Statements By Members
Uqaqtittiji, I rise wishing I could speak to happy occasions, knowing that June is National Indigenous History Month. Sadly, I stand to give rise to the despair that still exists. There are too many of us who are being lost to alcohol abuse. There are too many that I represent in Nunavut, and those indigenous peoples outside of Nunavut, who are affected by alcoholism. There are too many of us losi…
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Uqaqtittiji, Canadians absolutely expect their tax dollars to be managed responsibly, and the public needs assurance that government will go even further than what the Liberal government has done to restore public confidence. At this point, I have not yet heard any Liberal intervention that restores my confidence. Can the member share with us what the Liberal Party will do to get that done and whe…
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Uqaqtittiji, in 2011, the Conservatives changed the food mail program that went from helping people in the north to subsidizing rich corporations in the south. Everyone knows it is not working, but the Liberals refuse to reform it. The North West Company and the CEO make millions in profits and bonuses, but people in the north cannot afford to eat. When will the Liberals finally reform the Conserv…
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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 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, 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, 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, we hear the member say he does not agree with how long it has taken the Liberals to get Bill C-20 to the table, yet we heard about how much the Conservatives filibustered, including having submitted 33 amendments at committee and withdrawing 75% of the amendments they themselves had submitted. What was the Conservatives' tactic behind filibustering on this important bill? Why are they…
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Uqaqtittiji, I understand that with Bill C-20, amendments were required to ensure that there were provisions related to the reconciliation process with indigenous peoples. I wonder if the member could respond to why it took amendments and why that process was not there when Bill C-20 was originally introduced. Why did it take NDP amendments to make sure they were included?
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Uqaqtittiji, civilian oversight is particularly important in the bill, and the member spoke eloquently about why. Children were taken away from first nations. Métis and Inuit children were taken away from their loving families, from their loving environments. They were thriving, and the RCMP was used to take these children to go to residential schools, to environments of hate, environments of viol…
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Uqaqtittiji, according to Amautiit Nunavut Inuit Women’s Association, Nunavut children suffer the highest rates of poverty, upwards of 35%, compared to Canada's rates. At the same time, the Liberal government is subsidizing corporate greed by giving $64 million of taxpayers' money to The North West Company, which gives its CEO a salary of $3.91 million. Does the member agree with us that there is …
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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, 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 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, 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, 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, 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…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
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, when I spoke to this bill, I talked about the importance of Jordan's principle. Unfortunately, the need for it arose because there were jurisdictional disputes about who was to pay the cost of health care for Jordan River Anderson. I think what is trying to be done with the pharmacare act is to avoid similar scenarios, where people with diabetes, or women or gender-diverse people get …
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Uqaqtittiji, I do want to ask my hon. colleague a question regarding parental rights, because Conservatives use that as a guise, I think, to pretend to care about women's bodies or unborn babies. I think that the pharmacare act could help make a difference regarding contraceptives and how Canadians need to be better informed when Conservatives are pretending to care through words or slogans like “…
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Uqaqtittiji, I know personally of people who, because they do not have the diabetes medication they need, are at risk of amputations. There are people, as well, who deserve better protections for contraceptives. For example, not all indigenous women can have access to contraceptives, especially when we know that, on this fifth anniversary of the publication of the MMIWG's calls for justice, this p…
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Uqaqtittiji, that is such an important question. One of the answers is what indigenous peoples have been saying all along, and we hear it in some responses, such as co-development, but we have to really make sure that when it comes to laws, program development policies and decisions regarding lands and the health and education of indigenous peoples, we have to be at the table helping to make those…
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Uqaqtittiji, Jordan's principle is such an important story to always remember because the implementation of it allows payments to be made up front and for the jurisdictions to discuss who ends up paying for it in the end. We have an opportunity with the pharmacare act for women and gender-diverse people to get their contraceptives immediately, without having to worry about whether it is going to b…
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Uqaqtittiji, as I said earlier, having empathy is really important, but acting on that empathy is even more important. When I hear about so many Canadians possibly having amputations because they cannot afford diabetes medication, I feel we all have to do our part to make sure that we act when we can, and it is our duty as parliamentarians to make sure that all Canadians get the drugs and the care…
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Uqaqtittiji, before I begin my speech, I will take this opportunity to congratulate Sharon DeSousa, who just became the first racialized national president at the Public Service Alliance of Canada. I first met her when the Iqaluit Housing Authority Inuit workers had their 136 days of striking to advance the rights of workers, not just for Iqalummiut, but also abroad. I am excited about Sharon's el…
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Uqaqtittiji, it has been disappointing to listen to the debate and how partisan it has been. I wonder whether the member can remind us of what the bill would do. As this is just the beginning of getting universal pharmacare started, what would the legislation do to ensure that more work is done to improve on it as time goes on?
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Uqaqtittiji, I wonder if the member can share how much of this bill would go toward supporting care for indigenous peoples. If there is not enough support, how does this bill need to change? We all know that the health conditions for indigenous peoples are some of the worst compared to other Canadians. What do we need to do to make sure that indigenous peoples are getting the pharmacare that they …
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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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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 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, 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 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…
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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, 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…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
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, 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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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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[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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