Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I rise to support Bill C-236, or McCann's law. I want to thank my hon. colleague from Parkland for his relentless work in the mission for justice and closure and his support for those victims and their families who have not received a proper burial, which is something that all humans deserve. I acknowledge the spirit of Lyle and Marie McCann, their family and their never-ending jour…
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Mr. Speaker, Indigenous Services covers Inuit, Métis and first nations, in particular. It is my understanding that Inuit people have no second-generation cut-off rule and Métis people have no second-generation cut-off rule, but first nations do. Could the member reflect on the injustices under that ministry and how that definition cannot continue to go forward?
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Mr. Speaker, ultimately, the original version of the bill is Bill C-38 through the Nicholas decision, and it affects primarily the Michel band in particular, of over 3,000 people approximately. I think the Liberals are phrasing this as one or the other. We can have both, and we can make history today. The government has traditionally gone through litigation to change the Indian Act. This time it c…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives support the amendments made by the Senate.
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Mr. Speaker, since I have come here as a new member of Parliament, I have witnessed ISC over the last number of years go from 4,000 to 8,000 employees. I have seen ISC programs double and the results for first nations and indigenous peoples come down. Can the member reflect on how focusing on empowerment through root causes is better than focusing on expanding budgets for government bureaucracy an…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her speech and acknowledge the history that she spoke about and the history that she personally represents. I am very proud to see that happen in my lifetime. In this House, we have legislation that affects first nations on multiple issues. Earlier in this Parliament, we talked about things like Bill C-5. We debated an Alberta MOU. At that time, first nat…
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Mr. Speaker, I chose to come to Ottawa to do right by my constituents, to do right by our country and all its people as defined by Treaty No. 6, and to do right by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms for all Canadians, including Canada's first nations people. Bill S-2 would bring justice to first nations people by helping to end discrimination, discrimination that primarily affects first nations wo…
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Mr. Speaker, just yesterday I was proud to sit in the House and witness my Conservative colleague from Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes be supported with the unanimous consent of all parties to amend the Criminal Code to end coerced and forced sterilization, which unfortunately disproportionately affects indigenous women and girls. It was a powerful moment between all parties that will bring justice and …
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Mr. Speaker, ultimately, as I said, the decisions and the destiny of first nations and indigenous people lie in their own communities. I agree with that principle, but I also think that this is a delay tactic from the Liberals. Quite frankly, it is not consistent with their position when it came to not consulting on Bill C-5 and on Alberta's MOU. Right now, I think that first nations have that opp…
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Mr. Speaker, ultimately, the Indian Act needs to be dispelled, but it is first nations that have to be the primary driver of that. I agree with my colleague in that regard. For this legislation, I accept the amendments the Senate made. Again, we cannot let perfect get in the way of progress. The Indian Act is still going to be generations and decades ahead at different paces for first nations comm…
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Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if my colleague can reflect on a report that came out today that says one in four Canadians now works for government, whether that be the federal government, provincial governments, municipal governments or the public service. The member reflected upon the middle class getting weaker. While the government is bloating up and expending, none of these dollars seems to reac…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding work of Chrysalis, an Alberta society for citizens with disabilities located in my riding of Edmonton Northwest. Chrysalis demonstrates a principle Albertans strongly believe in, which is that dignity is found in work, contribution and self-reliance. For nearly 60 years, Chrysalis has empowered thousands of people with disabilities to pursue m…
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Mr. Speaker, despite the Prime Minister announcing that China will reduce tariffs on canola by March 1, reports say the Chinese commerce ministry revealed that it only committed to making a decision by March 9. What kind of master negotiator is the Prime Minister when he refuses to acknowledge that the deals he promised with China and the U.S. are falling through? Canadian farmers are looking for …
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Madam Speaker, in Edmonton Northwest, too many warehouses, retail spaces and industrial yards sit empty as Canadians wait for the economy to get better. Stats Canada confirmed that Canada lost 25,000 jobs last month. However, one great organization in my riding is a champion for change. Tribal Chiefs Employment and Training Services, led by executive director Eva John-Gladue, has been a great exam…
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is talking out of both sides of his mouth on pipelines and tanker bans. Behind closed doors, he whispers to the Liberal “keep it in the ground“ caucus that the pipeline will never be built, while signing an MOU to build one for Canadians. The Liberals say they are for a tanker ban, but then the Prime Minister promised to override it in the MOU. The Prime Minister pr…
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Madam Speaker, does the Prime Minister even have control of his caucus anymore? Conservatives will keep fighting to boost Canadian paycheques and make energy, food and homes affordable and our economy self-reliant, secure and sovereign. Where is the respect for people who want opportunity, for those who sign equity agreements on pipelines, and for the first nations that drilled, engineered, built …
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Madam Speaker, certainly we did hear from the chiefs, and they do have concerns, but they are concerns with the government and its failed consultation processes, which I think the Liberal government in the last 10 years has shown. The other thing is that of course we do agree with the wording; it is right in our motion about consent with indigenous nations. We are not backing away from consultatio…
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Madam Speaker, I hear the concerns. I hear the concerns of first nations that have environmental concerns. That is totally fair. Again, we are for consultation, as per the wording of the motion, 100%. However, we also believe in Canadians who do environmental protection, the scientists and the technologists who have been proven time and time again. TMX has had no spill since operation. Now we have…
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Madam Speaker, we do not. There is Canadian law, and there are treaties that have been signed, but I think, again, that Liberals typically play games with these to pit one region or people against another. Canadians and first nations people, indigenous people, are tired of this. When I was a kid, we used to do drumming in our classroom. We used to do singing in our classroom. We were taught our la…
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Madam Speaker, I am honoured to share my time with the member for Battle River—Crowfoot. How did we get here, to a point where Canada, a nation blessed with some of the world's most ethical oil and hardest-working people, cannot even get a pipeline within our own borders built without years of political trench warfare? For years the Liberal government has fuelled a culture war against Alberta and …
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister disrespected chiefs by shutting them out of the MOU consultations and discussions with Alberta. The Prime Minister talked down to first nation chiefs yesterday at AFN for 20 minutes about not breaking trust. Then he completely ignored all questions from Alberta first nations. The Prime Minister is breaking trust with first nations, investors, Albertans, British Colu…
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Mr. Speaker, it has been eight months since the Prime Minister was elected, claiming he would build nation-building projects at speeds not seen in generations. Now we have learned that he has not even started consultations. He could have started these within weeks of the last election, given the existential crisis that he claimed. The Prime Minister's incoming heritage minister said that consultat…
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Mr. Speaker, last week, the Liberal Minister of Energy and Natural Resources blatantly disrespected indigenous groups by rudely offering pipeline consultations over Zoom. Not only is this insulting, but consultations with indigenous groups should have started eight months ago in person when the Liberals promised to move at a scale and speed not seen in generations. Canadians support pipelines and …
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Mr. Speaker, proper due diligence is still required on this bill. As mentioned, it has several shortcomings. It did do a few good things when it came to the consumer carbon price, but at the end of the day, I still think it was this side of the House that advocated for that and made it happen for Canadians. We will still do our due diligence on this side of the House, and we will see what happens …
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Mr. Speaker, our leader has never said anything as of such. We certainly have section 35 rights. Nobody has ever talked against those rights. I think it is the leader's position that the Liberal government has said it will do consultation half-assed, therefore setting this project up for failure. It had eight months to do this one-on-one engagement. It is only now saying it is going to be done thr…
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Mr. Speaker, certainly in my experience as the chief of my community, we always had the paternalistic aspect of the federal government with Indian Oil and Gas oversight of how we developed our resources. There always seemed to be some kind of hidden motivation there when it came to limiting access to the resources back directly to the community or whether it was negligence on its part to actually …
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my friend from Richmond—Arthabaska. I rise today to speak on Bill C-4. Although this bill is inspired by the Conservatives' platform and promises, Bill C-4's collection of half measures does not deal with the real drivers of the affordability crisis: large deficits, high spending, and heavy taxation and regulation. We acknowledge the Liberals for admitti…
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Mr. Speaker, I like serving with my colleague on committee as well, but that aside, as for his question today, nothing in this current bill, Bill C-4, addresses first nations. The current Liberal government is doing cutbacks on the ISC budget to the tune of over $2 billion. In addition to that, it has zeros across the board for years to come when it comes to reconciliation. I find, again, that fir…
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Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of Liberal deficits, Canadians are having to put nearly 50% more of their expenses on credit cards. Fitch Ratings, the agency that gives the Liberal government its credit score, says that the Liberal government frequently blows through fiscal anchors. On top of this, the Parliamentary Budget Officer is also ringing the alarm bells: “With Budget 2025 the Government aband…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague from West Edmonton Mall asked a good question. I spoke about this in my address. It is frustrating as an Albertan. The government says one thing and then walks it back. It is systematic changes that we need in this country. It is not Bill C-5 being used as a weapon to pick winners and losers. We need to unite this country, yet we have seen no projects coming out of Albe…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for sharing her time with me. Canadians have now had time to absorb this budget. A common theme heard from everyday Albertans in my riding of Edmonton Northwest is that the budget fails to address the number one concern of Canadians today: affordability. The government touts this budget as a generational budget, but the future generations of Canada, the young pe…
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Madam Speaker, I did not say it was a bad thing for Alberta and Canadians to work together, but what I was highlighting was an indigenous perspective about the crisis we are faced with today. Sure, I wholeheartedly support Alberta and Canada working together when it comes to major projects, but those projects are five years, 10 years or maybe decades away. All these announcements are recycled anno…
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Madam Speaker, I do wholeheartedly agree that times are changing and technology is changing. This country does need a strategy when it comes to AI and AI reform. I believe my colleague who spoke before me spoke about this very well. I hope to see that reflected more clearly in the budget. I do not think we are getting that from this current budget. Canadians have solutions. I think the government …
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have introduced the most costly and largest budget deficit in history outside of COVID. The cost of the Liberal budget will drive up the cost of food, housing and everything else Canadians buy. Young families, seniors and veterans in Edmonton Northwest are having to make hard choices as the snow falls. It is costing more to heat their homes and feed their families, but ev…
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Madam Speaker, I will reflect on my own family. They live on a first nation in a rural community next to a large urban centre, and they have been noticing that immigration has been mismanaged by the Liberal government. They feel forgotten in the conversation on how to improve the management of immigration. Certainly, we welcome people who come to this country who can contribute, with compassion, a…
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Madam Speaker, I agree that bail reform, as mentioned, and being tougher on crime are needed, but collaboration is needed from Canadians from province to province; from different agencies, like the CBSA, the RCMP and provincial police forces; and from indigenous communities, urban and rural alike. I also think the Liberals need to look at their promises. We put forward solutions on this side of th…
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Madam Speaker, I certainly agree that our police forces, whether they are the CBSA, the RCMP, provincial police forces or indigenous police forces, deserve that investment and recognition, but I do not get my hopes too high, to be honest. This announcement has been made a number of times over the last number of months, and not one officer has been hired. I agree this is the way to go forward, but …
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Madam Speaker, it is always an honour to rise and speak in the House. I rise to speak to Bill C-12. I would like to remind the House that it was Conservatives who forced the Liberals to back down on Bill C-2, which would violate Canadians' individual freedoms and privacy. The Privacy Commissioner confirmed that the Liberals did not even consult with him when trying to grant themselves sweeping new…
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Mr. Speaker, [Member spoke in Blackfoot and provided the following translation:] Greetings. My name is Sacred Horse Rider. [English] Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, I had the honour of witnessing the opening of the Chief Crop Eared Wolf Peacemaking Centre of the Blood Tribe in Alberta. The Blood Tribe has invested tens of millions of dollars of its own sourced revenue to build its own judicial cen…
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Mr. Speaker, since first nations and indigenous communities are so far behind, investments in housing are always good. Again, I would implore the government to think bigger, not just about subsidies and social housing. Those are good things that will be needed in indigenous communities and all Canadian communities for the rest of time, but there is also a market for housing, and first nations coul…
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House. I thank my colleague for sharing his time with me. For 10 years now, the Liberal government has made our country weaker with overspending and deficit after deficit. Through the Liberal government, the promotion of government dependency in regard to economic development has become the staple and the identity of Canada, especially in indigenous econ…
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Mr. Speaker, the member implicated the government in needing to make targeted investments in first nations and indigenous economies. I thank him for that question, but I would rephrase that. What we need is for the government to get out of the way. We have always known how to run our own economies. We have always known how to stand on our own two feet, and we need the government to get out of the …
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Mr. Speaker, government certainly has a role in investing in housing for first nations communities. Federal jurisdiction dictates that first nations in particular have to work directly with the government and not necessarily provincial government or municipalities first. Again, I highlight that we have the resources. Many of our communities are rural, right next to the biggest forests in Canada. I…
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Mr. Speaker, third party management is an ISC policy and stipulation. If the government cannot spend its dollars right, it needs oversight, and rightly so. It is humiliating for first nations, and sometimes humility is part of what we are as first nations. If this applied to Canada, we would not have 10 years of deficits and would not have trillions going to other countries, externally. If Canada …
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Mr. Speaker, for indigenous people, the gun grab program threatens our aboriginal inherent and treaty rights to live off the land. Our hunting rifles are not the Prime Minister's political props; they are part of our way of life and tradition, passed down through generations and rooted in a responsibility to feed our families. Confiscating lawful guns while smugglers pour illegal guns across the b…
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With regard to the government's proposed capital gains tax increase which was cancelled in March 2025: (a) prior to the cancellation, how much was spent by the Canada Revenue Agency on implementing the increase, in total and broken down by type of expenditure; (b) prior to the cancellation, how many tax filers paid extra tax as a result of the proposed increase and what was the amount of extra tax…
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With regard to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey statement that "[e]xcluded from the survey's coverage are persons living on reserves and other Indigenous settlements in the provinces": (a) why does the Labour Force Survey exclude such persons; (b) does Statistics Canada track or study the employment statistics on reserves and settlements by another method and, if so, what is the alternative…
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[Member spoke in Cree and provided the following text:] Neegan Ninaskomon Nohtwiynan kise manitou Kiya neegan kanigan nistamun oma waskigan Tansi Kitamskahtinawaw Kakiyaw Niwahkamahkanak Nahtohkitopi ekwa Wapikihew Nitsikason Maskekosihk ekwa Amiskwaciy waskihigan Ochi anoch Kinoteh kaskomtikohk Opaskahhopism nistano peyaksap kahkimeh Nehiway kisikaw [Member provided the following translation:] Fi…
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Mr. Speaker, I agree that environmental protection has to be done, but I am not exactly confident that the Liberals are the right government to lead that protection. Again, they say they are for the consumer carbon tax, and now that is conveniently gone. I share that same concern about this. One day they say they are for the environment, and then they do things like this. I would say, going forwar…
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Mr. Speaker, I share those same concerns. Last week in committee of the whole, the Minister of Energy said he has over 180 consultations with first nations over the next two weeks. How could he actually think that 180 over 14 days is meaningful consultation? The government is not a government that takes things seriously. There are proven ways of getting things done with first nations. In my own pr…
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