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

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

Senator Plett: And you recognized Senator Wells as well, on debate.

Senator Plett: A response that I received in 2021 to my written question about the $196-million loss said:

The government is unable to provide more details on this specific transaction, as it would result in making public confidential information about a private company.

Senator Gold, this $196 million belongs to Canadian taxpayers. They deserve better than eight long years of the Trudeau government saying, “Take our word for it.”

What company was involved?

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 Plett: Your Honour, you have not yet ruled on the point of order.

Senator Batters: And you are the sponsor.

Senator Plett: The Chaplain General also reportedly said that “. . . a committee will be formed to review the new directive . . . .” The Trudeau government wouldn’t be forced to backtrack and promise a committee review if they did nothing wrong, would they? They clearly have no moral compass.

Leader, will you offer an apology for your response to Senator MacDonald on October 19, when you accused him of misleading in this chamber? Also, who gets to sit on this committee and who will appoint them?

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 Miville-Dechêne: Since I am not an accountant and you may not be one either, we will have to agree to disagree. I think that different numbers are making the rounds on refundable tax credit repayments and on what all that is really creating. Thank you.

Senator Wells:  — the sponsor of the bill.

Senator Boisvenu: Senator Gold, this scathing report on dysfunction within the RCMP, which comes on the heels of an equally scathing report on dysfunction within the Canadian Armed Forces, points to glaring shortcomings with respect to national security.

This report is an indictment of the Trudeau government’s management. When will the government take this seriously and recognize that the RCMP and the Canadian Armed Forces are in urgent need of in-depth reform?

Senator Housakos: You can avoid some RCMP investigations if your government were forthcoming with transparent information.

During testimony in the House of Commons last week, we heard that the order to go with GC Strategies was given from above. We also heard that the person who carried the water for the government and gave this order got a promotion without any public tender or any public or competitive process.

My question is very simple: Did this promotion happen because this person helped Liberal insiders line their pockets? At the end of the day, why should decent, law-abiding citizens always get caught up in Liberal scams?

Senator McCallum: No, I’m not.

Senator Dasko: Senator, how can the government ensure that this country remains the most welcoming country in the world? Thank you.

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 Housakos: The reason Canadian dollars end up in the hands of terrorists more often than not — and have in the past — is because when our auditors audit the trusted partners, as we call them, they can only audit so far up until that partner subcontracts the work to another entity, at which point the auditors cannot carry out their work.

Everyone knows this. The government knows this. Has the government taken steps in order to put an end to this practice? When we go through these trusted partners, do we insist that they execute the work and not subcontract the work, which leads to Canadian dollars going into the hands of terrorists like Hamas?

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: 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: 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.