Hon. Mary Coyle: Honourable senators, during this Mi’kmaw History Month, I rise today in this chamber on the unceded lands of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation to speak to you about a remarkable woman leader from Mi’kma’ki. She is a force of nature, a respected 90-year-old educator and an elder: Dr. Sister Dorothy Moore. Our colleague the Honourable Dan Christmas introduced the Senate to Sister Dorothy last year when he said:

. . . it can and must be said that there are indeed angels among us, tapped into something bigger than you or me.

He described Sister Dorothy as a “. . . productive, gentle, faith‑filled, determined and helpful example of servant leadership . . .” focused on the benefit of all.

Colleagues, I met Dr. Sister Dorothy Moore, a Sister of St. Martha, when she helped us at the Coady International Institute recruit an Indigenous woman director for our new Indigenous Women in Community Leadership program. Her wisdom, depth of experience and generosity of spirit helped us tremendously.

On September 28, I had the good fortune of attending, along with our new colleague Senator Prosper and the Honourable Dan Christmas, a Learning Lodge at St. Francis Xavier University entitled “Celebrating the Life, Work, and Wisdom of L’nu Elder Dr. Sister Dorothy Moore.”

The Schwartz Auditorium was filled with students, staff, faculty and community members, including many Mi’kmaw leaders from far and wide. My good friend Dr. Jane McMillan, former partner of Donald Marshall Jr., was the mastermind behind the celebration. Donald Marshall Jr. was from the same community as Dr. Sister Dorothy Moore and as the Honourable Dan Christmas — Membertou First Nation.

Dr. Sister Dorothy Moore, who experienced extreme racism when she “jumped the fence” to attend the white kids’ school in town, was described by those honouring her as a pioneer, as a female Mi’kmaw mentor, as a champion for Mi’kmaw language, culture and education, and as saucy, relentless and courageous. Our colleague Senator Prosper said that her love, spirit and legacy are like the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill. Hers is an eternal flame that will never go out. Dr. Don Julien of the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre described Sister Dorothy as the most valuable asset in Mi’kma’ki right now.

Sister Dorothy, in her typical fashion, said:

I never want to stop what I am doing. I do what I can every day. There is so much to be done.

Colleagues, Dr. Sister Dorothy Moore made sure that Mi’kmaw children knew they were seen and valued and that our Canadian society recognizes that, in fact, every child does matter. Thank you. Wela’lioq.

Senator Gold: I’m not denying that the problem you described exists in penitentiaries. I would like to emphasize the importance of Bill C-21, which seeks to ensure that weapons used solely to kill people are better controlled.

[English]

Senator Seidman: Thank you. We would all appreciate that, I’m sure.

Despite the 2021 consultation — which there was — we have yet to ban vaping flavours, which are said to be most appealing to youth. Senator Gold, of Canada’s 13 provincial and territorial governments, 6 have adopted legislation or regulations to ban the sale of vaping flavours other than tobacco. When does the federal government plan to ban flavours in vaping products?

Senator Housakos: Absolutely.

Senator R. Patterson: This is specifically related to the “prohibiting cluster munitions” element of the act. I think this act is very supportable, but I am struck by our last speaker, who talked about our Ukrainian heritage and our support for Ukraine. While we understand that Canada will not use cluster munitions as part of how we move forward in defence, we are also supporting nations who are using cluster munitions, such as Ukraine.

How prescriptive is the act in terms of accountability provisions for those countries that do use cluster munitions? Right now, we have a bit of a balancing act to do. Thank you.

Senator MacDonald: Senator Gold, the first line of that third stanza reads, “Take up our quarrel with the foe . . . .”

Honourable senators, I never thought I’d see the day when the foe would be the Government of Canada. Since you represent the government in this place, can you please tell this chamber if you support this directive of the government, and tell Canadians if you support this directive of the government?

Senator Loffreda: Thank you, Senator Gold, for that answer.

Fiscal responsibility is key, but I continue to believe that the government needs to give serious consideration to including tax incentives for business owners to embrace employee ownership trusts. Senator Gold, can you commit to sharing my views with the government and encourage them to make tax incentives part of their upcoming legislative proposal? Otherwise, I’m afraid the take-up rate will be minimal and the policy won’t achieve its intended objective.

Senator Gold: I was at that conference. Sadly, it was not the first time that I had to be escorted out of a public event for fear of the violence of protesters. It occurred in Hamilton when convoy protesters barricaded us within a meeting, and we had to be escorted for our lives.

This is a deplorable situation, and the Prime Minister did the right thing by condemning the damage and harm that was done.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

Senator Gold: Let me ask senators whether they support the following directive — I’m answering the God — the question. Well, I used a religious term, “God,” and I hope I did not offend those who do not believe.

The directive says that:

. . . chaplains must “endeavour to ensure that all feel included and able to participate in the reflection . . . no matter their beliefs . . . .”

I would be astounded if anyone here objected to that respectful and inclusive directive, given the diversity in this country that we all celebrate.

[Translation]

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Gail Hamamoto, Chief Executive Officer of Special Olympics Canada. She is accompanied by members of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. They are the guests of the Honourable Senator Deacon (Ontario).

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

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question. It would be my great pleasure to communicate your suggestions to the minister.

Senator Gold: I’m not sure I know fully what the question is. It is true that the P-8A Poseidon is the only readily available military with off-the-shelf capability; however, there has not been a final decision yet. The issuance of a letter of request itself does not commit Canada.

The decision to accept or decline the offer detailed in the letter of acceptance will be based on the capability offered in the matter, availability, pricing and the benefits.

[Translation]

Hon. Leo Housakos (Acting Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, as you know, October is Autism Acceptance Month in Canada.

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental spectrum condition that affects 1 in 50 Canadian children aged 1 to 17 years. Bill S-203, which received Royal Assent earlier this year thanks to all of you, is an important step in ensuring a brighter future for autistic Canadians, their families and caregivers.

As we move forward, I am pleased to see more autistic individuals being included in the conversation about autism and acceptance, which was one of the biggest takeaways from our study on Bill S-203. However, the involvement of autistic individuals is crucial in terms of research to better inform on what questions and priorities are most relevant and urgent. Solutions need to be developed and knowledge generated that respond directly to the needs established by the community.

One organization doing just that is the Transforming Autism Care Consortium, or TACC, a research network that connects and mobilizes Quebec’s strengths in autism research to improve the quality of life of autistic people and their families. The goal of TACC’s team of 80 researchers and more than 350 professionals, clinicians, autistic individuals and their families is to accelerate scientific discovery, build capacity and integrate evidence into practice and policy.

I also want to take this opportunity to draw attention to another pillar of the autism community in my hometown of Montreal: Giant Steps. Giant Steps — a leader in education, community training and advocacy for the lifelong inclusion of autistic individuals in all sectors of society — recently inaugurated a $54-million state-of-the-art facility to meet the changing lifespan needs of autistic individuals, their families and professionals in the field. Senator Boehm and I had the privilege of visiting that wonderful centre.

Home to many firsts since 1980, Giant Steps, which I know very well, is a shining example of many stakeholders coming together from both the public and private sectors to envision a more inclusive society and take concrete actions to achieve it.

A little more than a year and a half after being announced, the Giant Steps Autism Centre opened its doors in September to more than 250 autistic individuals, teachers, educators, researchers and staff members. Unique in Canada, the centre is already attracting worldwide attention and recently hosted a visit by the Belgian government, which was looking for inspiration as they plan to build an autism centre of their own in the next few years.

I’d like to close by saying that this month of autism acceptance is about the importance of respecting and celebrating everyone’s individuality, creating pathways for growth and success, and promoting meaningful inclusion for all individuals. I look forward to seeing a Canadian national autism strategy where all Canadians will be able to flourish and receive consistent services, from coast to coast to coast.

Thank you.

Senator Gignac: Senator Gold, according to National Bank economists, Canada’s monetary policy is the most restrictive of the G7. At his last appearance before the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and the Economy, David Dodge, former Governor of the Bank of Canada, said that the government would be well advised to adopt fiscal anchors to support monetary policy.

Can you reassure the Senate that your government is going to submit a responsible fiscal framework before moving ahead with the New Democratic Party shopping list?

Senator Gold: Thank you for the question. I will reiterate that in the weeks and months to come, we expect to receive an interim report from the government. I am sure it will be prudent, responsible and balanced.

[English]

Senator Gold: Thank you. I do not know, and I am not in a position to predict what the government’s plan is. As you point out, provinces acting within their jurisdiction have taken that step, and I think the evidence that will accrue over time with that experience would, and certainly should, inform decisions made at the national level.

[Translation]

Senator Boisvenu: These illegal weapons have entered penitentiaries by way of drones. For the past eight years, the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers has been asking your government to provide modern, effective equipment to detect these drones, given that correctional officers aren’t detecting even 1 in 100 of them right now. Why are you going to invest a billion dollars in buying back legal weapons that you’ve made illegal when you haven’t invested a penny in penitentiaries to control illegal weapons for eight years?

Hon. Colin Deacon: Honourable senators, this morning, the Competition Bureau released a review of various measures of competition and economic activity in Canada between 2000 and 2020. The bureau found that concentration rose in our most concentrated sectors because of consolidation and fewer firms entering those sectors. Consequently, our biggest firms are less and less challenged by competitors, resulting in increasing markups and profits.

Colleagues, the state of competition in Canada is threatening our prosperity, contributing to our rising cost of living and entrenching the dominance of incumbents. Weak competition laws have created oligopolies in banking, telecom, airlines, groceries and beyond. Many oligopolies have become so dominant that they have the luxury of serving the interests of their shareholders without having to first concern themselves with the interests of their customers.

Colleagues, you can never regulate a company into being customer-centric. Only competition makes that happen.

We’ve reached the point in Canada where our oligopolies are actually protected from competition because innovative new entrants can’t afford the cost of our country’s complex and cumbersome regulatory burden. It’s a sad irony that in many sectors our regulations, initially intended to protect citizens, now do a better job of protecting the interests of incumbent oligopolies.

Conversely, a lack of regulatory protections in the area of personal data privacy has increased the dominance of some of the largest companies, both domestic and foreign. Specifically, once we press “I accept,” our personal data is vacuumed out of the country by big tech or into the control of our oligopolies. To give you a sense of the scale, it is estimated that each Canadian produces an average of 1.7 megabytes of data per second, equivalent to about 850 pages of text.

All of this can change if Parliament begins to prioritize the passage of Bill C-27, the digital charter implementation act. The bill includes a data mobility right, enabling Canadians to securely move their data from those who currently control it to organizations that they trust will better serve their needs, tilting the currently uneven playing field away from oligopolies and big tech toward Canadian consumers.

But implementing that right takes a whole-of-government approach. For example, only the Minister of Finance can grant Canadians the ability to use their financial data for their benefit versus the banks’. Canada needs to take a whole-of-government approach to ensure that every policy and regulation is pro‑competitive. The Competition Bureau’s report illustrates the results of inaction.

Urgent change is needed.

Thank you, colleagues.

Senator Kutcher: Thank you for that, Senator Gold. Given the rampant disinformation being shared widely on social media during this Israel-Hamas war — and indeed during other wars such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — Canadians need to have access to valid and fully fact-checked information in a timely and trusted way.

What plans does Canada have to ensure that Canadians can have this kind of access? When will that happen?