Government Orders
Iksivantali, the minister still has not answered my question, so I will ask again. When will the housing rights of Inuit be protected?
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Iksivantali, as I said, 40% of Inuit are living in overcrowded housing, but I will move on. There have been reports that 90 evacuations of first nations communities have occurred. There are many first nations communities that have been evacuated for over four years. When will the housing rights of these first nations communities be upheld?
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Iksivantali, it has long been known that communities such as Kashechewan, which will most likely have to be evacuated again, have been evacuated for longer than four years. When will their housing rights be upheld?
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Iksivantali, commitment is not reconciliation. Commitment is not action. When will the government act to uphold the rights of indigenous peoples' housing needs?
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Iksivantali, the urban, rural and northern housing strategy the minister mentioned will not happen until next fiscal year. How much of these funds will go toward Nunavut, Yukon and the NWT?
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Iksivantali, urban, rural and northern housing funding will go toward urban, rural and northern communities that are not in the territories. How much of the urban, rural and northern housing strategy will be outside of this funding and will go toward the NWT, the Yukon and Nunavut?
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Iksivantali, when will these funds be available to the territories?
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Iksivantali, I have indigenous women coming to me saying they cannot leave their violent partners because there is no housing available to them. When will the government protect the rights of indigenous women so they can live in safe and comfortable housing?
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Iksivantali, all I am hearing are more promises. All I am hearing are promises to spend money. At the same time, I am hearing from my communities that these investments are not helping my communities. They are not helping indigenous communities. When will the government actually act on ensuring that indigenous peoples have the same access to housing, which it says is a right of indigenous peoples?
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Iksivantali, all I will say at this point is that all these promises and all these investments have been in significant decline going back to 2016. We need to make sure that reinvestments are increased again to make sure that—
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Uqaqtittiji, since the member mentioned the foreign agent registries in Australia and the U.S., I wonder how he would consider those registries to be effective in protecting our national security and to make sure these registries are effective in informing Canadians about lobbying efforts by foreign agents.
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Uqaqtittiji, I know that, in this case, there needs to be a fine balance between ensuring that parliamentarians get the information they need and making sure that national security is not put further at risk. Can the member share how that fine balance can be used in this case?
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Uqaqtittiji, I appreciate that the hon. member shares the NDP's view that a public inquiry is absolutely necessary. I do have one question, though. I know transparency is super important, but one other way to protect our democracy is to make sure that we have a sense of national security. I wonder if the member could share with us how we could make sure that there is a fine balance between protect…
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Uqaqtittiji, in my short political life, I have experienced two events where I felt that our democracy was under threat. The first time was the “freedom convoy” last winter and the second time was when there was a breach of privilege found. Both times, it has been frustrating to see such a lack of seriousness that the government has taken in responding to both of these events. I wonder if the memb…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Uqaqtittiji, I really appreciated the history and timeline the member provided. Since I was elected, there have been two times when I felt our democracy was under threat. The first time was during the so-called “freedom convoy”. Those were intense times. The second time is now, with this debate, and what happened with the member for Wellington—Halton Hills. It seems that, when our democracy is und…
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Uqaqtittiji, I think it is unfortunate that the Conservative motion begins by talking only about foreign interference from China. We know that there is foreign interference from many other countries, especially from our neighbours, the United States. Specifically, I do recall that Travis Moore, a cryptocurrency businessman, gave $17,760. I wonder if the member agrees that when we are talking about…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank the member for contributing to this important debate. There is a part of the motion that we have not heard very much about; this is the foreign agent registry, which would be similar to what Australia and the U.S. have. Could the member describe the effectiveness of the registries in these other countries and how such a registry would protect Canadians from forei…
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Uqaqtittiji, the member talked about trust, and I think we all know in the House that Canadians need to trust their democratic institutions. However, this trust is being broken by foreign actors. That this trust is being broken down is evident in the House, and it is unfortunate that all of this stuff related to foreign interference is causing so much separation and segregation among Canadians. I …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank the hon. member for her important intervention and for introducing this bill. I am not too sure if the member knows this, but for indigenous communities, first nations, Métis and Inuit, kinship, customary care and adoption are important cultural practices. I wonder if the member would agree that ensuring these forms of adoption, as well as care, would be an impor…
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Uqaqtittiji, I am pleased to represent Nunavut regarding Bill C-318, an act to amend the Employment Insurance Act, as introduced by the hon. member of Parliament for Battlefords—Lloydminster. Qujannamiik to the member for introducing this bill. New Democrats support this bill. It would create a 15-week attachment leave benefit for adoptive and intended parents, through the employment insurance sys…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Uqaqtittiji, before colonization, Inuit, first nations and Métis were self-governing nations that each had their own forms of keeping well with each other. They had their own laws governing behaviours. They had their own laws governing land and wildlife management. Indigenous peoples were independent nations. Since about 150 years ago, the ravages of colonialism and the genocide against indigenous…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Uqaqtittiji, I appreciate the response, but I still consider the response to be quite piecemeal. The government has had years to be guided by important works led by indigenous peoples. Two of the major works include the calls for justice and the calls to action. Both of these reports provided comprehensive frameworks that can lead to positive change and can lead to the overall improvement of indig…
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Uqaqtittiji, considering the title of this bill is an act respecting regulatory modernization, in this time of reconciliation, a lot of legislation is quite outdated when it comes to indigenous peoples. A lot of regulations are quite outdated when it comes to indigenous peoples. Specifically I would like to ask about the Species at Risk Act, because it does point to some species that impact my rid…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to challenge the Conservatives' rhetoric about red tape and the lack of red tape being removed in the bill before us. They have used a lot of words like needing tools to make regulations nimble. I would like to challenge this fictional reality with actual text that is in the bill, and I will read a tiny example of what is in the bill. It reads: It also amends the Weights …
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Uqaqtittiji, I do, to some extent, agree with some of the member's statements, especially when it comes to the lack of impacts the bill has in engaging indigenous peoples in the various pieces of legislation it would be making amendments to. I wonder if the member would agree that Bill S-6 could be improved by ensuring regulations would require that indigenous peoples are better engaged in any of …
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Uqaqtittiji, first of all, I do not know what the education system is like in the member's riding of Dufferin—Caledon, but simple mathematics is what should be expected in Bill S-6. I know that this legislation covers about 30 pieces of legislation to try to help reduce red tape. I wonder if the member agrees that, because the bill covers at least 30 pieces of legislation and the summary says, “re…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank the member for including provisions in this bill regarding species at risk, because this act actually has a lot of detrimental impact in my region. There are two specific species, one of which is the barren-ground caribou. On the marine side, it is the Atlantic walrus. Those populations are known to be quite dramatic. It is hard to determine if they are at the ti…
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Uqaqtittiji, I know that this is a difficult bill, because it covers so many regulations in so many different acts. I am sure the member has also been exposed to many issues and barriers that are caused by regulations, being an indigenous person himself. I wonder if he can speak to why he has made the determination that he has and whether he does or does not support Bill S-6, and speak to what it …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Uqaqtittiji, Canada's failure and neglect is so evident in Grassy Narrows First Nation with the decades of mercury poisoning. Governments knew and did nothing, so Chief Turtle and his nation fought back. Three years ago, the Liberals finally announced they would build a mercury treatment centre. Three years later, nothing has been built. It is neglect once more. Grassy Narrows is doing its part. W…
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Uqaqtittiji, I think there are so many different solutions, and the biggest one, which I agree with the member for Winnipeg Centre on, is that we have to lift indigenous peoples up. I think the red dress alert would be a major solution because I know that indigenous women are targets, and the reason they might be targets is that there is not enough of a quick response when it is discovered that th…
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Uqaqtittiji, hopefully, it would be Inuit, first nations and Métis who would be helping in the responses. Unfortunately, the social work services are also a very patriarchal system. They use the best interest of the child to apprehend children, so I cannot trust easily the social work system. Hopefully, it would be Inuit elders, Inuit people and indigenous peoples, who we know can help during thes…
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Uqaqtittiji, the minister plays an important role as the Minister of Northern Affairs in determining whether resource extraction will be approved in Nunavut, impacting many Inuit communities. I want to ask the minister if he has read the report by the Standing Committee on the Status of Women from its study of violence against indigenous women and girls in the context of resource development and w…
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Uqaqtittiji, I thank the minister for her intervention. I know she has been a minister for many years, and I know she has heard from many first nations, Métis and Inuit over her time as a politician in many different portfolios. I am sure she has heard from families, survivors and advocates who are calling on the federal government to declare the continued loss of indigenous women and girls and tw…
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Uqaqtittiji, the motion specifically asks that more immediate and substantial investments be created, including a red dress alert system. We know that the infrastructure already exists for this because of the amber alert. With the red dress alert system, we can do a better job of ensuring that indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people are protected right at the time that they are considered mi…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to ask about affordability, which the member started talking about but did not really discuss in the rest of her intervention. The NDP feels that there needs to be assurances that projects are meeting the core housing needs of Canadians. Does the member agree that infrastructure funding should be tied to specific affordability criteria?
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Uqaqtittiji, the Liberal government has been, for years, saying that there is no relationship more important than that with the first nations, Métis and Inuit. The member talked about how much more work they still need to do regarding housing, including indigenous housing, showing how indigenous peoples are at the bottom of the priority list. Can the member explain why it is that the government ch…
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Uqaqtittiji, I do enjoy working with that member as well on the indigenous and northern affairs committee. Police services are also a very complicated matter. Unfortunately, they are used as a way to ensure that genocide happens against indigenous peoples. RCMP in Nunavut, for example, have very limited services, and I think the member brings forward a great solution. It is a great idea to make su…
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Uqaqtittiji, it breaks my heart to have to make this speech tonight. Canada's genocidal laws and policies have remained strongly intact for over 150 years now, and because of that, we see the success of these policies by governments over those generations. The success of the policies in what we see in Canada today are so many, but I will name just the tip of the iceberg of some of them. They inclu…
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Uqaqtittiji, I am glad that the member mentioned indigenous issues. I am wondering if she could share her thoughts on a concern I have that this budget did not do enough for indigenous housing. While it says that $4 billion over seven years will go to urban, rural and northern indigenous housing, that will not start until 2024 and will go over seven years. What are her thoughts on that policy?
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Uqaqtittij, I guess another aspect of freedom is what we do and how we ensure that we ourselves practise in our country our own freedoms and how we ensure countries are safe. For example, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not allowing a lot of Ukrainians to be safe, to be free. The budget implementation act talks about amending the customs tariff to remove Belarus and Russia from the list of countri…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to know what the member would say to his constituents about all the benefits that all the different populations of people in his riding in Northumberland—Peterborough South are going to be getting. There is dental care, the GST rebate being doubled and the grocery rebate. What is it about these benefits, which are going to his constituents, that he is so against?
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to ask the hon. member, in the budget implementation act, what he has seen that invests in indigenous peoples.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Uqaqtittiji, I cannot name the many indigenous women who have reached out to me, trying to flee from violence. If I did, I would make their already difficult situation even worse. To those who are forced to live with their abusive partners, I say, “I hear you.” The government needs to hear that these women are forced to live in abusive situations because of the lack of housing, because there are n…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank the member for her thoughtful intervention. I do agree with some points about the budget. One part, where the budget does not spend enough, or early enough, is on indigenous housing. It allocates $4 billion, starting in 2024, but it would be over four years and spread across Canada. Could the member share her thoughts on how we need to prioritize indigenous housi…
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Uqaqtittiji, the member talked about this budget including harmful policies. It is because of the NDP that the budget included $13 billion over five years and $4.4 billion a year on an ongoing basis to support dental care. How can she describe that as a harmful policy?
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Uqaqtittiji, I agree with a lot of what the member said. There is a lot of disappointment in the budget, including especially the delayed commitment to address indigenous housing. There is $4 billion and I understand that would not start until next year. I wonder if the member could explain what the Liberal government needs to hear to make sure that we are doing better for indigenous housing, incl…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank the member for Pontiac for focusing on climate change and what the government will do to combat climate change. I would like to ask her about the Kivalliq hydro-fibre link project, which is mentioned in the budget. Unfortunately, the budget does not say how much it will invest in that project, and I wonder if she could tell the House what kinds of investments it …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Uqaqtittiji, I am pleased to submit this petition, signed by Canadians who state that over 29,000 Canadians have died due to apparent opioid toxicity between January 2016 and December 2021. This petition states that Canada's current drug policies have proven to be ineffective in the prevention of substance use and exacerbates substance use, harms and risks. The war on drugs has resulted in widespr…
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Uqaqtittiji, I just came from Kinngait, a small community of about 1,000 people. That community just suffered a rash of four suicides in a very short amount of time. At the same time, the budget proposes almost $1 billion to persuade indigenous peoples to engage in environmental assessment processes, which the member spoke briefly about. Indigenous peoples are not getting the benefits they deserve…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Uqaqtittiji, the budget allocated almost a billion dollars to persuade indigenous peoples to exploit their lands. There are too few of the 338 MPs who will work to protect indigenous peoples' rights. That is why I say now, directly to Inuit, first nations and Métis, that their inherent rights are being violated, infringed upon and exploited. I say to the families of the MMIWG, the survivors and fa…
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