Senator Gold: It is important that there are proper resources to meet the legitimate demands of veterans, and I certainly will bring this particular matter to the attention of the minister.

Senator Gold: All of the circumstances around this, including which person is telling the truth or not telling the truth, are matters that are being investigated by the RCMP. There will be no further comment from the government or from the representative of the government in this place pending the conclusion of those investigations.

Senator Gold: I’m not in a position to answer that, senator, other than to say that both represent measures that the government is taking to enhance our park system for the benefit of all Canadians, both to provide the necessary land resources, which is done in consultation with stakeholders and communities, and to provide the funds necessary to achieve the overall purposes of the department.

Senator Gold: Yes, I undertake to do that. I see the minister on a weekly basis, and I’ll make a point to bring that to his attention.

Senator Gold: The reliance in the North, as you know better than I, senator, whether on diesel or home oil, is a fact that has to be taken into account in all adaptations of government programs. There are talented people in Canada and the North exploring alternatives, and I’m sure the government will work in partnership with them and the Government of Nunavut to the benefit of the residents in Nunavut.

Senator Gold: Thank you for that. Again, vaccines are our best defence, and to date, I’m advised that more than 11 million total doses of the new formulation — that’s mRNA XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccines — have already been delivered by the Government of Canada to the provinces and territories to support the immunization programs in those provinces and territories. I’m assured that doses will continue to arrive and be distributed throughout the fall.

Senator Gold: The government continues to act in a prudent and responsible way. Listing all of these matters does not change the fact that the government remains committed to helping Canadians, whether it’s through the rising costs of food with the various measures I have outlined on numerous occasions in this chamber.

Senator Gold: Thank you for your question and for adding to the insinuations of wrongdoing that you make with no evidence or justification whatsoever. The government stands by its practices to manage the economy and its affairs in an honest way for the benefit of Canadians.

Senator Gold: Thank you for raising the subject.

The report of the Auditor General is important. It shines light on a problem that, as I said, has been neglected by governments. This is not to blame previous governments; many governments going back far too long have neglected it.

The government is seized with the issue and will do everything it can to address this.

Senator Gold: Briefly, the central program is the Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program, which provides access to capital and other support.

With regard to the criteria, I’m informed that for the purposes of the target, an “Indigenous business” is defined as “Elders, band and tribal councils; businesses registered in the Government of Canada’s Indigenous Business Directory . . .” and “. . . businesses on a beneficiary business list.”

[Translation]

Senator Gold: Thank you. I wish I had the solutions. One thing is clear: Canadians have to understand, as governments do at all levels — federal, provincial and municipal — that we are in the stage of having to mitigate the impact.

Climate change is upon us; the impact is clear. Whatever we do in the future to address climate change has to include mitigating the current and foreseeable impacts of it.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, Senator Marshall. You put your finger on a real and serious problem, a problem that this government is confronting and, indeed, previous governments have confronted. Regrettably, colleagues, those of you who have worked in business or in IT in large organizations will find the story rather familiar.

Spending lots of money — and it always costs lots of money to update IT systems — is never something of particular appeal to voters, much less to governments seeking to deliver the goods to the electors in areas where electors feel the need.

As a result, generations of governments have regrettably not invested sufficiently in the infrastructure. We have reached the point now where — as you have properly pointed out, and it’s only the tip of the iceberg — the problem is significant.

This government is seized with this problem. I can tell you that with some confidence. It will make every effort within the budgetary constraints imposed on us to at least take steps forward to address this problem.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. The government is managing the economy in a prudent and responsible way. Indeed, without having the figures at hand, I do believe the evidence shows that, in fact, government spending is down. I would not assume that the use of outside experts to advise the government is necessarily a waste. I have every expectation that the government will continue to find ways in which to reduce spending and to use its own resources and outside resources in the most responsible way possible.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question and for reminding those in the chamber who have perhaps not visited Nunavut, as I have, of the very different circumstances with regard to fuel, energy, food security and the like that residents of Nunavut face on a day‑to‑day basis.

I don’t have the answer to your question, but I will bring to it the attention of the minister. I have every confidence that the government will consider how to adapt the program for the specific circumstances that are unique to the North.

Senator D. Patterson: Thank you. I appreciate that.

Senator Gold, as you know, the reason behind this tax break was to give folks more time to transition to clean energy. I’m not aware, though, of a single heat pump in Nunavut, nor are we anywhere close to being able to provide reliable, redundant, clean energy options to Nunavummiut.

So, Senator Gold, I’d also like to ask you this question: How will your government ensure that, after three years, Nunavummiut don’t just find themselves paying more money, with no viable alternative energy option?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): First of all, let’s just agree that it’s unacceptable. Those who suffer from issues of mobility or accessibility deserve to be treated with dignity and have the same opportunities to be so treated as those of us who are not subject to those constraints.

I’m going to bring this to the attention of the relevant minister in the hope that I will get some more information, and I’ll do that with dispatch.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. This is an important issue and part of Canada’s commitment to advance economic reconciliation by supporting Indigenous businesses through a variety of means, including federal procurement policies.

It’s premature for me to be able to measure the success of this program, but I can say that as of March 24, 2022, PSPC has awarded 42 contracts worth over $197 million to self-identified Indigenous businesses in response to the pandemic and issues that flowed from that. I am also advised that the government does expect that all departments and agencies will meet or exceed the 5% target no later than the end of fiscal 2024-25.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): I will say a number of things.

First, these are very troubling allegations of a superior lying, and I have no comments on the truth or otherwise of the claims of one employee to his former superior.

As you know, colleagues, the CBSA has suspended contracts with GC Strategies, with Coradix Technology and Dalian Enterprises. The government is aware that the RCMP is investigating these allegations.

Misconduct of any kind in procurement is never acceptable. To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigations, the government cannot provide any further comment.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. Although I’m always happy to answer questions, there are so many more people in this country who live it on a day-to-day basis or have the expertise to answer that question properly.

I can’t tell you what all levels of governments are doing. Each province has its own approach, and properly so, as do municipalities and individual industries. This government has a suite of measures, a comprehensive climate plan which is designed to address the climate crisis while still providing support for Canadians who need it, and it is doing so in a sustainable and responsible way.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for that and for reminding those of us, shamefully, who are not necessarily aware of the details of that incident in our history.

This government will do everything that it can in this program to provide for recreational and conservancy space for all of its citizens, and I have every confidence that will also include treating the residents in the area with respect. I will certainly undertake to make inquiries and pass on the understandable preoccupations of the residents of your area.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you. I’ll certainly make inquiries and pass that on.

Measuring progress is a critical aspect of any plan. Plans aren’t fully successful unless there are measures taken to account for progress so that course corrections can be taken. I’ll certainly bring this to the attention of the minister.