Senator Gold: The Government of Canada is taking the reforms needed within both of these important entities very seriously. That’s why the reports to the government are being taken seriously. In fact, many of the recommendations in those reports have been accepted already.

[English]

Senator Gold: These are allegations and are not substantiated. For whatever reasons this promotion was given, I’m sure it was for similar reasons that the previous government gave promotions to that very same person on a number of occasions.

Senator Gold: I’m sure that the committee will do its work in the spirit of honouring the veterans, and will do so with dignity, integrity and a non-partisan approach to our veterans’ demands. I’m sure that they will have the appropriate level of cooperation from the government in that regard.

Senator Gold: Thank you, senator. The government works closely with its provincial and territorial counterparts — and Indigenous communities and leadership — with regard to health. Again, the role that the federal government has in this is to provide funding. It is the provinces who have to prioritize in the best interests of their own citizens and take into account their own best judgment. Lots of money is flowing to the provinces and will continue to do so to support Canadians.

Senator Gold: I will certainly transmit those concerns and the Globe and Mail article to the attention of the minister.

Senator Gold: Thank you. The passion with which you ask the question still does not change the fact that in matters of this kind — as it is in business — there are confidentiality agreements understood, regulated and protected by law that do not make it appropriate, necessarily, to provide the information that you are seeking.

I am not assuming any more than that about the circumstances.

Senator Gold: Thank you. I will certainly communicate to the minister. Again, I repeat: I have been advised that more information will be forthcoming in the weeks to come. We look forward to that.

[Translation]

Senator Gold: Thank you for your questions. I did not mislead the committee in my answer previous to your question nor am I misleading anyone now, and no, I don’t have an apology to offer at this juncture.

Senator Gold: Canada works closely with the U.K. and other Five Eyes partners, and we share intelligence and work collaboratively to defend our citizens.

It is obvious to all parliamentarians that neither the Prime Minister nor the Government Representative in the Senate is going to be disclosing what intelligence information is shared between countries, including the extent of it or the nature of it.

Senator Gold: I have been advised that the government takes all appropriate and possible measures to ensure that the aid reaches those whom it is designed and intended to assist: civilians in Gaza or, indeed, elsewhere in the world where many citizens are subject to non-democratic — sometimes autocratic — governments.

Senator Gold: The government and Canadians will continue in the spirit and practice of welcoming newcomers into our communities. The government’s policies on immigration reflect that policy and the aspiration that I believe we all share as Canadians.

Senator Gold: It is not the intention of this government to implement that which you suggest. The government continues to believe that maintaining the price on pollution on a national basis remains the most effective way forward to combat climate change.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, senator, for clarifying. You have actually confirmed the answer that I gave on a number of occasions. The directive was never to ban prayer, it was simply to encourage the time spent in ways that are inclusive of the diversity, religious and otherwise, of all those who will be participating. The clarification makes that clear. To your question, I believe the general directive will apply generally.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for the question. The government has been very clear that every senior in Canada deserves to live in dignity, safety and comfort regardless of where they live.

As senators know, long-term care is a matter regulated by provincial and territorial governments. However, the federal government is developing a safe long-term care act, and that act is being informed by public consultations and the feedback from provincial and territorial partners, stakeholders, experts and Canadians.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. The minister made an undertaking to this chamber, and I have every confidence that he will honour that.

As I said on many occasions, honourable senators, any misconduct in relation to the procurement process is unacceptable. That is why the RCMP is investigating. That is why the contracts have been suspended. Until the results of those investigations are complete and made public, no further comment is forthcoming.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question. It is the position of this government that continued immigration is key to growing our economy and strengthening our communities. The government’s position on immigration is clear. It seeks to ensure that immigration continues to grow our economy while at the same time balancing the pressures that growing immigration imposes on our housing, infrastructure and essential services.

I have been assured that the government will continue to support and embrace newcomers and ensure that they have the supports they need to integrate into our communities and are supported fully in their new lives here in Canada.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for raising this issue. Canadians deserve a durable financial sector that is globally competitive and also provides them with the tools that they need to navigate in this world.

As the financial sector becomes more digitized, we would all agree that standards are necessary, and more appropriately, the standards must be modernized to ensure that Canada continues to have a stable and secure financial sector, but, at the same time, that Canadians have confidence that the financial sector operates with the highest regard for both privacy and security.

I have been informed that the Department of Finance is continuing to work on developing the next steps and moving forward with open banking.

Senator C. Deacon: Thank you, Senator Gold. Maybe confidence can be gained from the fact that the Globe and Mail editorial board recently endorsed the implementation of open banking, citing that pro-consumer reforms are the key to lowering prices and fees for Canadians. Thanks to the thorough and robust consultations that Finance Canada did, all that remains is political will.

Hopefully, we can find that an announcement is forthcoming. I look forward to consumer rights being enhanced and universal access to this internationally acclaimed regulatory change will be made. Thank you.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, Senator Boisvenu, for raising this important issue concerning the scope of the RCMP’s responsibilities.

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians did indeed just publish a report that points to and sheds light on the following issue: How can we ensure that the RCMP can continue to protect Canadians from increasingly serious foreign — and perhaps even domestic — threats, while serving the public in several provinces and territories, the way that the Sûreté du Québec does in Quebec?

This is an important question being studied within the RCMP in an effort to maximize its effectiveness and meet the needs and desire of the provinces and territories to have better control over their police forces.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you, Senator Batters. You have made me nostalgic for the good old days when there was a Progressive Conservative Party. But I digress.

Kudos to any government who took action and takes action to help its citizens transition to a cleaner, more sustainable economy, whether it is provincial, territorial, Indigenous or federal.

The fact remains that what you have termed the “carbon tax” — the price on pollution — continues to be and continues to be considered to be the most effective market-driven tool to create incentives for businesses and Canadians to make the change to a cleaner, more sustainable form of energy. It continues to be the centrepiece of this government’s environmental policy.

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question and for your continued advocacy on this important issue. The government is still of the view that — as you mentioned — the Canadian Dental Care Plan is expected to roll out for those categories of eligible Canadians that you mentioned.

I have been informed that by 2025, the Canadian Dental Care Plan will be fully implemented to cover all who are eligible. Once fully implemented, the Canadian Dental Care Plan will support up to 9 million uninsured Canadians.

I’m told that there will be more information forthcoming and shared in the coming weeks. Given the scale and scope of this important program, the government is taking the time necessary to finalize all elements of the plan so that it is communicated clearly to Canadians.