Hon. Julie Miville-Dechêne: Honourable senators, Senator Gold, for the past three days, five UN agencies and 12 humanitarian organizations in Canada, along with Jewish voices, have been calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. France, Ireland and Belgium are also calling for a truce.

Canada doesn’t wield much power internationally. Nevertheless, we’ve always been able to amplify our influence by demonstrating our integrity and our adherence to the principles of international law in both word and deed.

Senator Gold, nobody here is disputing the horror of the October 7 attacks, Israel’s right to defend itself or actions necessary to recover more than 200 hostages. That said, I’m concerned that our silence on the subject of a humanitarian truce is eroding our moral authority.

When will the Canadian government demand a humanitarian truce as a tentative step toward a ceasefire in Gaza?

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Honourable senators, when shall this report be taken into consideration?

(On motion of Senator Cotter, report placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting of the Senate.)

[English]

Hon. Denise Batters: Senator Gold, last week at the Senate Agriculture Committee, Trudeau-appointed senators — including your own government deputy leader — gutted a Conservative’s bill to exempt farmers from paying carbon tax on propane and natural gas. One amendment stripped from the bill heating and cooling for barns and farm buildings. The very next day, a news report revealed that the Trudeau government spent $8 million of taxpayers’ money to replace a barn at Rideau Hall with a two‑level, zero-carbon, heated car garage they’ve dubbed “the barn” — talk about not worth the cost.

Senator Gold, is this the Trudeau government’s prototype of a brave, new, carbon-neutral future on Canadian farms? Why is the Trudeau government so determined to stick it to the very people who produce Canadians’ food?

Hon. Brent Cotter, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, presented the following report:

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

The Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs has the honour to present its

SEVENTEENTH REPORT

Your committee, to which was referred Bill C-48, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (bail reform), has, in obedience to the order of reference of September 21, 2023, examined the said bill and now reports the same with the following amendments:

1. Clause 1, pages 2 and 3:

(a) On page 2, replace lines 28 and 29 with the following:

(b) on page 3,

(i) delete lines 1 to 7, and

(ii) add the following after line 24:

2.Clause 2, page 3: Replace lines 29 and 30 with the following:

Respectfully submitted,

BRENT COTTER

Chair

(For text of observations, see today’s Journals of the Senate, p. 2044.)

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. Minister Blair, as a cabinet minister, speaks for the government when he does speak. It is clear that the Government of Canada deplored the terrorist attack against Hamas and supports the right of Israel to defend itself under the terms of international law.

It is also the position of the Canadian government that those who are trapped in Gaza and are innocent victims — as so many are of this war — deserve access to humanitarian aid, and Canada continues works to that end.

The Prime Minister has been clear about the position of Canada, which has not changed. There is, in this country, a diversity of opinion. Families and friends, indeed, are torn asunder. The government stands by its long-standing policies and will continue to do so.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): I think a number of your assertions deserve correction.

The bill was indeed amended. It was not gutted. It was amended by the committee, as is its prerogative to do so. First of all, the record will show who was present and who voted, which is a somewhat different narrative than what has been fed to the media and propagated.

With regard to the barn, it is more than a barn, Senator Batters. It is a two-level, partially heated storage and vehicle garage, which would also include 70 roof-mounted solar panels producing enough energy to completely offset the electrical needs of Stornoway. Those are the facts.

Again, I encourage senators — as I have done on many occasions — to ask me the proper questions that assume the proper facts underlying them.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. The government is well aware that small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and play a critical role in Canada’s economy. They employ over 10 million hard-working people in all regions of the country.

Small Business Week just ended, and at that time, Minister Valdez announced new funding to support entrepreneurs and small businesses, including funds to help 2,000 women entrepreneurs across Canada to start a business and put their plans for growth into action. Funding for the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business will help to increase the tools and resources that small business owners and Indigenous entrepreneurs need to prosper.

The government will continue to support small businesses across the country, whether they are just getting started, growing or trying to expand into new markets.

Hon. Bev Busson: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

Senator Gold, from the study of the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans that is presently under way, we know that both coasts of our great country have an overabundance of seals. We do not, however, have an overabundance of senators from the West Coast. British Columbia has only six seats and is the third most-populated province in Canada, behind Ontario and Quebec, yet we have not had a full complement of senators since I was appointed in 2018.

Senator Gold, will you immediately raise with the Prime Minister the issue of the vacant seat in British Columbia and ask that a new appointment be made, signed, sealed and delivered as soon as possible?

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

The Government of Canada has made its position very clear. Violence must cease, civilians must be protected and hostages must be freed.

I feel that Minister Joly emphasized Canada’s grave concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and the importance of ensuring that aid can reach Palestinian civilians.

In fact, Canada is contributing $50 million in humanitarian aid to meet the acute needs of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and neighbouring regions while ensuring that none of that money ends up in the hands of Hamas.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question about Senate vacancies.

This is an issue that I and my colleagues in my office raise regularly with the Prime Minister’s Office. We, as much as all of you, would like to see the Senate vacancies fully filled as quickly as possible.

There are many factors that appear to have contributed to the delay in some appointments. I will continue to raise this issue with the government at every opportunity.

Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear.

Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: Senator Gold, last session, we hurried to complete the study and third reading of Bill S-12, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Sex Offender Information Registration Act and the International Transfer of Offenders Act. We were told that rush was necessary in order to ensure the other place could study the bill and send it back to us with plenty of time to meet the court’s deadline of October 28. However, that date is fast approaching, and the Senate will soon find itself in the position, once again, to have to quickly consider the message with its 11 amendments. No one wants to see a gap in registering sex offenders, but your government has delayed sending us the bill.

Will your government seek an extension in court to give the Senate the time required to properly consider the message?

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

My expectation is that Parliament, all parliamentarians and senators, will work to ensure that the bill passes before the Supreme Court’s October 28 deadline. As you all know by now, we are expecting the message imminently. In that regard, I look forward to our consideration of this important piece of legislation to strengthen the National Sex Offender Registry, to empower victims of crime and to build confidence in the criminal justice system.

The government has not delayed sending it. It was a bill that originated here. It was sent to committee in the other place, and that committee considered the bill and the Senate amendments and made some suggestions to improve the bill. It has been in the other place for less time than it was here.

Senator D. Patterson: Senator Gold, we’re willing to work hard but not on unscheduled days at the last minute.

Your government sought three court extensions to Bill S-3, which dealt with ending gender-based discrimination in Indian Act registrations. That enabled us to do our proper work. Those extensions were granted because the courts had proof, like in this case, that there was substantial progress being made. Respect for the Senate should be equally valid as respecting the courts.

Senator Gold, I ask you again: Will you convey to the government the imperative to seek an extension from the court on an urgent basis so that the Senate can do its work in a timely manner?

Hon. Amina Gerba: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

The Business Development Bank of Canada recently published a study that makes a very worrisome observation.

Canada has 100,000 fewer entrepreneurs than it did 20 years ago.

Two decades ago, nearly three out of every 1,000 Canadians were becoming entrepreneurs. Now, we are down to one out of every 1,000 Canadians.

In 2021, small businesses employed 8 million people in Canada, accounting for two thirds of private sector jobs.

Senator Gold, obviously, there are not enough initiatives in place for entrepreneurs. What does the government intend to do to better support them?

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Senator Gold has the floor.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. Once again, we need to be clear about the facts. The Supreme Court has affirmed the jurisdiction of the legislature of the Parliament of Canada with respect to the environment. This remains an important aspect of the law and of the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Canada.

Yes, some aspects of the bill were ruled unconstitutional by the court. The government has already responded. The Government of Canada will read the ruling and learn from the ruling with respect to the Supreme Court’s motives for its decision. The federal government will work with the provinces and Indigenous groups to ensure that the process serves Canadians, and will work quickly to correct the problems and ensure that the legislation serves Canadians.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): I am anticipating the conclusion of your question. We have strict times, as I do in my answer.

My understanding is that a third-party expert was named to investigate once the ministry heard of these general allegations. The government has received their report and is taking it seriously, following immediately with corrective action, including implementation of an action plan by December.

I am not aware, Senator McPhedran, of the issue of non‑disclosure agreements. I certainly will inquire into that matter so that the next time you ask me I may have a more fulsome response.

Hon. Leo Housakos: I want to shift now from one fiasco to another. It’s now been a year and a half since Trudeau’s Housing Accelerator Fund for building new homes in Canada was announced. We look to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver and find record lows in building homes. When will your government realize that its home-building plan is a failure and go back to the drawing board or, better yet, just resign for the betterment of future generations of Canadians?

Hon. Marilou McPhedran: This is my lucky day, Your Honour. Thank you. I have a question for Senator Gold.

Sustainable Development Technology Canada is a federally funded agency mandated to find, fund and foster Canadian innovation in the green/clean technology field, providing more than $1.5 billion to Canadian start-ups to date.

Unfortunately, it has also been rocked by allegations of financial mismanagement, conflicts of interest, workplace harassment and a volatile, toxic work environment. Canada’s Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development ordered a review of the agency’s practices, which is now done.

Senator Gold, I was contacted by some potential whistleblowers with knowledge of this workplace who indicated that some staff were pressured to sign non-disclosure agreements, or NDAs, to conceal information about their negative experiences. Because the review has been described —

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Well, coming from someone with a business background, a question that evidences such minimal understanding of the economics of the housing market is really stunning.

The government is delivering on its plan to double housing construction to make housing more affordable. Since announcing the new measures of the Tax-Free Savings Account, or TFSA, in April, over 150,000 Canadians have opened a First Home Savings Account, or FHSA.

The actions taken by this government to remove federal GST on the construction of new rental apartment buildings, while urging all provinces to follow suit, has unlocked entrepreneurial willingness across the country. Indeed, it has also unlocked $20 billion in new financing to build 30,000 more apartments per year. In addition, the government announced Housing Accelerator Fund agreements with the cities of Hamilton, London and Vaughan, and it continues to have discussions with other communities.

This is real leadership. This is practical, on-the-ground leadership to address a problem that affects all Canadians and demands proper solutions — not rhetoric.