Hon. Marty Klyne: Senator Gold, I’m delighted that Bill C-2 fulfills the government’s election promise to amend the Canada Post Corporation Act, allowing police with a warrant to search items in the mail for fentanyl and other contraband as they can with private couriers. This change has been a proposal of Senator Dalphond since 2022 with Bill S-256, supported last year by our Legal Committee. Our committee made an amendment to enable Indigenous nations to authorize Canada Post to conduct screenings of mail for illegal drugs coming into their territories. This request came from the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and the Mushkegowuk Council, representing 70 First Nations. This change is not in Bill C-2. Will you please raise the potential inclusion of the screening measure via an amendment with the government?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): Thank you for your question, for your advocacy and for underlining the work of Senator Dalphond as well as the Legal Committee when it studied Senator Dalphond’s bill in the previous Parliament. Yes, I will certainly raise this with the minister at my earliest opportunity, and sometime thereafter, when the bill arrives in the Senate, we’ll have an opportunity to address it as well.

Senator Klyne: Under Bill C-15, adopted in 2021, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, or UNDRIP, action plan requires the government, in consultation with Indigenous peoples, to take all measures needed to ensure that the federal laws comply with the declaration. This includes the Canada Post Corporation Act. Self-determination, of course, includes reasonably preventing the flow of contraband into communities. Will you please raise this aspect of the potential amendment as well?

Senator Gold: Thank you again, senator, for your question. The government is indeed committed to the action plan to which you refer. It will continue its partnership with Indigenous peoples to ensure a smooth rollout of that, and I’ll add it to the issues I will raise with the minister.