Government Orders
Establishing an independent, non-political council is crucial to holding the government to account. The government has had the unfortunate habit of saying that 80% of the calls to action had been honoured or were being honoured. However, it was not necessarily subject to review, and other entities were saying that the government had only honoured two or three. In the future, there will be an offic…
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Mr. Speaker, that is an important question being posed by the member opposite, and I think it is important for this House to consider the work that has been done by the interim board in doing broader outreach as Bill C-29 was put forward. That was the task given to the interim board, and it included a broad swath of indigenous representation. I have a list of specifically notable people who were c…
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Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to note that this bill actually responds to calls to action 53 to 55. Obviously, call 56 would follow after the establishment and passing of this law. Clearly, this is a comment the member opposite is free to put through at committee so the committee can study it and give it due consideration. I think all of us are responsible to answer for the calls to action,…
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moved that Bill C-29, An Act to provide for the establishment of a national council for reconciliation, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, there have been consultations among the parties, and I am hopeful that you will find unanimous consent to allow my colleague, the member for Sydney—Victoria, to share my debate time today.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his important question about the national council for reconciliation. Today we are set to begin second reading of Bill C‑29, a bill that will establish an independent, permanent and non-political council to monitor long-term progress on reconciliation and implement the commission's 94 calls to action. Bill C‑29 fulfills calls to action 53 to 56. I urge all parli…
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-29, An Act to provide for the establishment of a national council for reconciliation. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
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moved for leave to introduce Bill S-10, An Act to give effect to the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement, to amend the Sechelt Indian Band Self-Government Act and the Yukon First Nations Self-Government Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts. (Motion agreed to and bill read the first time)
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Mr. Speaker, today I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement.
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Mr. Speaker, I did more than want to rise. I did rise. If I used unparliamentary language, I am glad to apologize. What I did say to the member opposite is that if he wants to call me out in the House of Commons, he can at least have the decency to come see me before that. There are plenty of opportunities. If we are going to have a debate on the substance of this, Mr. Speaker, I think you should …
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Mr. Speaker, clearly, as a country, we continue to fail indigenous women, children and LGBTQ people. The one-year anniversary is not something to look back on, despite our investments of billions of dollars into addressing this national strategy, and pat ourselves on the back; this is something we have to address as an entirety in society. Whether it is us, the provinces or cities, we all have our…
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Mr. Speaker, since 1910, the Siksika Nation has been deprived of half of its lands and its fair share of the resources on those lands. Its claim is one of the largest in the country, and the community has waited over 112 years for Canada to address this historic injustice. That is why, today, we are celebrating the signing of a $1.3-billion land claim settlement with the Siksika Nation. This settl…
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday's news is indeed part of the ongoing tragedy in this country of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The funding in the announcement of last week will create the infrastructure necessary to operate a facility that will be welcoming for people who are in distress. As to the member opposite's current request, which is one of many, it is clearly one that needs prior…
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Mr. Speaker, as part of this comprehensive approach to supporting communities as they reel from the ongoing discoveries of unmarked graves, clearly what they have asked of us is to have a concerted approach, whether it is from me, the Minister of Indigenous Services or other departments, or whether they need supports now or for the next 10 years. This is something that, sadly, will go on for some …
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Mr. Speaker, to the member opposite's point, clearly what we have seen in this country is a pattern of dispossession that has continued to retraumatize and traumatize communities, and the constant denial of this reality is what characterizes today's discourse as well. We have a duty, as a society, to keep opening our minds and being more respectful, and to show compassion to communities that are r…
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Madam Speaker, I would like to designate Thursday, June 2, for the debate to be held pursuant to Standing Order 51.
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Mr. Speaker, I would highlight the fact that since the discoveries in Kamloops, the first anniversary of which is upcoming, this government has deployed over half a billion dollars to assist communities with this very painful step of deciding whether to go and search for lost ones. Not every community will work at the same pace. There are about 70 applications that are still in and fully funded, a…
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Mr. Speaker, I first want to correct my colleague's comment that I am responsible for the first nations. I serve the first nations. In reply to the question, the member opposite is quite right. It is unfair that communities that were previously in rural areas but now are not because of urban sprawl are penalized because of prices linked to postal codes. Let us hope that Canada Post, which is an in…
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Madam Speaker, clearly, we have heard that communities, pursuant to the calls to action 72 through 76 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report, have to have the leadership. It is not the place of the Government of Canada to step into communities and provide all the answers. Certainly we have to stand by and provide the financing and support to those communities, which are still reeling,…
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is right. We are failing as a society as long as every woman, child and LGBTQ person is not safe in this country. The investments that we put in through prior budgets, like the $2 billion we invested in budget 2021, are designed specifically to address this ongoing tragedy. Just last week, I had the honour and pleasure of announcing investments that respond directl…
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Mr. Speaker, as a society, none of us should pretend there is any form of success until every woman, child and LGBTQ person in this country is safe, and if that is a measure of success, we are failing. The reality is that in this year, the ministry of Crown-Indigenous Relations announced the federal pathway. That was only the beginning, and it was coupled with $2.2 billion of investments. We are c…
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Mr. Speaker, last summer, in light of the devastating findings in Kamloops and Cowessess, our government announced an additional $329 million to support indigenous communities in their search for loved ones robbed from them at such a young age, in their efforts to memorialize their loss, and in their quest for closure. Residential schools were a reality in this country for well over 150 years, and…
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Mr. Speaker, frankly, the member opposite is absolutely right. We have invested $2 billion in the federal pathway, and as we approach the first anniversary in June, survivors and 2SLGBTQQI+ persons are looking for results and outcomes. This is something that we say is a whole-of-government approach, but it is up to every minister in our cabinet and, frankly, everyone in this House to make sure tha…
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Mr. Speaker, just this past Thursday, I was honoured to stand with Rebecca Kudloo, who is the president of Pauktuutit, and award her the award for women, peace and security for her role in peacemaking inside this country. It is not something that we do and stand up and say we need to do internationally, but something that we need to do internally. If it were not for Rebecca Kudloo and the organiza…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada remains committed to upholding our fair and compassionate refugee protection system, fulfilling our domestic and international legal obligations and protecting the health and safety of Canadians and those who wish to live in our country.
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Mr. Speaker, if he is thinking of kickbacks, does my colleague have something on his conscience? If he does, perhaps he should answer for what he himself did for eight years. The government signed the lease at fair market value.
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Mr. Speaker, I think the member will agree with me that it is true he is not in a hostage situation. Our government is taking, and will always take, the necessary steps to protect our borders and to keep Canadians safe. ArriveCAN, for the past year, has played a significant role in reducing the introduction and transmission of COVID, and its use is mandatory. In the last few days, the minister has…
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Mr. Speaker, I will repeat what I told the Bloc Québécois. The lease was signed at fair market value, and if we are talking about partisanship, then it is important to point out that the same donor made donations to the Conservative Party for eight years.
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Mr. Speaker, the lease was signed at fair market value.
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Madam Chair, earlier today, I had a chance to have a partner meeting with the Minister for Women and Gender Equality that focused largely on indigenous issues, particularly the federal pathway and the response that all partners must have, including provincial and territorial partners, in eradicating the threat to women, particularly indigenous women and girls. As part of the federal pathway that w…
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Madam Chair, it is a top priority, so much so that I would like to thank the former Treasury Board president for approving the substantial sum of $6 billion right before the general election so we could get that money out the door quickly. That funding will help close the existing gap over the next three to five years.
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Madam Chair, my colleague is absolutely right. If there is one lesson we must learn from the pandemic right now, it is that housing means more than just a roof over one's head. Health is a big issue too, because we know that overcrowded housing leads to outbreaks of diseases such as tuberculosis and COVID‑19. That is a constant worry.
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Madam Chair, I would add that the AFNQL and its chief, Chief Picard, would say loud and clear that they themselves do not hold the rights. The communities must be consulted to determine what the best measure is, and that is what the Minister of Indigenous Services plans to do. We do not know what that number will be. It could be a lot more, but it needs to be measured and the shortfall needs to be…
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Absolutely, Madam Chair. The problem is that we have not yet measured the housing gap in indigenous communities. That is what the Minister of Indigenous Services will be focusing on for the next year. We have included funding in our budgets to figure that out. I totally agree with my colleague. I know this was not her intention, but I would add that separating the departments was not a luxury. It …
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Madam Chair, one of the sobering reflections that we heard and, particularly, I have heard directly from Joyce Echaquan's husband on the devastating loss of Joyce Echaquan, is that this was not her only negative interaction with the health care system, she also had that when she was giving birth to her seven children. There is a very poignant article that Mr. Dubé has published in the CBC and APTN…
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Madam Chair, the answer is yes, absolutely. It is important to remember how this piece of legislation, which was passed just before the election prior to this past one, is built on a spirit of self-determination, lifting up first nations laws, and doing what we all take for granted, which is ensuring that first nations have control and custody over their own and immersed in their own culture. The …
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Mr. Chair, building on my previous answer, I had the opportunity over the course of the summer and the last few weeks to visit over half a dozen sites, each with its own unique, devastating story. However, throughout that, we have heard the cry from indigenous communities, from survivors and those who are courageously speaking out, but also from those who are courageously still suffering in silenc…
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Madam Chair, I want to take the opportunity to thank the member for the incredible work she has done as my parliamentary secretary and wish her all the best in her new role as the Parliamentary Secretary for Public Safety. Most notable, in light of what we have all seen over the last four months with the devastating discoveries and rediscoveries of unmarked graves and with more to come, is the sob…
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Mr. Chair, the answer is all the more important because the indigenous people who served our country were not served by our country when they returned. November 8 is a special date to honour the sacrifices they made. This date is twinned with November 11. Any support for indigenous peoples obviously requires culturally appropriate support, which we provide.
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Madam Chair, as we know, with the tragic death of Joyce Echaquan, indigenous peoples dread having to use health care services across the country. We know that the federal government has a moral duty to outline the state of affairs. Systemic racism exists right across the country, from British Columbia to Quebec. It is everywhere. I am forced to acknowledge it so we can make the necessary investmen…
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Madam Chair, I cannot commit to a current timeline. These are projects that we want to prioritize, but they have to be done in partnership with the communities. Obviously, that commitment of the Prime Minister was to get the communities off diesel. It is extremely difficult in the north, but we believe it is a challenge we can face together.
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Madam Chair, again, these are investments that need to be worked with in the priorities expressed by the communities we serve. Clearly, we have heard that need, and it is something we are working to fulfill.
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Madam Chair, in addition to the capital requirements and investments that we will be working with communities to effect, we want to be in a position to empower communities to ensure their own are able to age in their own communities. That work is ongoing and needs to continue.
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Madam Chair, clearly we have heard that need. One of the biggest concerns we heard, particularly as we saw seniors being heavily affected, especially in my riding, was the concern in indigenous communities. We heard a need for more long-term care homes. One of the initiatives we faced was to reach out to them directly to make sure everyone was safe, but what we heard as well was that there is a ne…
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Madam Chair, as I said previously, there are those amounts that have been announced for Inuit Nunangat, of $500 million and $300 million respectively. Within Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations, there is a sum of $6 billion that has been earmarked for infrastructure writ large. Again, this investment does span across departments, including the ministry of housing. There have …
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Madam Chair, one, there is no excuse. Two, it has largely been due to COVID.
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Madam Chair, again, that is the purview largely of the Minister of Indigenous Services. It is my responsibility with respect to self-governing nations as well as the Inuit, with the territorial government. We have begun that process. It is a process that needs to be done in detail over a span, to the best of my recollection, of the next 18 months, to quantify that gap we all lament in Canada.
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Madam Chair, the platform commitment of this government was $300 million. That supplements the various initiatives we have throughout four to five ministries within this government. We are committed to committing that distinctions-based investment in short order. Obviously, the timelines are within the next three years to five years, as we deploy this capital.
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Madam Chair, we know well that a dollar in the north is much more than the dollar in the south. Those are rough understandings, but it obviously varies from community to community, but much more clearly, particularly given the shorter construction season.
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Madam Chair, not as well as the member opposite. My understanding is that it ranges in and around $400,000.
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Madam Chair, we have a rough understanding of the massive underfunding that exists across Canada. In Inuit Nunangat, there was a very good report produced by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami through Ernst & Young. It is very detailed. We appreciate the co-operation that we have ITK. This is a double work that we have with the territorial governments as well as ITK. We do have an appreciation, but we need t…
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