Hon. Gwen Boniface: Would Senator Boisvenu take a question?

[Translation]

Hon. Gwen Boniface: I would like to ask a question of Senator Clement, if I may. Thank you.

I’m always caught on this issue because I also know that the reason this bail reform bill is coming before us — as opposed to the tragic circumstances you mentioned — actually involves the deaths of police officers. Domestic disturbances are one of the most serious issues that police officers respond to. I ask then, was any of that introduced at committee?

Second, what about the second victim of someone who is an abuser? What about the third victim? I appreciate the perspective you come from and, as Senator Batters says, that the data was absent, but I’m concerned we may be missing the point with the bill itself. Taking it out of the bill doesn’t resolve the issue of mass incarceration of Indigenous women.

Senator Boniface: Thank you very much. I know you share the same concerns I do. I want a bill that’s effective, but I look at events such as the ones that just took place in Sault Ste. Marie as an example. Again, there is a second victim, a third victim, now a fourth victim and a fifth victim. I’m not saying that case had anything to do with bail, but the violence that is in perpetrators does not just impact one person. I guess I’m surprised that the committee didn’t hear some evidence regarding repeat offenders.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, I rise today in support of Senator Deacon’s Bill S-269, An Act respecting a national framework on advertising for sports betting.

Colleagues may remember the reservations that Senator White, our former colleague, and I had with Bill C-218 dealing with single-event sports betting. At that time, and even now, I feel that we jumped on board too quickly because of tight timelines.

Bill C-218 could have seriously benefited from more consultation and research. In developing a proper and safe single‑event sports betting regime, it needs to come with supports to dissuade problem gamblers and those vulnerable to becoming them. One might argue that those supports are primarily a provincial responsibility, but a conversation between the federal government and the provinces and territories would have been prudent to ensure supports existed before single-event sports betting was legalized.

That brings me to Bill S-269 before us today. This is the type of sober second thought needed when discussing a bill that makes sports betting easier and more addictive. These are the type of supports needed for those most affected and most vulnerable to gambling. I commend Senator Deacon for her efforts in this regard, and Senator Cotter for his contributions as well. Senator Deacon and Senator Cotter succinctly defined for us the purpose of the bill, and what it hopes to accomplish, so I will simply paraphrase as a reminder.

Beginning with the second part of the bill is the requirement of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, or CRTC, to review its regulations and policies to assess their effectiveness in reducing any harms due to the proliferation of advertising for sports betting. From the federal perspective, this is a good tool to apply in order to reduce the harms of this type of gambling.

The first part of the bill is the development of a national framework on advertising for sports betting. Framework and strategy bills are important, especially with multi-jurisdictional laws, because it brings the much-needed conversations together. The bill before us would bring the federal government together with the provincial and territorial governments, the Indigenous community and other relevant stakeholders, such as gaming regulators and those within sports ethics.

These conversations are crucial to develop a whole-of-Canada approach to tackling the issue of sports betting. Developing baseline regulations, with the agreement of the provinces and territories, would create a consistent, manageable and predictable regime, which would enable better tracking of information and statistics surrounding sports betting and its consequences. This is about setting national standards to help curb the addictions that gambling can cause, and avoiding a piecemeal approach wherever possible.

We have seen the Ontario government move to restrict the use of athletes and other celebrities in advertising for sports betting, which will come into effect at the end of February. Current hockey icons such as Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews — and the Great One, Wayne Gretzky — have appeared in such ads since single-event sports betting was legalized. It generally isn’t our adults whom these advertisements are appealing to, but to our vulnerable youth.

These players are seen as idols to them, and something that should be emulated. What I see is multi-millionaires promoting unhealthy, addictive habits that are primarily directed at youth. I think it’s safe to presume that these already wealthy figures are making even more money by doing these ads — I expect their price tags aren’t cheap. This is just a snapshot into the profits that can be made from single-event sports betting in Ontario — that the NHL elites can be bought to promote.

While this is a worthwhile step for the province to take — and I expect that all provinces will look to do the same — it is a very small step. Removing star appeal from sports betting advertising won’t necessarily curb the advertising itself, which is a massive part of the issue.

Some potential solutions have been raised by previous speakers to Bill S-269: no advertising before, during or after sports matches; no advertising at times when our youth would be significant parts of the audiences; and no advertising in sports arenas or on players’ uniforms.

This last point is contained within Recommendation 47 from the 2020 House of Lords report entitled Gambling Harm — Time for Action, which reads:

Gambling operators should no longer be allowed to advertise on the shirts of sports teams or any other part of their kit. There should be no gambling advertising in or near any sports grounds or sports venues, including sports programmes.

This report contains other important recommendations to consider for our purposes today. Recommendation 52 says:

Advertisements which are objectively seen as offering inducements to people to start or to continue gambling, or which create a sense of urgency about placing bets, should be banned. . . .

Recommendation 46 is more wide-reaching and explains that:

The Government should commission independent research to establish the links between gambling advertising and gambling-related harm for both adults and children.

Research should also be done here in Canada for a made-at-home approach to preventing sports betting-related harms.

If we look to other countries, we are seeing progress that Canada can emulate. Colleagues, work is already being done elsewhere, so let’s incorporate it into our thinking, as well as what fits into our own framework. For example, Spain, Italy and Belgium have already banned nearly all gambling ads, and the Netherlands effected a new ban on untargeted online gambling advertisements just this past July.

Canada and its provinces can investigate the details of these bans to see what may work here. Because there is over one suicide a day in Britain due to gambling-related harms, as of 2020, they put a stop to betting companies accepting credit cards. Access to credit was obviously putting people further into debt due to their addictions and perpetuating their problems. This is also something worth considering in a Canadian context.

None of these possible solutions can be administered in a vacuum. As with treating any addiction, a holistic approach is necessary to make headway because it is such a complex issue. Another option that could be considered in national framework discussions is a government-funded advertising campaign covering television, radio, social media and other messaging fora speaking to the harms of gambling. We currently see this type of messaging here in Ontario concerning the harms of cannabis, including cannabis-impaired driving.

Something else that could be raised with the provinces is a funding formula to support research, education — such as the public awareness campaign mentioned above — and treatment services for harmful gambling. This formula could be based around the proceeds created through government-funded sports betting ventures. As we know, the sports betting industry is one that creates billions of dollars in revenue annually, with estimates by the Canadian Gaming Association of $1.4 billion per year in Ontario alone.

In fact, according to a report from iGaming Ontario, a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, sports betting netted over $35 billion in total wagers during the market’s first year from more than 1.6 million active player accounts.

As we passed a law to allow for single-event sports betting before the provinces were ready for it, in my assertion, we’re now playing a game of catch-up. The proliferation of advertising for sports betting was not far-fetched since there wasn’t any regulation around it. The floodgates were opened, allowing for the situation we find ourselves in today.

It is incumbent upon the provinces, with perhaps some support from the federal government, to provide funding to ensure that Bill C-218 doesn’t create a generation of problem gamblers and a system without supports for those who are addicted. Bill S-269 is a critical piece of legislation to ensure these conversations happen and holistic solutions are found.

Senators, when I spoke to Bill C-218, I said that if we’re going to bring single-event sports betting into the light, we should do so with our eyes open. Well, now we have the opportunity to open our eyes. I thank Senator Deacon for her leadership on this file. I unreservedly and enthusiastically support the purpose of Bill S-269 and its study at committee. I encourage my colleagues to do the same.

Thank you, meegwetch.

(On motion of Senator Martin, debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator McCallum, seconded by the Honourable Senator Boisvenu, for the second reading of Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, on August 14 we lost a great Canadian. The Honourable James Bartleman lived an extraordinary life, which began in my home region. He was born in Orillia and was a member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation.

He spent his formative years in Port Carling, in the Muskoka Lakes region. His Honour benefited from the love and attention of his parents, who made sure their children were proud of their heritage and valued education.

A part-time job as a teenager cutting grass resulted in an unlikely friendship between him and a seasonal resident, who not only encouraged but subsidized his university education. That hand-up led him on an inspiring 35-year path of public service and advocacy.

James Bartleman’s impressive career began at Foreign Affairs, where he held diplomatic posts in the EU, NATO, Israel and Cuba. He also served as High Commissioner to South Africa and Australia and made history when he was named Ontario’s first Indigenous Lieutenant Governor.

As viceroy, he used the platform to champion Indigenous child literacy. I had the privilege to participate in one of his initiatives: a simple idea to collect donated books and provide them to remote First Nations communities. Well, 2 million books found their way to children in Ontario, Quebec and Nunavut.

His Honour also shone a light on mental health at a time when most suffered in silence. He bravely spoke out about his depression and PTSD, which were brought on by a brutal attack he endured while serving Canada in South Africa. Those efforts to reduce the stigma were recognized when he received the Dr. Hugh Lafave and the Courage To Come Back Awards.

James Bartleman received many other accolades including 13 honorary degrees and the National Aboriginal Achievement Award in Public Service. He was also named an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Despite all of that, he never strayed from his roots and the values his parents cherished. Chief of the Rama First Nation Ted Williams reflected:

He was a man of the highest integrity, he was a champion for the underprivileged and he was an inspiration for the First Nation community.

That alone is a legacy worth celebrating.

Please join me in sending condolences to his wife, Marie‑Jeanne; and his children, Anne-Pascale, Laurent and Alain.

Meegwetch, thank you.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Senator McCallum, thank you very much for explaining the bill. I wanted to bring something to your attention and ask you a question related to a discussion we had yesterday.

In the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, policing would be done by the Ontario Provincial Police and the Sûreté du Québec in many of the northern communities, as well as by First Nation police services. In Northern Ontario, it’s the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service or the Treaty Three Police Service.

How will the amendment to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act impact those? Because that would maybe mean provincial — or, in the case of tripartite agreements, between the federal and provincial — interplay with stand-alone police services in First Nation communities.

Is there a mechanism that will allow that to take place or will that need further legislation? Is that something the committee should look at?

Senator McCallum: I made a statement about how it doesn’t affect all the communities across Canada because some of them have their own agreements. It excludes them.

These are specifically for a certain group of people. I did ask that question because I was working with lawyers. I made a statement in there that it doesn’t involve the ones that already have their own ways of dealing with the issues. There are some bands in B.C. that have already dealt with this through a tripartite agreement. It doesn’t include them.

When this bill goes to committee, we will invite the groups that have their own agreements to tell us what works and what doesn’t in order to inform parliamentarians about any concerns we should have.

(On motion of Senator McPhedran, debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Galvez, seconded by the Honourable Senator Forest:

That the Senate of Canada recognize that:

(a)climate change is an urgent crisis that requires an immediate and ambitious response;

(b)human activity is unequivocally warming the atmosphere, ocean and land at an unprecedented pace, and is provoking weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe, including in the Arctic, which is warming at more than twice the global rate;

(c)failure to address climate change is resulting in catastrophic consequences especially for Canadian youth, Indigenous Peoples and future generations; and

(d)climate change is negatively impacting the health and safety of Canadians, and the financial stability of Canada;

That the Senate declare that Canada is in a national climate emergency which requires that Canada uphold its international commitments with respect to climate change and increase its climate action in line with the Paris Agreement’s objective of holding global warming well below two degrees Celsius and pursuing efforts to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius; and

That the Senate commit to action on mitigation and adaptation in response to the climate emergency and that it consider this urgency for action while undertaking its parliamentary business.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, welcome back.

Toronto Police Constable Andrew Hong; South Simcoe Police Constable Devon Northrup; South Simcoe Constable Morgan Russell; RCMP Constable Shaelyn Yang; OPP Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala; Edmonton Police Constable Travis Jordan; Edmonton Police Constable Brett Ryan; Sûreté du Québec Sergeant Maureen Breau; RCMP Constable Harvinder Singh Dhami; OPP Sergeant Eric Mueller; OPP Detective Constable Steven Tourangeau.

Dear colleagues, 11 Canadian police officers’ lives were taken while in the line of duty in the past year. Eleven spouses and life partners no longer have their person. Twelve children have been left with a gaping hole they will feel for the rest of their lives. An unborn child will never meet their father. Parents an ocean away have lost their daughter. A retired police officer has lost the child who followed in their footsteps. It is a club nobody wants to belong to. It has been devastating for families and colleagues, and so tragic for our communities and our own sense of safety.

This Sunday is Police and Peace Officers’ National Memorial Day. Every year, on the last Sunday in September, a memorial service is held on Parliament Hill to honour the lives of police officers and peace officers who have been killed in the line of duty. The memorial gives an opportunity for their loved ones to gather, grieve and remember together.

Colleagues, we know this has been a tragic year — in a way that is unlike any other that I have experienced. I invite you to join my family and me, and all the dignitaries and the police family at the service, which begins at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The parade will step off at 10:15 on Wellington Street at the Supreme Court. Please join as we remember them, grieve with their families and honour their dedication and commitment to our communities. Thank you, meegwetch.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today, once again. The grief in the Ontario Provincial Police is unbearable. There are simply no words to describe how this tragedy affects everyone in the service, in the little community of Bourget and across eastern Ontario.

Last Thursday, three officers were shot following a call to a residence in the rural community of Bourget, just 50 kilometres from here. Sergeant Eric Mueller was killed. The two other officers were hospitalized, one of them with critical injuries.

Sergeant Eric Mueller was a 21-year veteran of the OPP, having served with the Offender Transport Unit for four years before becoming a provincial constable in 2006. I had the privilege of swearing in Eric in my final year as commissioner. Eric served in the Leeds County detachment before transferring to Russell County. He became a sergeant in 2018.

Let me tell you who he was. He was a fine young man and a deeply dedicated police officer. Seriously injured on duty in 2008, he fought hard to fulfill his desire to return to work as a police officer. Eric was a leader amongst the finest to his shift mates; to his community, he was seen as a gentleman; to his friends and colleagues, he was described as one of the finest, kindest and smartest officers they’ve had the chance to work with.

He was a brother, a husband, a son and a father. He did his job to the best of his ability — a natural in the service to others. In 2015, Sergeant Mueller received the Commissioner’s Citation for Lifesaving after he helped rescue an injured suspect who was trapped under a burning vehicle.

Tomorrow, officers and first responders will gather to honour him and his family here in Ottawa at 11 a.m.

Colleagues, please take a moment to think of the many mourners who will gather here in Ottawa, but especially of his family, his colleagues and his friends. Please join me in wishing the injured officers a full and speedy recovery. To the officers of Russell County, I want them to know we are with them.

This tragedy is impossible to make sense of. We have lost a talented police officer. A wife has lost her husband. Two young children have lost their father. May we forever remember the sacrifice he has made.

Thank you, meegwetch.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, I rise today to acknowledge May as the month that recognizes both Mental Health Week and National Police Week. Issues of mental health crisis make up as many as 40% of the calls for police assistance, a significant increase in the last decade.

The social services available to assist people experiencing a mental health crisis have failed to keep up despite the very good intentions of workers. It creates a revolving door of police calls with little assistance and few solutions for those who suffer.

In the police community, they too have been affected. Mental health issues resulting from trauma that they and their fellow first responders experience at work have had a devastating effect on officers right across the country.

An Ombudsman Ontario report found that police officers are more likely to die from suicide than a violent crime. In a study of two Canadian police departments, 88% of police officers reported moderate to severe anxiety. In some services and circumstances in my province of Ontario, 20% of police officers are off work because of mental illness, according to a report by the Chief Coroner.

As these facts move from the shadows to the light, I am grateful for officers who have endured the trauma, advocated relentlessly and succeeded in bringing awareness and resources to their fellow officers.

One such officer joins us today. Retired OPP Constable Dave Blair has volunteered and worked tirelessly to raise awareness and seek assistance for police officers and first responders who suffer from the cumulative effects of PTSD and moral injury. He was instrumental in bringing a California program to Ontario.

He and many fellow peer supporters continue to work hard to support those in need of a path of recovery.

Honourable senators, there is a drastic reduction in applicants to police services. Police services are, in turn, experiencing serious staff shortages which further exacerbate the situation: too many calls involving trauma, and too few people available to respond.

This weekend in Toronto, the Ontario Police Memorial will add the names of four officers who have died in the line of duty this year: Constable Northrup, Constable Russell, Constable Hong and Constable Pierzchala.

For those officers who responded to assist after those calls and suffer today, may they have all the support they need. In the police business, you cannot unhear what you have heard, unsee what you have seen or undo what has been done. May their journey forward take them into the light and not into the shadows. Thank you.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Thank you very much, senator, for your speech. I think you hit the nail on the head, and I congratulate you. I had the same question. That was my concern.

Just as an add-on, I am just asking if you would agree. I know, Senator Patterson, we need to hear from the police investigators that this doesn’t affect how they see investigations going forward. The last thing we want to do is create some notion of two pieces when we have been working under one.

I come from an organization, as you know, that has been deeply involved in this for a long time in terms of investigations, so that was my concern about unintended consequences. I can only assume you have the same concern. Would I be correct in that?

Senator R. Patterson: You would be correct. This is why I think it is very important that this bill gets to committee for this look. I believe that we would like to have it on record that this must be reported back on as the committee goes through its work.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, I rise today to commemorate and celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. It was signed on April 10, 1998, in Belfast and ended three decades of violence and unrest in Northern Ireland, a period known as the Troubles.

During the Troubles, the Northern Irish people suffered through car bombings, riots and revenge killings that caused 3,600 deaths and over 30,000 injuries.

The Good Friday Agreement underpins Northern Ireland’s peace, its constitutional settlement and its institutions. It created a framework for political power sharing and an end to decades of violence with the help of other countries, including Canada, and represented a new beginning for the people of Northern Ireland.

Amongst other things, it established the birthright of the people of Northern Ireland to identify and be accepted as British or Irish, or both.

It ended direct U.K. rule and set up a Northern Ireland legislature and government with power shared between unionist and nationalist parties.

There are close ties between Canada and Ireland with more than 4.5 million Canadians having Irish heritage. We share democratic traditions and strong economic ties.

Many Canadians represented us well as the implementation of the agreement became a beacon for other nations.

Retired General John de Chastelain played prominent roles, including being one of three people invited to chair the peace talks amongst the parties.

Other important roles were filled by Justice William Hoyt, a former Chief Justice of New Brunswick; Justice Peter Cory, formerly of Canada’s Supreme Court; University of Toronto Professor Clifford Shearing; and many RCMP members who served in the multinational police oversight commission.

Having served in Ireland from 2006 to 2009, I saw first-hand the attention paid to the Good Friday Agreement in every aspect of governance, and particularly policing.

The Patten report directed the transition of the Royal Ulster Constabulary to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, marking the most significant policing reform likely anywhere in the world. It created a modern and sophisticated police service that served all citizens of Northern Ireland.

British Prime Minister Sunak recently said:

As we look forward, we will celebrate those who took difficult decisions, accepted compromise, and showed leadership – showing bravery, perseverance, and political imagination.

Northern Ireland remains a work in progress, but the steps along the road to fully realize the Good Friday Agreement lie ahead.

Thank you.

[Editor’s Note: Senator Boniface spoke in Irish.]

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, I rise today in great sadness to honour the lives of two young police officers who were taken too soon. Constable Travis Jordan and Constable Brett Ryan were ambushed and fatally shot while responding to a family dispute call last Thursday. Despite the heroic efforts that were made to save them, the officers succumbed to their injuries.

Constables Jordan and Ryan served with the Edmonton Police Service West Division.

Brett Ryan was 30 years old and had worked with the Edmonton Police Service for more than five years. He had previously served the city as a paramedic. Constable Ryan is remembered as being passionate about his work and his community service. He enjoyed working as a minor hockey referee and playing slow-pitch baseball. A friend remarked that his face lit up whenever he spoke about his job.

His wife, Ashley, who serves the city as a paramedic, is expecting their first child this summer.

Travis Jordan was originally from Nova Scotia. He moved to Alberta to pursue a career in policing. He served with the Edmonton Police Service for eight and a half years. His sister, Sheena, said that he had dreamed of becoming a police officer since he was a small child. He had a reputation for being compassionate and had received accolades for helping someone who was driving a snow-covered car. Instead of handing them a ticket, he gave them a snow brush and a smile. Travis Jordan was 35.

These tragic losses have taken place amid a concerning rise in the number of police officers killed in the last six months in Canada. The other victims include Toronto Police Service Constable Andrew Hong, South Simcoe Police Service Constables Morgan Russell and Devon Northrup, RCMP Constable Shaelyn Yang and Ontario Provincial Police Constable Grzegorz Pierzchala. All but one of the officers were shot.

Funerals for Constable Jordan and Constable Ryan will be held in the coming days. Senator Busson and I, not just as former police officers but as mothers of police officers, ask you to join us in sending our deepest condolences to their families and to the women and men of the Edmonton Police Service. May they all find the support they need during this difficult time.

Thank you, meegwetch.

Senator Boniface: Honourable senators, I rise to speak to the inquiry put forward by Senator Harder with respect to the RCMP, its roles and its mandate.

As some of you know, I had the privilege of serving in the Republic of Ireland in my earlier days and was a part of the establishment of an inspectorate to oversee reform and modernization of the national police service there. Particularly, we looked at the structure, mandate, roles and responsibilities. It is from that perspective that I speak with respect to the RCMP.

The Garda, as they are known in Ireland, serve local, regional, national and international mandates on behalf of the republic and its 3.5 million people. What I learned working there, and which I think applies very much to Canada, is the history of policing is the history of a country. For Canada, I think the RCMP is very similar. At the core, problems within the RCMP are inherently structural. One hundred and fifty years later, it is time to design a fit-for-purpose police service.

The RCMP serves 8 provinces, 3 territories and 150 municipalities — some as large as a million people — and vast swaths of rural and northern communities. They police in hundreds of First Nations and Inuit communities. But I think what is most important is the role of federal policing because that is what keeps our country safe. They deal with national and international organized crime, cybercrime, major fraud, human trafficking, drug smuggling, anti-terrorism and other broad-based threats to safety and security that are national in nature and impact all of us.

Looked at globally, policing is a vast mandate that is largely unchanged from a century ago. It is a jumble of accountabilities and responsibilities, which inevitably lead to confusion rather than clarity. This is the difficulty, of course, on the federation of which our country is built, but it is also the foundation on which the RCMP was built, and, in turn, where they have developed.

For the RCMP, I believe that we have a structural impediment to policing in Canada, an organizational structure that is failing both them and the citizens, despite individual and collective efforts. As Canadians, we need to give our national federal police service the funding and resources that they need to face the challenges of tomorrow. Technology has completely changed in the world, but I can assure you, it has especially changed in the world of crime and crime-fighting.

This was reinforced in the Brown Task Force from 2007, more than 15 years ago. This report argued that:

. . . the RCMP’s approach to governance is based on a model and style of policing developed from and for another policing era.

Neither incremental change nor reforms led from within are going to make the RCMP the police force that times demand. It is structural change. That mandate change has to be led by government — it is not led internally — and successive governments have failed to take that initiative.

We need to ask ourselves a number of questions in this inquiry. Should a modern federal police service be a contract supplier of police services to 8 provinces, 3 territories, 150 municipalities and hundreds of rural communities and First Nations? I would argue that we would have to have a very clear picture of what we want as an outcome before you could move in that direction. It would also require legislation and cooperation of our provinces to mandate, as they have responsibility for policing. As we know from watching the changeover in policing in the City of Surrey, this can be a complicated, chaotic mess.

Two thirds of all RCMP personnel are in contract policing. Kevin Lynch, in a report that he provided recently, said:

. . . the real obstacles to getting out of contract policing are largely political, at both the federal and provincial levels, not operational—they are a function of history, culture and inertia.

I would firmly argue that they are also part of political indifference. The result is that Canada’s efforts in the critically important areas of federal policing are not adequately resourced, and this can pose a threat to public safety across Canada.

You and I know that we are living in complicated times. The RCMP has to create a modern culture and clear leadership values, which will have to be supported by recruitment, training and development. Training needs to be built to meet that fit-for-purpose organization.

Canada must as well move to a new Indigenous policing model. Ontario has been well advanced on this since the early 1990s, when the first five-year tripartite agreement was signed. I had the privilege of being present for that signing, and have closely watched First Nation police services develop and grow across the province. They have established themselves very well.

Uniformed RCMP constables in Indigenous communities are often seen as representative of the colonial past. This should not continue. It is the right way to go to ensure proper accountability for policing First Nation communities — to undergo a First Nation policing model for them.

The government must adequately resource the fit-for-purpose RCMP so that it can be a sophisticated and effective police service with a well-defined mandate. These proposed structural changes and any associated transitional measures will not be cheap, but it is necessary. Inaction will only exacerbate the problems, something that should be a very unappealing prospect for any future government of any party.

The process of reform is difficult. We need a broad public understanding of its purpose, and structural reform will particularly need to be based on consultation with stakeholders, including the provinces, the municipalities and the public.

Canada has long tended to underfund its obligations in the areas of policing, intelligence and security. With that failure comes risks and consequences that are only too apparent in the RCMP today. We will need a more effective governance framework and an appropriately empowered management board to provide effective external oversight and guidance. The current advisory board lacks transparency, clarity of mandate and meaningful oversight.

I am encouraged, however, by the recent appointment of Kent Roach as chair of the advisory committee. Mr. Roach is known to many of us in this chamber for his appearances before the Legal and Defence Committees. I believe he will bring clarity to the role, and help bring needed change.

We must, however, create a clear and clean line with respect to government direction and RCMP operational independence. This must be explored in this review. There is no government that has taken this issue as seriously as they should.

Therefore, I think this chamber sits in a very unique position to undertake this work, and I wholeheartedly support Senator Harder’s proposal. Thank you very much.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, this item is adjourned in the name of Senator Busson, and I ask for leave of the Senate that following my intervention, the balance of her time to speak on this item be reserved.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, I rise today to pay homage to the Honourable Joan Bissett Neiman. She died on November 27, 2022, at the age of 102, after living a unique and rich life. At the time of her death, she had been the oldest living Canadian who served in this Senate.

Joan was born in 1920 in Winnipeg to Catherine and Dr. Edgar Bissett. Her father served as Member of Parliament for Springfield, Manitoba, between 1926 and 1930. Joan’s formative years were marked by spending time outdoors with their family at their beloved Willard Lake and voraciously reading all the books in her father’s library. She began her university studies at the tender age of 16 at Mount Allison University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English. She was active in the students’ union, theatre society and newspaper. Soon after graduation, she served in the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service during World War II, retiring in 1946 as a lieutenant-commander.

Joan met the love of her life, Clem, at Osgoode Hall Law School, and they went into practice together in downtown Toronto. Together they raised four children and were married for 66 years.

Joan was appointed to the Senate in 1972, making her the fourteenth female senator at the time. She served for 23 years until her retirement. On the topic of female senators, she was quoted as saying:

 . . . it is nice that 15 of us are in the Senate today. That is a beginning. I think it has made a tremendous difference to have women in the Senate . . .

Her work as a senator included chairing both the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee and the Special Senate Committee on Euthanasia and Assisted suicide. She was very proud to have been the first Canadian to chair the human rights committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Following her retirement from the Senate, she continued to contribute to the issues she held dear, such as penal reform, women’s and Indigenous rights and universal health care. She was a member of the Dalhousie Health Law Institute end-of-life project, the Citizens Panel on Increasing Organ Donations and the Patron’s Council of Dying With Dignity Canada.

I had the pleasure of getting to know Joan in her retirement years, which she and Clem spent in our region. They were a formidable team. She was preceded in death by Clem and daughter Martha, and is survived by her children, Dallas, Patti and David, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A memory shared by a friend summed up Joan perfectly:

Joan loved to giggle, especially at Clem’s jokes, and could express a point of view with the logic of a lawyer, the warmth of a mother and friend, and the experience of a WAC. She made a tenacious and inspired commitment to issues of public policy, and it must have been as rewarding to Joan as it has been to many others, for her pioneering ideas to now have the force of law.

Rest in peace, dear Joan, a trailblazer for all of us who stand in this chamber.

Thank you.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, I rise to speak in support of Bill S-256, the Canadian postal safety act, proposed by Senator Dalphond. This bill would allow law enforcement to demand, seize, detain or retain items sent within Canada through Canada Post. There have been cases where counterfeit items, such as passports, firearms and other weapons have been delivered using Canada Post.

While Bill S-256 opens up the search authority to all contraband items being sent by Canada Post, I want to specifically address its influence on the drug trade.

As senators are aware, the rise in fentanyl and, subsequently, fentanyl-related deaths in our country has skyrocketed. There is no part of Canada left untouched. Of course, addictions and mental health issues ravage bigger cities like Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and even here in Ottawa, but now rural outliers, northern areas and Indigenous communities are all feeling the brunt of the opioid use perpetuated by the rise in fentanyl. This isn’t the first time you’ve heard me speak to this issue, as I have my own bill before this chamber that attempts to decriminalize simple possession of currently illegal substances through a national strategy process. That process alone won’t cure Canada of the poison that is fentanyl, but like Bill S-256 before us now, these are steps in the right direction to save lives, and ultimately that’s what this bill is about.

Senator Dalphond has very eloquently outlined what this bill will do and the impetus for it. That was a 2015 resolution from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police that has, until Bill S-256, not been considered, let alone implemented. Senator Dalphond referred to Chief Mike Serr, head of the Abbotsford Police Department and Co-Chair of the Drug Advisory Committee of the CACP, in both his second reading remarks and the press release tied with the introduction of this bill. I know Chief Serr, and I have the highest respect for his dedication to the work dealing with drug issues. I reached out to him, in fact, to consult on my own bill.

As I was once the president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, I understand the in-depth and evidence-based research the association performs, especially at the committee level. Resolution 8 from the CACP’s one hundred and tenth annual conference joined the work from the Drug Advisory Committee and the Law Amendments Committee to come up with the solution before us today.

Let me detail the issues straight from resolution 8; it’s a long quote, so please bear with me:

The Canada Post Corporation Act (CPCA) is the legislative basis for the Canada Post Corporation and was passed in 1981. Subject to the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service Act, the Customs Act and the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, the Canada Post Corporation Act currently exempts items in the course of post from search or seizure by law enforcement, pursuant to the Criminal Code, Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, Copyright Act or Trade-marks Act, and potentially others. This exclusion may perhaps be due to domestic trafficking not being seen as a priority when section 40(3) of the CPCA was last updated in 2005. This means that search and seizure authorities granted to law enforcement personnel under the Criminal Code of Canada and other criminal law authorities are overridden by the CPCA, giving law enforcement no authority to seize, detain or retain parcels or letters while they are in the course of mail and under Canada Post’s control. That said, the CPCA is augmented by the Non-mailable Matter Regulations which specify that Canada Post inspectors shall turn over any illegal material found in the course of mail to law enforcement. Recent court rulings have determined that postal inspectors cannot act as agents of the state where police convey information received to postal inspectors in order to intercept the contraband during the postal delivery process.

Senators, obviously this poses a significant challenge for law enforcement. Reliable intelligence may point to contraband being sent through Canada Post, but law enforcement would be unable to act upon this intelligence unless they’re able to actually intercept the contraband before it enters the postal system or after it is successfully delivered. There is a large gap during the course of mailing, sorting and delivery where law enforcement is exempted from intercepting contraband.

Let me remind senators of a few facts laid out by Senator Dalphond in his speech. There are 25 postal inspectors across Canada — 25 — so they are few and far between.

The maximum weight for an item of lettermail as outlined in the Letter Mail Regulations accompanying the CPCA is 500 grams. Lettermail currently cannot be opened by inspectors; they can only set aside an identified letter to remove it from the course of the system as non-mailable and call the police. Such is the dilemma.

In 2020, Canada Post handled approximately 384 million parcels and 2.5 billion letters. This is 6.5 times more letters than parcels.

Senator Dalphond also stated that 500 grams of fentanyl has a current street value of $30,000. This is a lot of money, but it’s meaningless compared to the number of lives that could be lost to those 500 grams of fentanyl. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration in the U.S., just one gram of fentanyl can result in the deaths of 300 to 500 people.

It would be easy to transport one gram of fentanyl through one letter, but I’ll let you extrapolate. Let’s consider if it’s 250 grams of fentanyl — half the allowed weight to be considered a letter. I’ll let you do the math on that.

In order for a piece of lettermail to be considered mailable, it must have the address of the addressee. A return address is optional. In many cases, the address listed will be one of a private residence. As already referenced by Senator Dalphond, Canada Post is the shipping method of choice for many drug traffickers. Someone will order illegal drugs online through the dark web, and those responding to the orders will use Canada Post as the base method to ship to the addressee. It should come as no surprise, then, that many illegal drug toxicity deaths occur in private residences; it should be no shock to us. A May 2021 report from Public Health Ontario has observed that over 70% of opioid-related deaths occurred in private residences. British Columbia has also seen a majority of drug toxicity deaths occurring in private residences, at around a 55% rate in 2022.

The ease of having illegal drugs sent straight to your home with very little chance — or, let’s be serious, no chance — of interception will only perpetuate these statistics and the wholly founded perception of drug traffickers that Canada Post is ripe for abuse.

Colleagues, those who work in the drug trade and organized crime writ large are always finding ways to be a step ahead of or work around law enforcement. These people are smart, they’re crafty, they’re creative and they don’t have to adhere to any law, and that’s how they meet their objectives. They have identified the Canada Post Corporation Act as a vessel to move illegal goods because of the very slim chance of detection. This has only been more prevalent with the ability to transport fentanyl through lettermail.

Private delivery or courier services such as FedEx, Purolator or DHL are not barred from search by police. Law enforcement currently has the lawful power to search packages and parcels being shipped through these companies with a warrant. Those shipping drugs throughout Canada are already avoiding the use of private courier companies for exactly that reason.

The key provision of the CPCA that Bill S-256 seeks to amend is section 40(3), which deals with the liability to seizure. The way the section is currently worded, nothing in the course of post is liable to demand, seizure, detention or retention, unless it’s subject to the Canada Post Corporation Act itself, the CSIS Act or the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act. As you will recall in the description of the issue provided in the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police resolution, this means that mail in the course of post is exempted from search and seizure pursuant to the Criminal Code, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act or other acts.

Bill S-256 amends this provision to widen the scope of liability in force of section 40(3) to include such acts as the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drug and Substances Act. It does this by creating a new definition of enforcement statute, which means an act of Parliament, the law of a province or the law of an Indigenous jurisdiction. As senators well know, the CSIS Act and the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act are both acts of Parliament, as are the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. The new definition would cover all of these acts and, as a result, allow for searches and seizures to apply to items in the course of post by law enforcement. Of course, this can’t be done on a whim. Peace officers would have to follow usual warrant procedures and submit an application before such a search and seizure can take place, as they would now when searching or seizing parcels being sent through a private courier service.

Senator Dalphond called this lack of law enforcement ability to seize, retain or detain contraband in the course of post a “loophole” in the law. I would certainly agree with our colleague, but perhaps I would take it even further: This is a legal chasm. This gap in the law is actively contributing to the erosion of safety and to the deaths of Canadians.

The principle of this bill is solid and, I hope, worthy of the argument. It is in this vein that I wholeheartedly agree with Bill S-256 and would recommend that it be sent to committee as soon as possible for a thorough — but perhaps expedited — study. Every missed Canada Post letter or parcel containing fentanyl or its analogues is a missed opportunity to save lives. The longer Parliament lingers on such a bill, the more lives are put in jeopardy by the menace of fentanyl.

Thank you, meegwetch.

(On motion of Senator Martin, debate adjourned.)

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Housakos, seconded by the Honourable Senator Wells:

That the Senate call on the Government of Canada to:

(a)denounce the illegitimacy of the Cuban regime and recognize the Cuban opposition and civil society as valid interlocutors; and

(b)call on the Cuban regime to ensure the right of the Cuban people to protest peacefully without fear of reprisal and repudiation.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, I rise today to honour the life and service of OPP Constable Greg Pierzchala. Greg was killed in the line of duty on December 27 when he responded to a call to assist a vehicle in a ditch near Hagersville in southwestern Ontario. He was 28 years old.

Greg was new to policing and had a full life and career ahead of him. He had previously served in the Canadian Forces and was a Special Constable at Queen’s Park in Toronto. Sadly, he had just learned that he passed his probationary period on the day of the shooting.

Greg grew up in Barrie, Ontario, and was an accomplished student and multi-sport athlete who is remembered for his grit and team spirit. He was also a lover of art. By all accounts, he was an inspiring, determined and compassionate man who always looked for the good in people.

Constable Pierzchala wanted to be a police officer since he was 5 years old and said he had finally found his dream job. He is described by his colleagues as a quiet leader with a strong character who quickly earned the respect of his peers.

On that fateful day, Greg answered a call — amongst many that snowy day — for a stranded vehicle in the ditch. He was shot shortly after his arrival. Despite valiant efforts of first responders and medical personnel, he did not survive.

Constable Pierzchala is the fifth officer killed in Canada since September — a disturbing rise that has rattled the law enforcement community. In early January, a joint statement was released by four of Canada’s police associations, “calling for action to address what they see as a growing wave of violence aimed at police officers and their communities.”

Constable Greg Pierzchala’s colleagues, community and family have been devastated by this senseless act of violence.

For those involved in that call, their lives are forever marked by Greg’s death: the dispatcher who sent him to the call; the first officers on the scene; the paramedics; his shift mates; his coach officer, who spent the last year teaching him how to keep himself safe; and his recruits class, who will always see a hole in their graduation picture.

Most importantly, I ask you to join me in sending our deepest condolences to his family: his parents, Janina and Jan; and his siblings, Chris, Michal and Justyna.

Honourable senators, it is my fervent wish that this will be the last time I have to stand before you to remember an officer killed in the line of duty.

Rest in peace, Constable Pierzchala. Thank you.

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, let me begin by thanking His Honour for the moment of silence today.

I rise today, of course, with a heavy heart, as you would expect. My home region of Simcoe County is mourning the tragic loss of the two police officers who were killed in the line of duty.

Constable Morgan Russell and Constable Devon Northrup of the South Simcoe Police Service were fatally shot responding to a domestic disturbance call just last week. Their loss deeply affects all of us — not only me as a former police officer but also as a mother of one.

Constable Morgan Russell was 54 years old and had served for 33 years in his community. He was a founding member of the Emergency Response Unit, a coach officer, a recruiter and a crisis negotiator. He will be remembered for his kindness and for the calming presence he brought to difficult situations.

Friends describe Constable Russell as an absolute gentleman and a true example of what a community police officer is. This was further demonstrated when, earlier this year, he was awarded the Police Exemplary Service Medal from the South Simcoe Police Service for his continued years of service and commitment. Left to grieve are his wife, Marisa, and daughters, Madelaine and Maggie.

Constable Devon Northrup was only 33 years old and had served for 6 years in his community. He was a member of the mental health Crisis Outreach and Support Team and the Emergency Response Unit. Attending to calls like the one on that fateful night was typical work for Northrup. In 2020, he received the South Simcoe Police award for Excellence in Emergency Response for his work in assisting a suicidal man.

Prior to becoming a police officer, Devon was treasurer and director-at-large for the York Region Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, and a security officer. Colleagues from MADD remembered him as a gentle giant who had a smile that would light up a room. Devon Northrup is survived by his spouse Annie, also a police officer.

The devastated communities of Innisfil and Bradford and the tight-knit family of the South Simcoe Police Service are leaning on each other to cope with the loss of these officers.

A joint funeral service was held this morning in Barrie, which was attended by thousands of fellow officers and first responders from across North America. Brothers and sisters from the Ontario Provincial Police responded to calls for service within the South Simcoe jurisdiction to allow the many colleagues of the fallen officers time off to attend the funeral.

Dear colleagues, police officers leave their homes and their loved ones each day knowing the inherent risks of this type of work. Please, let us show them our support and our appreciation for all they do to serve and protect.

Hon. Gwen Boniface rose pursuant to notice of September 29, 2022:

That she will call the attention of the Senate to intimate partner violence, especially in rural areas across Canada, in response to the coroner’s inquest conducted in Renfrew County, Ontario.

She said: Honourable senators, thank you for your indulgence at this late hour. I will only take about 12 minutes, unless you have questions.

On September 22, 2015, three women lost their lives at the hands of one man. He travelled around Renfrew County, Ontario, not far from where we sit, to seek out these women on their own properties, in their own homes, in what would be brutal and targeted attacks. Carol Culleton, 66; Anastasia Kuzyk, 36; Nathalie Warmerdam, 48 — three lives lost tragically and ruthlessly.

Unfortunately, all the warning signs were there but were missed. The perpetrator had a track record of violence against women, he had been deemed high-risk in multiple assessments, was known to the police and was on probation at the time of the murders. He flouted court orders without consequence and skipped the group counselling program he was mandated to attend, offering excuse after excuse to his parole officer, while never being charged with breaching his conditions.

Somehow, he was even allowed to relocate closer to one of his former victims of abuse, later to become a victim of his murders.

As a result of this atrocity, a chief coroner’s inquest occurred after much delay due to the pandemic, and the recommendations, over 80 of them, were published this past June. These are wide‑ranging, detailed and targeted to the Government of Ontario, the Chief Firearms Officer, the Office of the Chief Coroner, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario and to the Government of Canada.

Inquests are held to inform the public about the circumstances of a death. Any conclusions of inquests are non-binding, but it’s always hoped that any recommendations, if implemented, will prevent further deaths.

Some of you may remember another prominent inquest on intimate partner violence, then known as domestic violence, that came out of Ontario in the 1990s. The May-Iles inquest of 1998 returned over 200 recommendations, ranging in areas from policing to victim assistance, education and training to all facets of the justice system.

The case involved a murder-suicide: Arlene May, the victim, and Randy Iles, the perpetrator. Mr. Iles had a past criminal history which included convictions for indecent exposure, harassing phone calls, breach of probation, possession of stolen property and a weapons offence. Ms. May and Mr. Iles had been in a relationship, and an assault on Ms. May occurred in November 1995. It was reported to police after a visit to a women’s shelter. Mr. Iles’ final appearance before the court in Grey County was on February 29, 1996, and he was released on condition that he leave the jurisdiction.

His criminal record provided to the court for that appearance was printed on February 26. Unfortunately, what was not known at the time of his release on February 29 was that there was also a warrant for his arrest in the neighbouring jurisdiction of Simcoe County, which had only been entered on the system on February 27. Therefore, the record for his February 29 appearance did not include the arrest warrant of February 27.

Mr. Iles moved with his family to the Oshawa area, and on May 6 another warrant was issued in Grey County for communicating with Ms. May. After he was advised about the most recent warrant by his lawyer, he purchased a firearm in Oshawa, rented a van and drove to the home of Arlene May. There he killed her and killed himself.

This case and subsequent inquests identified gaps in the process that could have avoided the tragedy, for instance, the gap in record-keeping that would have identified the arrest warrant in Simcoe County, and the failure to demand the surrender of Mr. Isles’ firearms acquisition certificate as a condition of bail. This was not recorded on his recognizance.

At the time of the May-Iles inquest — and I remember it very well — our understanding of intimate partner violence was less than it is now, but with such a detailed review of the May-Iles case, 200 recommendations, how do we find ourselves in a similar position 24 years later?

Since 1998, there are far more governmental supports in place, and our justice system hopefully has a better understanding of the risk factors involved, as do the policing partners.

While our comprehension of intimate partner violence has progressed, there is still much to do. The Renfrew County murders are sadly only one example of our continued inability to recognize and address the risk. For example, intimate partner violence, IPV, in urban settings has its own unique challenges that differ greatly from IPV in a rural community. The Renfrew County inquest shed light on the difficulties of combatting IPV in rural settings. Some of the following recommendations from the inquest relate to the reality, particularly for women, of living in rural areas in Canada.

Recommendation 19 suggests the creation of an emergency fund that includes the recognition of needs for rural and geographically remote survivors of IPV.

Recommendation 20 recognizes that funding in remote or rural communities cannot be the per capita equivalent of urban settings, and that the remoteness quotient be considered for use, akin to other social services, such as education and policing.

Recommendation 29 seeks to provide professional education and training for justice system personnel on the IPV-related issues that include the very unique rural factors.

Recommendation 52 seeks to expand cell service and high‑speed internet in rural and remote areas.

In the summer of 2020, my office sought the aid of a law student, Kallisti Sipidias, to research IPV in women’s shelters in Ontario. She did a fantastic job. She contacted many women’s shelters to discuss their experience and challenges. Some of this research was in relation to the pandemic, but much of it also applied more generally. In her findings, issues with women’s shelters included shelters operating at full capacity with many demands unmet, a lack of affordable housing to which the women could move and the eligibility requirements and red tape in applying for affordable housing. The shelters themselves lack appropriate governmental funding as well. She discovered the provincial government, as an example, provides funding for 50% to 80% of a shelter’s total costs. Many times, shelters are required to make up the shortfall in operating costs through fundraising endeavours and federal grants. Federal grants are temporary and often intermittent, and fundraising efforts consume a lot of time and human capital to meet operational baselines, neither of which shelters have. This creates a burnout situation which ultimately has consequences both for those who run the shelters and those who desperately rely on them.

I was pleased to see that Kallisti’s findings are echoed in the inquest. Recommendation 21 seeks to have the provincial government develop a plan for enhanced second-stage housing for survivors. Recommendation 20 seeks to realign the approach to public funding provided to service providers to one that is annualized, like every other public service, and to also enhance funding considering the differences in rural and urban realities.

Rural communities have other challenges that many of us might not consider because we take them for granted. Those in rural communities may have spotty or no internet access or cellular coverage. Women may not have access to personal transportation and certainly less access to public transportation, if they have it at all. Availing themselves of any services that may exist can be an uphill battle or could be hours away. All of these are mentioned in the inquest recommendations. But even before coming to the decision to seek out services, there may be many personal reasons preventing IPV victims from reaching out.

As Pamela Cross, a lawyer and expert on violence against women, remarked in the Ottawa Citizen:

There’s a lack of anonymity in rural communities that prevents some women from seeking help . . . . A shelter worker could be a friend. The OPP officer answering a call might play hockey with the woman’s partner. The partner’s mother might see her car parked outside a law office.

This accounts for an added layer of complexity in rural communities. A tight-knit culture of rural living doesn’t allow for many secrets, and this alone is enough of a reason to dissuade women from bringing cases forward to the authorities or seeking out help on their own.

Unfortunately, honourable senators, this is an epidemic. The first recommendation from the inquest is to formally declare it as such. What’s even worse is that IPV is more prominent in rural areas, and with more IPV in rural areas comes more firearm‑related intimate partner violence. The perpetrator’s tool of choice for two of the murders in Renfrew County’s triple homicide was a firearm; the first woman was strangled. Statistics from 2020 indicate there were 8.1 female victims of firearm-related IPV per 100,000 female population in the rural South, and 31 per 100,000 in the rural North. In urban areas, that number is 4.1.

Firearm-related intimate partner violence for male victims was low compared to female victims across all three categories. Overall, one in four female victims of firearm-related violence was targeted by a current or former spouse or intimate partner.

Firearm-related homicides further paint a devastating picture for women. Between 2015 and 2020, statistics on firearm-related homicide cases show that in solved cases, 70% of the homicides involve a current or former spouse, another intimate partner or a family member.

Now, these are generalized statistics for all of Canada, but in rural areas, the situation is even more dire. Firearm-related homicides of female victims by a spouse, intimate partner or family member hits 84% in the rural areas of Canada and 81% in the North, compared to 62% in urban areas.

I’ve outlined but two inquests, spaced decades apart, to help honourable colleagues understand the situation that we continue to face today. Despite the progress that has been made, we are still far from creating continued safe environments for intimate partner violence victims or reducing occurrences of violence against women altogether.

The Renfrew County inquest wants this formally declared an epidemic. This should be a wake-up call to all levels of government. Year-to-year funding, burnout amongst staff, overcrowded shelters and gaps in the system continue to put intimate partners, particularly women, at risk of violence. Recommendations are worth as much as the paper on which they’re printed if actions don’t follow. While I raise this issue through an Ontario lens, the rest of the country is not immune to the epidemic.

The purpose of a Senate inquiry is to draw the attention of the chamber to an issue and this, in my view, is an issue that needs highlighting. An inquiry does not result in a vote, but I nonetheless encourage all senators to speak from their own regional perspectives on this topic to help push the intimate partner violence narrative forward for the safety and security of all victims, past, present and future. Thank you, meegwetch.

(On motion of Senator Duncan, debate adjourned.)

(At 9:56 p.m., the Senate was continued until tomorrow at 2 p.m.)

Hon. Gwen Boniface: Honourable senators, I give notice that, two days hence:

I will call the attention of the Senate to intimate partner violence, especially in rural areas across Canada, in response to the coroner’s inquest conducted in Renfrew County, Ontario.