Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have to say, it is highly disturbing that I am again obliged to call out the government's glaring violations of Canada's Constitution, including international covenants to which Canada is a signatory, in Bill C-2, the so-called strong borders act. This is the second occasion where the Liberals have presented a piece of legislation that would provide government with sweeping executiv…
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Mr. Speaker, does my hon. colleague believe the bill violates the Canadian Constitution and violates sections of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, yes or no?
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Mr. Speaker, it is about that, but also, I cannot hear because there are members in the House chit-chatting. I am wondering if they could take it to the lobby so we can hear the debate.
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Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member should join the Conservative Party. That is a lot of sound bites. The reality is that what the NDP opposes is the violation of constitutional rights, the violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the putting forward of a bill that impacts particularly women fleeing violence without a gender-based lens. This has been highly criticized by over 122 lawye…
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Mr. Speaker, absolutely, we saw that with Bill C-5, certainly. With Bill C-2, they are not really getting members up to speak. This is a far-reaching bill. This is an omnibus bill that is over 132 pages. Where are the Liberals? The same people are here talking about the bill. We are talking about a bill that violates civil liberties, constitutional rights and international law. Yes, migrants and a…
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Mr. Speaker, we know, even from what has happened in the States, that tough-on-crime approaches to drugs do not work. We have seen that. What our community organizations are calling for on the front lines of this issue is to deal with the toxic drug supply. We have a record number of overdoses in our community. I am not into political responses that have resulted in people dying in the streets tha…
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Mr. Speaker, I will not retract the word, calling the government “colonial”. I will not.
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I said his words were, his approach, and I—
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Mr. Speaker, I find it quite colonial with the member for Winnipeg North, particularly because indigenous peoples and nations from across this country have been very clear that the government has not fulfilled its duty of free, prior and informed consent. Organizations including AFN, ITK, NAN and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs have come forward and called out the government. They have not received—
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Mr. Speaker, thank goodness for the member for Vancouver East for splitting the bill. The NDP does support removing interprovincial trade barriers and will be voting in favour of that part of the bill. What we will not vote in favour of is violating constitutional rights, violating the section 35 rights of indigenous people, violating section 35(3) constitutional obligations, violating UNDRIP, vio…
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Mr. Speaker, there seems to be a misunderstanding about what nation building is. In fact, this bill has been called a fast track to the Supreme Court, meaning no building of the economy and no new jobs. I am wondering why the Conservatives are supporting a bill that is going to spend more time holding up projects in the courts than getting things done on the ground.
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Mr. Speaker, over the last short while, because, of course, we were given very little time, I have expressed very serious concerns about Bill C-5 as it relates to the constitutional rights of indigenous peoples, the protection of our environment, and workers' rights. I would like to thank my very brilliant colleague, the member for Vancouver East, for helping us split the bill to ensure that the L…
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Mr. Speaker, the member for Winnipeg North just asked me a question. He represented, up until recently, a part of Winnipeg with the highest number of kids in care. Indigenous people are very supportive of building a strong economy. Indigenous leaders, in fact, have said we are not against it. What we are against is the violation of our constitutionally enshrined rights. This is going to put us dec…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, indigenous rights holders and civil society groups have been clear: Bill C-5 would violate constitutional rights, escalate the climate crisis and endanger workers' health and safety , but the Liberals and Conservatives are teaming up to pass the bill without proper consultations. The AFN, the ITK and NAN have indicated that it is an ungracious invitation to the Supreme Court. This wil…
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Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, during question period, members of the Liberal caucus kept providing disinformation about the notion that they are upholding section 35 rights. That is not true and I would like them to apologize.
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-5 violates constitutional obligations, eradicates environmental protections, compromises workers' health and safety, and fails to hold corporations accountable in cases where violence is inflicted on indigenous women and girls, which is one of the calls for justice from the national inquiry. We thought Pierre Poilievre lost his seat, but it seems like he is leading the Liberal …
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Mr. Chair, to the Minister of Resources, has Bill C-5 been subjected to a charter challenge test, as required by the Department of Justice Act, section 4.2?
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Mr. Chair, does the minister agree that infringing upon constitutional obligations will result in projects ending up in court rather than resulting in the creation of jobs, yes or no?
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Mr. Chair, is the minister aware that Bill C-5 violates section 35 of the Constitution Act 1982, yes or no?
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Mr. Chair, any sort of shift within the Constitution, which the bill does, requires consent. Moving on, does the minister agree that the government must uphold its constitutional obligations set out in treaties, yes or no?
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Mr. Chair, the minister clearly does not understand the concept of free, prior and informed consent, meaning that the consultation has to occur prior to decisions being made, including in the development of a bill. Moving forward, does the minister agree that the ability of the minister and cabinet to throw out the Impact Assessment Act procedure is overreaching at a time when we are seeing an inc…
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Mr. Chair, is the minister aware that Bill C-5 would usurp the authority of modern land claim agreements and legally transfer that authority to ministers in cabinet, without the consent of indigenous signatories?
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Mr. Chair, why is FPIC, free, prior and informed consent, left out of Bill C-5?
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Mr. Chair, through numerous Supreme Court of Canada decisions, the court has determined a constitutional obligation to consult and accommodate indigenous peoples, including the obligation to obtain full consent. Is the minister aware that Bill C-5 fails to uphold that constitutional obligation, yes or no?
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Mr. Chair, the minister seems to be having difficulty answering any of my questions, although he seemed to be able to answer questions when he felt like it. Is the Minister of Natural Resources aware of the risk of increased violence against indigenous women and girls that will result from fast-tracking extraction and oil and gas projects without putting in place safety plans for communities hosti…
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Mr. Chair, is the minister aware that this report and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls called on the government to hold resource extraction companies accountable for violence against indigenous women and girls occurring around resource extraction projects or in “man camps”, temporary villages that are set up to house workers?
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Mr. Chair, is the minister aware of the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women report titled “Responding to the Calls for Justice: Addressing Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls in the Context of Resource Development Projects”, yes or no?
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Mr. Chair, the minister seems to be totally absent and not to understand the issue of gender-based violence. He has not taken any of those factors into account. Moving forward, would Bill C-5 put in place measures to hold resource companies accountable in cases where workers perpetrate violence against indigenous women and girls, or is that still off his radar?
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Mr. Chair, the minister has been very clear that safety for communities where resource extraction occurs is a non-issue. Is the minister aware that modern land claim agreements provide for environmental assessment and review procedures that require direct indigenous involvement and participation, yes or no?
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Mr. Chair, how will the government uphold its commitment to fight the climate crisis in Bill C-5 when a minister in cabinet can override legislative assessment processes, including the environmental protections contained in the Impact Assessment Act?
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Mr. Chair, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement provides for multiple environmental assessments and review processes. Has the minister received consent from the Grand Council of the Crees and Cree Nation Government in the creation of the bill, yes or no?
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Madam Speaker, it is really troubling to me that the Liberal government is trying to push through an omnibus bill of over 120 pages. I am wondering if the member agrees with me that perhaps we need to push the government to ensure that we can look at the legislation separately and get it out of an omnibus bill.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, after being elected as the member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre for the third time, I rise to express my sincere gratitude to my family, my campaign team, our Winnipeg Centre team and all those who gave me their support this election. Regardless of whether they voted for me, I am committed to working to gain their trust and to doing my best to be their voice in Ottawa. I will wast…
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Mr. Speaker, the Migrant Rights Network said that this bill is anti-refugee and anti-immigrant. Does my colleague agree?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, tens of thousands of well-paying jobs are being threatened by the 50% tariffs on steel in the auto, aerospace and building sector. The Prime Minister said he would stand up to Trump. However, we cannot trust the Liberals. There is no labour minister. They are forcing people to go back to the office and want to replace workers with AI. Why will the government not reform EI and income s…
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, I certainly cannot speak for the Premier of Manitoba. I am speaking on behalf of first nations leadership. I know the member opposite has had a really difficult time understanding the federal government's constitutional obligations to free, prior and informed consent of indigenous people, but perhaps he can read that in a book.
Read full speech →Emergency Debate
Mr. Speaker, here is the thing. In the middle of wildfires, where is the Prime Minister? He is meeting with other premiers around the country to fast-track resource extraction projects, getting rid of environmental assessments and fast-tracking consultations with indigenous peoples. We need a couple of things to happen. We need proper consultation processes with indigenous people. The federal gove…
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Mr. Speaker, in the case of first nations communities, it is in fact under the jurisdiction of Indigenous Services Canada, which has a fiduciary duty of care. For example, in the case of Pimicikamak Cree Nation and Pukatawagan, where six people at a time were being lifted out of their community because its airstrip closed down, that is a failure of the federal government. It is certainly time that…
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague said that the government has done all it can. People disagree, including Chief Monias of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, who has claimed that the Government of Canada has neglected its constitutional obligations to collaborate and consult in the evacuation process, often citing bureaucratic issues and jurisdictional disputes that are delaying processes. First nations chiefs…
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moved: That this House do now adjourn. Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with my colleague from Nunavut. I first want to express my sincere appreciation to all the frontline workers, firefighters and health care workers who are working around the clock to respond to the wildfire disasters. I would also like to thank the people of Peguis First Nation, Sagkeeng, The Pas, Thompson, OCN, Norway…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member from my caucus on his re-election. How does he feel about the Liberal government's trying to fast-track energy projects without proper environmental assessments?
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, it is tragic that at a time when we are seeing a record number of overdoses, the Liberal government is taking a tough-on-crime approach, totally throwing people suffering from mental health and addictions to the side and making it a non-topic for the government. Certainly, in my riding of Winnipeg Centre, we have had a record number of people die from toxic drugs. The fact that so man…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, I would like to start my maiden speech by thanking my family, my wonderful team in Winnipeg Centre, my campaign team and, of course, the wonderful constituents of Winnipeg Centre, who have blessed me with the honour of serving them in the House. Today I am here to make some remarks about the throne speech, a throne speech that builds the economy on the backs of people while lining the…
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Mr. Speaker, we know the poverty rate of seniors is increasing. The NDP has absolutely supported lowering the age for receiving pensions, yet the government does not even have a minister for seniors who sits around the cabinet table. Seniors are the ones who built the foundations of this country, and it is unfortunate that the government has turned its back on them.
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, I find that funny. It was not me who made those observations. It was Chief Bobby Cameron and National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak who made comments about the failure of the Liberal government to uphold constitutional obligations. “Nothing about us without us” is not about who benefits; it is about being members with obligations. We are obligated to uphold the rule of law, and that i…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the Prime Minister has presented an exclusionary throne speech in which there is zero mention of seniors, the disability community and youth mental health and addiction, with honourable mentions of women, gender-diverse folks, workers and indigenous people, even though his whole economic plan is dependent on indigenous lands, territories and resources. He also has no …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise to request an emergency debate regarding the devastating wildfires currently having an impact on Manitoba and surrounding regions. As of last week, more than 17,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes in northern Manitoba, many from remote and northern first nations communities. Thick smoke from these fires has spread across the country and into the United States, c…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, due to the escalating climate crisis, Manitobans are being uprooted from their communities by raging wildfires. The premier has ordered a province-wide emergency as 17,000 people in northern communities and first nations have fled their homes. Many are being evacuated to Winnipeg Centre, where countless people already suffer with housing insecurity and unmet mental health needs. Will …
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Mr. Speaker, the special interlocutor, the AFN, the Canadian Medical Association and the victims ombudsperson are calling for legal mechanisms to end residential school denialism, but the Liberal Attorney General is missing in action when it comes to the rise of extremism against indigenous people. He has failed to protect survivors and their families from violence. Inciting hate is not free speec…
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