Government Orders
Uqaqtittiji, one thing we have learned is that the nutrition north program was created by the Conservative government and is now protected by the Liberal government. Could the member share with us what the impacts of the Liberal government protecting the Conservative-created program are on the poverty levels of indigenous peoples in Canada?
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Uqaqtittiji, I wonder if my colleague could respond to the impacts of the Liberals' constant delays in making reforms to nutrition north. I have been asking since 2021 for changes, having heard from my constituents all along. To date, the most recent responses have been to do yet another internal review, with a possible later external review. What is the impact on our constituents when the Liberal…
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Uqaqtittiji, knowing that receiving abusive behaviours from law enforcement can be quite traumatizing, sometimes it could take courage and a very long time to be able to submit a complaint. I wonder if the member can share with us the NDP's amendment that was passed, which amended the time to be able submit a complaint from one year to two years and how important that is for those complainants who…
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Uqaqtittiji, I can only speak to how things work in Nunavut. As I said, all the communities I represent are fly-in communities. It has taken me almost three years to get to all of them. When I see the efforts of the nutrition north program being used properly by businesses like local co-ops, those kinds of programs can work if they are used the way they are intended to be used. The Liberal governm…
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Uqaqtittiji, Nunavummiut already pay some of the highest airfares in the world. The lowest airfare in 2023 from Ottawa to Grise Fiord was over $11,000. Even worse is that baggage fees recently went up, ripping off northerners even more. This is all happening under the Liberals' watch, when they promised that airline costs would not go up in the north. Flights are a lifeline in Nunavut. Why is the …
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Uqaqtittiji, the NDP has been calling out the Conservatives on their disinformation to Canadians. As I said, when it comes to the fly-in communities that this program is supposed to support, all flights going to Nunavut are exempt from carbon tax, so we cannot attribute the increased cost of food to the carbon tax.
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Uqaqtittiji, I very much enjoyed working with the member when she was at the indigenous and northern affairs committee. Great solutions have been provided from reports like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls for action, and the MMIWG's calls for justice. In the other report I mentioned, recommendations were made by Amautiit Nunavut Inuit Women’s Association. Coming from the NDP, my co…
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Uqaqtittiji, before I start my speech, I would like to send my best and happiest birthday wishes to my son, Robin. I love him so much, and I am excited to see him again sometime soon. With respect to the nutrition north program, I thank the NDP for this opposition day motion to bring to light why we have been making efforts to have it overhauled. The inaction by the Liberals has compelled the NDP …
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Uqaqtittiji, I realize that the member did not talk about it in his intervention, but I will ask him about the nutrition north program. Amautiit Nunavut Inuit Women's Association, which I mentioned earlier, reported that the child poverty rate for Nunavut is 35.8%. That is a startling poverty rate in Canada. Another statistic is that the North West Company CEO's salary was $3.91 million. The nutri…
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Uqaqtittiji, in Nunavut, aviation fuel is exempt from the carbon tax, so carbon tax cannot be used as an excuse for the high prices of groceries. Does the member agree that, in fact, it is corporate greed causing higher prices in Nunavut? An example I have mentioned is the CEO of the North West Company, who earned $3.91 million, while my constituents in one year earned $3.91 million. Meanwhile, my…
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Uqaqtittiji, I know that the member did not talk about nutrition north in his intervention very much, but that has been the focus of my debate. There are constituents of members of the Bloc Party who can have access to the nutrition north program, and I am specifically talking about the Inuit communities in Nunavik. I wonder what he has to say about the nutrition north program's not having a posit…
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Uqaqtittiji, my colleague's intervention was excellent. I will ask the member about the Competition Act and Bill C-59, particularly because it is the NDP that is the only party that is fighting corporate greed. I would like to give a specific example. I am a member of the indigenous and northern affairs committee, and it was my motion that got the North West Company, a grocery company that is subs…
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Uqaqtittiji, last week, I met with the Tumikuluit Saipaaqivik day care in Iqaluit, a day care that provides culturally appropriate care in Inuktitut. Because of a lack of funding, it is on the verge of closing. In 2022, the Liberals promised millions of dollars to Nunavut day care. The funding is taking too long to make its way to Tumikuluit Saipaaqivik day care. Will the Liberals ensure Tumikului…
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Uqaqtittiji, by the time the fall economic statement was presented in November, it was already well known that there was a major first nations, Inuit and Métis infrastructure gap. For first nations only, that gap was reported at $350 billion. It is so unfortunate that the government continues to ignore the plight of indigenous peoples. I wonder if the member can share with the House how he will ma…
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Uqaqtittiji, I do appreciate some of the member's stories that he shared with the health issues in his family. Unfortunately, with the debate on this issue lately, there has been one huge gaping gap when we are talking about health. I wonder if the member can describe for us what the challenges are with the fall economic statement and what was announced in the budget, and what is happening to ensu…
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Uqaqtittiji, what I appreciate about Bill C-59 is that, inserted into it, because of the great work of the NDP, are measures to lower bills for Canadians, as well as to end the free ride that has been given to CEOs for too long. Some of these measures include better protections for Canadian consumers in the areas of prohibiting drip pricing, deterring greenwashing and moving toward a right to repa…
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Uqaqtittiji, before 2013, there was a food mail program that was to help alleviate the prices of groceries. During the former Conservative government, the food mail program that was going directly to consumers was changed to nutrition north. Nutrition north was changed so that the price of groceries was supposed to be reduced, but instead it has become a subsidy to protect corporate greed. For exa…
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Uqaqtittiji, the member mentioned a bit about housing, and I will ask him a similar question that I have asked other Liberal MPs about the fall economic statement and the lack of investments going to the territorial governments to help alleviate the housing crisis in the north. Does the member agree, for example, that we should have heard the three territorial premiers when they asked for $600 mil…
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Uqaqtittiji, whenever the NDP asks questions about the lack of investments that the Liberal government and the previous Conservative government have made to indigenous housing, we are always told about how much more the Liberals have been investing. I wonder if the member can tell us what the impacts of those statements are on indigenous peoples who live in overcrowded housing conditions and who l…
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Uqaqtittiji, it is good to see the Minister of Housing here. For the last two years, the Nunavut government has been asking for investments in housing. Understanding that the Government of Nunavut is not an indigenous government and is not eligible to apply to the urban, rural and northern housing initiative, can the minister update the House on what investments they will be providing directly to …
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Uqaqtittiji, there are parts of the fall economic statement that I did appreciate, but other parts did not go far enough, including addressing corporate greed. Just yesterday, I summoned to the indigenous and northern affairs committee, the CEO of The North West Company and asked him about his salary. His annual salary is $3.91 million. I asked him what the salary of a cashier in his stores are. T…
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Uqaqtittiji, when I read the motion, I do not read it the same way that the member just read it. What I am seeing from this motion is that the Conservatives are asking the Prime Minister not to listen to the City of Toronto. They are asking the Prime Minister not to listen to the City of Montreal. They are asking provinces, territories and municipalities, who are asking for help, not to be heard. …
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Uqaqtittiji, the member has responded partly to what I was going to ask her regarding whether she thinks the opioid crisis is a health issue or a criminal justice issue, specifically because the NDP did introduce a bill that would treat the toxic drug crisis as a health issue. I wonder if the member could instead explain, if this is a health issue, why the Liberal government is spending 60% of the…
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Uqaqtittiji, I want to thank the member for his excellent intervention. Does the member agree that what needs to happen is for the Liberal government to declare a national emergency on the toxic drug crisis so that there is a pan-Canadian response to addressing it?
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Uqaqtittiji, I appreciate the responses the member gave regarding the need to listen to experts. I understand that Canadian chiefs of police support the use of safe supply, as do medical practitioners, because we all know the toll this toxic drug crisis takes. I wonder if the member agrees that we do need to listen to experts like the Canadian chiefs of police, as well as the medical practitioners…
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Uqaqtittiji, last month the United Nations special rapporteur visited Canada. He confirmed what indigenous peoples already know: that the right to clean drinking water is not being upheld. The Prime Minister has millions of dollars for the North West Company, Loblaw and Costco but asks indigenous people to wait for clean drinking water. Will the Prime Minister stop fighting these solvable issues a…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank the member for his intervention and for mentioning the national food program, which I think is quite important. I would like to know what he would say to all the Nunavut children. Even with the program, they will still go to school without enough sleep because they are forced to sleep in overcrowded housing situations. They are forced to go to school without enou…
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Uqaqtittiji, I will be splitting my time with the member for Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry. Before I start my speech, I would like to send happy birthday wishes to my best friend, Christa Kunuk in Iqaluit. I miss her dearly. I cannot wait to see her when I get home for the riding week. I rise on behalf of Nunavut with what feels like the weight of the world on my shoulders. This weight significa…
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Uqaqtittiji, I am quite fascinated by the dramatics of the member's intervention and by just how much disinformation is shared in the Conservative interventions I have heard since I have been elected. What I heard from the MP is about the privilege he has always had in his life and about the privilege he continues to push forward, especially when he was talking about housing. He spoke about how th…
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Uqaqtittiji, I will talk about the urban, rural and northern housing initiative because that is something the NDP worked really hard for. That funding would help make sure indigenous peoples have a say in what housing will be for first nations, Métis and Inuit communities. Without that $4 billion, which we were able to fight for, indigenous children will be going to school tired because they are s…
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Uqaqtittiji, it is great to hear intelligent speeches from the Conservatives. It is great to hear not all Conservatives take a “play bingo” approach to saying as many slogans as they can in their interventions, so I really appreciate that very much. In 2022, the RBC, the Royal Bank, invested $41 billion in fossil fuels. In this time of climate change, would the member not agree it would be better …
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Uqaqtittiji, I think that Canada and the provinces are all settlers on indigenous peoples' lands, and all provinces and territories should always be working with indigenous nations. I know that the housing crisis in Nunavik and northern Quebec is as severe as it is in Nunavut, and I hope that provinces, like Quebec, will work better to ensure that indigenous peoples are getting the housing they de…
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Uqaqtittiji, I thank the member for her allyship. I always appreciate it very much. Because there are too few indigenous members of Parliament, we are always first to ensure that we can work with any ally who is willing to advance indigenous peoples' rights.
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Uqaqtittiji, people in Nunavut pay hundreds more dollars in shipping fees than those in the rest of Canada. Amazon charged a Pangnirtung resident over $700 in shipping fees. This is unacceptable. The Liberals are catering to ultrarich corporations by allowing this. Nunavut needs a government that fights to take on Amazon's corporate greed. Why is the government okay with Nunavummiut paying hundred…
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Uqaqtittiji, the kinds of questions I get sometimes, from either the Conservatives or the Liberals, on partisan issues like that are really quite unfortunate. I know that, for example, subsidizing major for-profit corporations is not something the Liberal government should continue to proceed with when there are too many indigenous peoples living in poverty and too many Canadians experiencing home…
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Uqaqtittiji, this is such an important bill, because it would help individuals who need it most, whether it is women who may need medicines for their reproductive health or people who suffer from diabetes. These are two areas of pharmaceutical care that are desperately needed throughout Canada, in the territories and in all the provinces. Could the member better explain how this bill is not suppor…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to ask my colleague about Canada's placement in the world regarding subsidized or free contraception. More than 25 countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia, have offered subsidized or free contraception since as far back as 1967. I wonder if the member can respond by giving us his views on why it is so important for Canada to join other…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Uqaqtittiji, on Wednesday, I joined a productive panel discussion with my colleagues from the other House Senator Dawn Anderson and Senator Pat Duncan, as well as Jackie Jacobson, a former MLA in the Northwest Territories, to discuss the Arctic Research Foundation's impressive work in drafting the national Arctic strategy, which was released in October 2023. This great work was prepared in prepara…
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Uqaqtittiji, in Nunavut, the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation administers the Inuit child first initiative to help kids, but its great work is being made difficult by the government's delays. Close to 70% of requests were not processed on time, leaving traumatized children without the health care they deserve. When will the Liberal government finally ensure that first nations and Inuit childre…
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Uqaqtittiji, my colleague's speech was very informative in showing the realities of what indigenous peoples experience in Canada because of the decades of a lack in investments by the Liberal government and past Conservative governments, which has led to the continued marginalization of indigenous peoples. I wonder if the member could share her thoughts on what will happen because of the budget an…
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Uqaqtittiji, in their budget on Thursday, the Liberals made a lot of announcements on housing, but they did not make the $600-million investment in the territories that Nunavut, Northwest Territories and the Yukon have been desperately asking for. When I go home, I am told more heartbreaking stories of crumbling and overcrowded homes. Why will the minister not listen to the territorial premiers an…
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Uqaqtittiji, I rise to speak in support of Bill S-209. I thank my colleague from Vancouver Centre for sponsoring this bill. A pandemic observance day, if passed, would honour the loved ones we lost to COVID-19. It would recognize the countless sacrifices made by frontline workers in Canada and abroad. It would provide us with a chance to reflect on the ongoing impacts COVID-19 continues to have. O…
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Uqaqtittiji, first nations and Inuit have been neglected by successive Liberal and Conservative governments for years. They have underfunded infrastructure for first nations by $350 billion. For Inuit, the gap is $75 billion. The Liberals committed to closing this gap by 2030, but they are nowhere near their target. This means more mouldy homes, more crumbling schools and more contaminated water. …
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Uqaqtittiji, a Calgary economic development study estimated that Alberta could see $61 billion pumped into its economy through clean technology investments. Does the member agree that transitioning to sustainable energy is the way to go, so provinces such as Alberta could continue to see their economies grow?
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With regard to Bill C-61, An Act respecting water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nations land, since December 7, 2022: (a) what are the details of all consultations for the purposes of this legislation, including the (i) date of consultation, (ii) name of the First Nations rights-holder or organization consulted, (iii) details of the feedback received…
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With regard to Indigenous Services Canada's 2023-24 Departmental Plan: (a) what indicators does the department use to measure the mental health and well-being of First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities; (b) do the indicators used by the department show that the mental health and well-being of First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities will improve by 2024-25; (c) does the Minister of Indigenous…
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[Member spoke in Inuktitut as follows:] ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ ᐅᖃᖅᑎᑦᓯᔩ ᖁᕕᐊᓇᒻᒪᕆᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᐅᑎᖃᐃᓐᓇᕈᓐᓇᖏᑉᐳᖓ ᐅᕙᓂ ᐊᒥᓲᓗᐊᕐᒪᑕ ᐊᑦᓱᕈᓐᓇᖅᑐᖅᑰᐸᒃᑐᑦ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐱᑕᖃᒐᓛᒃᐳᖅ ᑐᓵᒃᓯᐊᕙᒐᒃᓴᖕᓂᒃ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᑎᑭᐅᑎᒻᒪᑦ ᑲᔪᓯᑎᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅ− ᓱᓂ ᑕᒑᒃ ᑰᕐᓕᒧᑦ, ᐊᒃᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᖁᔭᓕᕙᕋ ᑖᓐᓇ ᑲᔪᓯᑎᒃᓯᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᒪᓕᒐᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᒃᐱᓐᓂᐊᕆᔭ− ᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑐᓐᖓᕕᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᖅᓱᓂ ᖁᔭᓕᕙᕋ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᐃᓯᒪᒻᒪᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥᐅᓂᒃ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒌᑦᓯᐊᕈ− ᑎᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᕈᓐᓇᑎᑦᓯᒻᒪᑦ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᐊᐅᓚᔾᔪᑎᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖁᑎᒥᓂᒃ−ᖁᑎᑦᓴᒃᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᕈᓐᓇᓕᖅᓱᑕ ᑖᓐᓇ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᓴᕐᒧᑦ ᐸᕐᓇᐃᓯᒪᓪᓗᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᐋᔩᖃᑎᒌᑦᑎᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐ…
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With regard to all federal funding committed to the creation and maintenance of housing stock in Nunavut, broken down by fiscal year since 2015-16: (a) what is the total amount committed; (b) what is the total amount spent; (c) how much new housing stock was created in Nunavut; and (d) what are the government's projections for the number of housing units that will be built in Nunavut by 2030?
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Uqaqtittiji, I appreciate that the member suggests there need to be alternatives for addressing climate change. I know that there is a thing called the output-based pricing system, which is used to protect major emitters from paying full carbon pricing. Depending on the industry and activity, 80% to 90% are actually exempt from carbon pricing. I wonder whether the member agrees that what we need t…
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Uqaqtittiji, I am so conflicted between two questions. One is to have the member respond to the member for Miramichi—Grand Lake, basically blaming his own constituents for the wildfires and what constituents should do in the next election so they are not blamed for the wildfires. However, I am more curious about what his response is to the Parliamentary Budget Officer saying that Canada would have…
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