to transpire was far from ordinary and would shake the world.

As thousands of rockets screamed through the sky, bulldozers and bombs breached the fence separating Israel from Gaza, and armed Hamas terrorists streamed through the openings. The jihadists poured into the country by air, land and sea, with the clear and premeditated intent of carrying out unthinkable atrocities on men, women and children.

As the video evidence and eyewitness accounts would later show, Hamas entered 22 communities, opening fire on unprotected homes and indiscriminately killing women, children and the elderly in an unmitigated display of evil. In one community, over 40 babies were massacred, some of them beheaded. Video footage showed their bloody cribs standing as a silent testimony to the barbarism of the attackers. At a music festival, young people were sprayed with bullets and rocket propelled grenades, killing over 200 of them. When they fled and hid, their attackers hunted them for hours, summarily executing them in cold blood when and where they were discovered. Entire families were kidnapped, along with mothers, children, the elderly and even the disabled, to be held as hostages or simply executed later in cold blood. Women were assaulted, raped and then paraded around as trophies. In total, more than 1,300 civilians were slaughtered.

This, colleagues, is the true face of Hamas, an anti-Semitic, Islamic jihadist group dedicated to the annihilation of the Jewish people and destruction of the Jewish state. This is the work of evil and sadistic men without a conscience, who take pleasure in the most barbaric acts imaginable and then celebrate them.

But while I was horrified to see the bloody carnage left by the terrorists, I was stunned to later see a surge of pro-Palestinian demonstrations celebrating the massacre and cheering on the terrorists. In cities across Canada, they danced, marched and waved their flags as if this was some kind of victory for their cause. It was sickening.

There is nothing to be celebrated here, colleagues. This cruelty does not advance anything but an agenda of evil.

Today, I stand with Israel and its right to defend itself, and I encourage every senator and every Canadian to do the same.

Thank you, colleagues.

Senator Plett: A subsidy of $1.4 billion does not make them an independent organization. Despite what the CBC says, it’s a fact, Senator Gold, that Hamas has been a terrorist entity under Canada’s Criminal Code for 21 years. This is not opinion; this is fact.

The fact that the CBC won’t call Hamas terrorists tells Canadians all they need to know about the state broadcaster they fund through their taxes. Is there anyone in the Trudeau government who will condemn the CBC for this?

Senator Plett: Thank you, Senator Klyne.

At the start of your speech, I think I heard you talk about the worst forest fire season in history and the warmest temperatures in history. I don’t want to get into a debate. I might take some time to speak about this at some later time —

Senator Plett: You really prepare your answers before the questions are even asked. This didn’t touch upon the question I asked, leader.

Trudeau is not a serious leader, and the world knows it. It’s one thing for Prime Minister Trudeau to destroy his own personal reputation all over the world, but he is also destroying Canada’s reputation.

Answer this question, Senator Gold: This is just like Canada’s exclusion from the AUKUS security pact. Your government wasn’t invited. They found out about it after the fact, and then downplayed its significance. It’s the same thing all over again, Senator Gold — isn’t it?

Senator Plett: I take offence at that answer, Senator Gold. I stand with Israel. I always have. I’m sorry that I have to ask these difficult questions. For you to think there is anything nefarious there is problematic.

Leader, I won’t repeat what the staffer said, but his hateful words can easily be found online. If any one of us can find those words and if we can clearly see them for what they are — anti‑Semitic — then the PCO should be able to as well. The staffer kept his employment within the Government of Canada. Why is no one held accountable under this Trudeau government?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Government leader, two days after the sadistic Hamas attacks on Israel, a joint statement of condemnation was issued by the U.S., the U.K., Italy, Germany and France. Canada’s voice was excluded. Canadians were told that this didn’t really matter because the statement was from the Quint.

I think it does matter, leader, because our country is increasingly sidelined after eight long years of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Leader, your government says it’s good at convening. If Canada’s exclusion from the Quint statement didn’t matter, then why didn’t the Prime Minister convene a statement from the G7 leaders?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Leader, the Director of Journalistic Standards of the “government broadcasting corporation” — or the CBC — sent this instruction to their journalists following the terror attacks by Hamas on innocent people in Israel:

. . . do not refer to militants, soldiers or anyone else as “terrorists.”

. . . Even when quoting/clipping a government or a source referring to fighters as “terrorists,” we should add context to ensure the audience understands this is opinion, not fact. That includes statements from the Canadian government and Canadian politicians.

It is absolutely shameful, leader, that the CBC refuses to call Hamas what it is — a terrorist organization, a group of terrorists. Why did the Liberal and NDP coalition of MPs vote to protect the CBC by shutting down a committee study on this, Senator Gold?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Leader, in 2020, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center alerted the Privy Council Office, or PCO, about wild anti-Semitic comments made online by one of the Privy Council’s senior analysts. In response, the PCO simply shuffled the staffer into another role, this time with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Last week, Senator Gold, we learned that same staffer is under investigation yet again for anti-Semitic comments he made after the vicious Hamas terror attack on Israel.

The PCO is the Prime Minister’s own department, Senator Gold. Why weren’t those comments taken seriously three years ago, and why should we believe they will be taken seriously now?

Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): I would like to ask the senator a question if he would take a brief one. I won’t belabour this, as it’s late.