Government Orders
Uqaqtittiji, as I shared earlier, I know that the Minister of Indigenous Services has worked really hard with organizations such as the Assembly of First Nations. However, they do not represent all first nations. There are way too many first nations that were not included during this consultation process. In terms of those who were consulted, I appreciate the sentiment, but that does not extend to…
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Uqaqtittiji, the member's question is an important one. As an Inuk, as I said earlier, I had to really scrutinize the bill based on my experience as an indigenous person who has experienced oppressive and genocidal policies most of my life. This is why so much in the bill is familiar in terms of those kinds of oppressive policies. The reason I felt compelled to run to sit in Parliament is that thi…
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Uqaqtittiji, I very much enjoy working with my colleague. The reality for first nations, Métis and Inuit, as I was asked about earlier as well, has been unfair. There have been inequities, such as a lack of investments, resulting in many social issues that are beyond what we see for Canadian standards. The indication that the Liberal government is not showing a true commitment to reconciliation ca…
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Uqaqtittiji, as I said during my speech, it is very important to get the bill to committee. The Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs consists of very committed MPs, who are trying to make sure that we do better for all indigenous peoples. The committee just completed a study on another bill that required members to think about how we can be united in ensuring that we respect all i…
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Uqaqtittiji, I am privileged to represent Nunavut in the House. I am sorry I missed the Minister of Indigenous Services's speech as I was in committee. Our committee was concluding the study of the Métis self-government bill. I am glad I am able to at least find out what her statements were and to respond to them later. I appreciate that before July 1, 1867, Inuit, first nations and, later, the Mé…
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Uqaqtittiji, I wonder if the member can share with us what the international fallout might be if we were not to vote unanimously in favour of this agreement.
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Uqaqtittiji, I thank the member for his very important question on what the costs of not getting this done will be. I think some of the bigger costs could include Canada's being seen as not upholding international human rights laws regarding water and as not upholding the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. At the community and ground level, first nations will continue …
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Uqaqtittiji, I always appreciate what the member has to share. I also appreciate that he did list some of the court case settlements. However, I want to ask about source water protection and who has the authority. I know that there have been discussions about whether first nations should have the authority to discuss source water, be it municipal, provincial or federal. I wonder if he could share …
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Uqaqtittiji, a lot of the thoughts the member shared are quite similar to what I have analyzed as well. I would like to hear from the member what his thoughts are on the current Liberal government's attitude toward indigenous peoples, and what it means that it introduced this bill that would not meet international human rights laws.
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Uqaqtittiji, if Parliament were to swallow the amendment like a pill, what would the member say the side effects would be?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Uqaqtittiji, I am pleased to rise on behalf of my constituents in Nunavut. The leader of the NDP, the member for Burnaby South, has tabled a particularly important bill that can have benefits for Nunavummiut. Bill C-352, an act to amend the Competition Act and the Competition Tribunal Act, is of interest to us because it is all about lowering prices. I thank him for tabling Bill C-352, because the…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Uqaqtittiji, Nunavut athletes who earned their spot at the Arctic Winter Games in Alaska risk missing out because Service Canada does not process passports in Nunavut. My office was helping until the government put up even more barriers. Families are now forced to pay thousands of dollars to fly down south to get their passports expedited or not compete at all. Can the minister ensure that Nunavut…
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[Member spoke in Inuktitut as follows:] ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ ᐅᖃᖅᑎᑦᓯᔩ ᓯᕗᓪᓕᕐᒥ ᐅᖃᕈᒪᑐᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᖓ ᖁᕕᐊᓱᖃᑦᑕᒻᒪᕆᒃᑲᒪ ᐃᓄᑦᑐᑦ ᐅᖃᓪᓚᒍᓐᓇᖃᑦᑕᕋᒪ ᑕᕝᕙᓂ [English] Mr. Speaker, what I just said in Inuktitut is that I am always so happy to rise and speak in Inuktitut in the House. As we all know, most MPs here are settlers or are ancestors of settlers, Quebec included. I wonder if the member has, or if anyone in his party has, consulted wi…
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Uqaqtittiji, happy new year to everyone. It is my first time speaking since 2024 arrived. I would like to thank the member for his intervention. Thanks to the supply and confidence agreement between the Liberals and the NDP, we have been able to secure a great dental care program for children. I wonder what the member will be saying to his constituents about why he voted against dental care for ch…
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Uqaqtittiji, the Liberals are putting our coasts and indigenous communities at risk. After spending $31 billion on the TMX pipeline, they are pushing almost 900,000 barrels of oil through the unceded territorial waters of the Pacheedaht First Nation. Now, they have stopped any discussions with the Pacheedaht First Nation about creating a marine safety centre nearby. Why does the minister have no i…
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Uqaqtittiji, adequate housing for indigenous peoples has been neglected by Conservatives and Liberals. Thanks to the NDP, a for indigenous, by indigenous housing strategy will now help first nations, Métis and Inuit find adequate homes away from their home communities. However, there is still work do. Territorial governments like Nunavut are still waiting on the government to deliver funding for h…
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Uqaqtittiji, I have always appreciated the hon. member's solidarity with indigenous peoples and the work that he does to meet the needs of his constituents. One of the things that seems quite important about this particular modernization of this free trade agreement is the chapter on indigenous peoples and trade. I think that these are important acknowledgements about what we need to do for indige…
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Uqaqtittiji, the other thing I very much appreciate about this trade agreement is the chapter that talks about trade and indigenous peoples. I understand that modernizing the agreement is important, and ensuring that indigenous peoples are allowed economic opportunities through this trade agreement is particularly important. Will the member make sure that, when his party is creating the bilateral …
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Uqaqtittiji, when we are talking about how indigenous peoples are still experiencing genocide, I just want to point out that last week, the Chief Public Health Officer in Nunavut reported that five people died from tuberculosis in the last two years. Tuberculosis is a treatable disease. It is something that does not need to exist anymore in Canada, yet we have had five people in Nunavut die in the…
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Uqaqtittiji, education was used as a genocidal instrument for generations. Residential schools were used to “take the Indian out of the child”. I can still intimately recall horror stories shared with me by former students that happened just for saying a word in Inuktitut. When it comes to education, we need to be careful about what we are saying; education can still be used as a tool to diminish …
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Uqaqtittiji, I thank the member for his ongoing support. We were both elected at the same time. I also very much appreciate the great work of the MP for Vancouver East, who has been a great leader in ensuring that these funds eventually get released. I think the solution is simple. When it comes to the NDP pushing for these funds to be released, the government should just do it and stop giving us …
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Uqaqtittiji, I will be splitting my time with the member for Winnipeg Centre. I acknowledge all of the work that has been done by the New Democrats for indigenous rights, now and before my time. Jordan's principle emerged out of the work of former MP Jean Crowder's Motion No. 296. This motion was followed by Bill C-249 tabled by former NDP MP Pat Martin in 2008. Both called on the government to im…
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Uqaqtittiji, I know that when it comes to indigenous services from the federal government, it can feel like a very complex issue, given all the different topics that we have to discuss, be it infrastructure, programs or staffing. No matter what we have seen in all past governments and the current one, it is not necessarily the number of staff in the bureaucracy but the unwillingness of the bureauc…
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Uqaqtittiji, I wonder if the member has looked at her government's own website. Indigenous Services Canada's website has shown that it is going to be making billions of dollars' worth of cuts, including to, for example, Jordan's principle, which is set to sunset and the government intends not to renew Jordan's principle. I know that we all realize how important Jordan's principle is, given how dir…
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Uqaqtittiji, it is a very easy answer: The government must stop breaking its promises, invest and make sure those monies are there so the infrastructure gap can be filled.
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Uqaqtittiji, I have a lot of respect for the member who just asked me that question. Having experienced those cuts as an indigenous person, I cannot retract that. The Aboriginal Healing Foundation was doing great work when its funding was cut. Time and time again I have renamed former residential school students who have shared their stories and who were only able to do it because of the work of t…
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Uqaqtittiji, the Liberal government will be treading on thin ice when it comes to how it is compared to the Conservatives if these cuts are allowed to happen. The member for Vancouver East and I have been working very hard all year to make sure that even one small aspect of housing is delivered. I am speaking about the urban, rural and northern housing initiative, which should have flowed by now, …
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Uqaqtittiji, I will be splitting my time with the member for Churchill—Keewatinook Aski. Representing Nunavummiut and being the indigenous critic for the NDP have led me to rise for this debate. I thank my NDP colleagues for their solidarity in ensuring that this take-note debate occurred this evening. Prior to my election in 2021, I experienced many injustices because of decisions made by federal…
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Uqaqtittiji, I have sat in committee with the member, and I do appreciate when she speaks up. I appreciate that the member has reminded the House that her riding has 14 Inuit communities and nine Cree communities. My concern is that their voices are not being heard. Can she share with the House how many of those communities she has visited to make sure that their indigenous voices are being heard …
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Uqaqtittiji, it is clear that the Liberal government has not been making enough investments in first nations, Métis and Inuit. The Auditor General published a report earlier this year about the lack of investments to first nations regarding emergency preparedness. I wonder if the member can respond with stories that validate the lack of investments to first nations, and what the Liberals will do t…
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Uqaqtittiji, there have been consultations, and I believe that if you seek it you will find consent for the following motion. I move: That a take-note debate on Indigenous Services be held on Monday, December 11, 2023, pursuant to Standing Order 53.1, and that, notwithstanding any standing order or usual practice of the House: (a) members rising to speak during the debate may indicate to the Chair…
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Uqaqtittiji, I know that, supposedly, we are to be talking about how to better advocate for first nations, as the motion states, but I think we all know that is not the real intention of this motion. I recall when the Conservatives were in government and the enormous number of cuts they made to indigenous services. The current Liberal government is also failing first nations with the impending cut…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Uqaqtittiji, the member for Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies was misleading this House about the existence of first nations in Nunavut. I would like the party to realize that there are three—
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Uqaqtittiji, the point of order is based on a question that was raised by the member for Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies. The level of ignorance by the Conservative Party about indigenous peoples, first nation—
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Uqaqtittiji, the member for Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies seems to have shown the continual Conservative pattern of ignorance when it comes to indigenous peoples. There has been decades of work, years of work, to make sure that Canada—
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Uqaqtittiji, indigenous women and their children are forced to live in violent situations because of the lack of adequate housing. The Liberals are actively keeping indigenous people marginalized by delaying the release of housing investments promised. The NDP fought to secure $4 billion to help build homes indigenous people need, but the Liberals keep delaying these investments, keeping indigenou…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to government funding for the completion of the Arctic Bay Small Craft Harbour, since August 4, 2021: (a) what is the total amount of funding delivered to (i) Worley Canada Services Limited, (ii) Ikpiayuk Services Limited, (iii) other firms, for the purpose of completing this project; (b) has the original contract for this harbour been completed or cancelled; (c) have the contracts rel…
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With regard to the third round of funding of the Rapid Housing initiative and the territory of Nunavut: (a) how many proposals were received by the government for housing in Nunavut; (b) what are the details of all proposals received in (a), including the (i) location of the housing, (ii) number of units, (iii) funding requested, (iv) decision to approve or deny the funding; (c) for all proposals …
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With regard to the Department Results Report of Indigenous Services Canada, broken down by fiscal year since 2015-16: (a) what indicators did the department use to measure progress to close infrastructure gaps in First Nations communities; (b) broken down by (i) province, (ii) territory, what were the results of each indicator used in (a); and (c) which indicators in (a) does the government believ…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
[Member spoke in Inuktitut as follows:] ᐅᖃᖅᑎᑦᓯᔩ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅᑎᒍᑦ ᓄᖑᓴᖅᑕᐅᔪᒍᑦ ᓱᓕ, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᐊᓪᓚᐃᑦ ᐊᓪᓚᖓᔪᐃᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᑐᖃᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᐃᑲᔪᕐᓂᕋᖅᑕᐅᕙᑦᑐᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᒃᑯᖏᑦ ᑐᑦᓯᕋᖅᓯᒪᐃᓐᓇᖅᑐᑦ 250 ᒥᓕᔭᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓪᓗᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐊᓐᖑᑎᓇᓱᑐᐃᓐᓇᒧᑦ ᑖᒃᑯᓇᓐᖓᑦ ᒐᕙᒪᑐᖃᒃᑯᓐᓄᑦ ᓱᓕ ᑐᓂᔭᐅᓐᖏᑦᑐᑦ, ᐊᓐᑎᐅᕆᐆᒥᑦ ᐊᓪᓚᐃᑦ ᓯᕗᓕᖅᑎᖏᑦ ᑎᒥᖓᑕ ᐅᖃᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ 58.9 ᕕᓕᔭᓐᓂᒃ ᐱᖁᑎᕐᔪᐊᓄᑦ ᐊᐅᓚᔾᔪᑎᓄᓪᓗ ᑐᑦᓯᕋᖅᓱᑎᒃ ᐅᑕᖅᑭᔪᑦ ᓱᓕ. ᐃᓚᖏᑦ ᐊᓪᓚᖓᔪᐃᑦ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖅ ᒐᕙᒪᑖᕈᒪᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᐃᓕᑕᕆᔭᐅᔪᒪᔪᑦ ᓱᓕ, ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᖅᑎᒍᑦ ᐱᒍᓐᓇᐅᑎᕗᑦ ᐃᑉᐱᒋᔭᐅᑦᓯᐊᖏᒻᒪᑕ ᓈᒻᒪᓐᖏᓗᐊᖅᑐᓂᒃ …
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Uqaqtittiji, I am rising on a point of order based on what the Conservative leader said today during question period regarding first peoples. He used a possessive term that means indigenous peoples belong to another nation. I need to remind the House that first nations, Inuit and Métis are not owned by governments and that this Parliament needs to make sure it is educating Canadians that we are no…
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Uqaqtittiji, there are first nations who cannot return to their home communities due to the lack of homes. They are being pushed out of their culture, family and traditions, due to the neglect from the Liberals. At the pace that the government is moving, it would take anywhere between 58 to 141 years to close the infrastructure gap, despite promising that it would close it by 2030. Could the gover…
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Uqaqtittiji, the federal housing advocate has reported that the government fails to protect Inuit's right to housing. Inuit have to take shifts to sleep because of overcrowding. In the fall economic statement, the government is spending more to settle historic injustices than it is to help indigenous peoples in housing. Liberals have to get this right: Invest in indigenous housing and end these in…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Uqaqtittiji, that is definitely a concern, and part of the reason is climate change, as I mentioned in my statement. Elders are telling us that it is harder to teach their children and grandchildren about ice conditions when winter is arriving sooner. It is harder to teach when not to go to certain ice areas because the ice is not as thick as it used to be. All those things, which were very import…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Uqaqtittiji, I grew up for a portion of my life in Chesterfield Inlet as well. It is such a beautiful community. I have fond memories. Regarding the member's question on dual use infrastructure, I completely agree. I know that if Arctic security was taken more seriously, the community of Cambridge Bay, for example, which is a regional hub in the Kitikmeot region, would have a paved airport. That c…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Uqaqtittiji, I am happy to speak on behalf of Nunavummiut on this important report that my colleague, the member for London—Fanshawe, worked on. I really want to acknowledge as well the great work that she does at this committee. I have had the great honour of working with her when the announcements were made regarding NORAD improvements, and her leadership on this file is so much appreciated. It …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Uqaqtittiji, the federal housing advocate says the government fell short in building homes across the country. Under the Liberals, too many indigenous people everywhere, especially in cities, are homeless or sleeping in overcrowded houses. They have failed to uphold indigenous people's basic rights. Thanks to the NDP, the government announced $4 billion over seven years for housing, but indigenous…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Uqaqtittiji, I am proud to support Bill C-273. I thank my NDP colleague, the member for New Westminster—Burnaby, for introducing this bill in honour of Corinne's Quest. Bill C-273 will do great things if it is allowed to pass. It will protect children. It will end allowing adults to physically punish children. It will implement call to action number six from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank my colleague for reminding the House about some of the issues I have brought up regarding indigenous peoples. It is absolutely an injustice indeed that there are so many cuts being anticipated and that there are great gaps, such as the $350-billion infrastructure gap for first nations. That figure does not even include infrastructure gaps for Métis and Inuit, but…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank the member for taking this debate seriously, unlike the previous MP, who chose to use her time to entertain people and possibly create some kind of platform for future entertainment. Knowing that Canada's three largest grocers, Loblaws, Sobeys and Metro, made more than $3.6 billion in combined profits in 2022, it is good to see that the Liberals are finally talki…
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