Government Orders
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, I will certainly do that.
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Madam Chair, that funding is not reflected in the supplementary estimates (B). I would have to look and sort that out. The funds were approved and distributed by Treasury Board.
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Madam Chair, I would like some clarification. Is the member asking how much of the $320 million has been allocated, or is she talking about a supplementary budget? The budget itself is spread across a few departments, specifically, my own, Indigenous Services Canada, particularly for mental health support and assistance, Canadian Heritage and Infrastructure Canada, for the demolition or repair of …
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Madam Chair, I do not want to dispute what the member is saying in the House, but I believe that the announcement was made much more than five days before the election was called. As of today, and I will verify this in case I am mistaken, 28 projects have been approved and many more have been submitted. There is overlap since some communities saw children taken from their families and sent to the …
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Madam Chair, I would first like to thank the member for her question. Of course, the impact of mental health issues is doubly harmful because of the pandemic. The opioid crisis has hit hard across the country, especially in western Canada on the west coast. Unfortunately, mental health is something we are not very comfortable talking about as individuals and as a government. Fortunately, budget 20…
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Madam Chair, as the member can appreciate, this is not a question that can be answered in a very easy 30 seconds. Clearly, in the work we look at, we state that the relationship is defined by land, has been broken by land and is restituted by land. However, it is not easy to fix from the sole perspective of the federal government. It involves individuals, municipalities and provinces, especially d…
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Madam Chair, I am quite happy to announce that I was recently made aware of the lifting of a long-term water advisory in Whitedog First Nation, or Wabaseemoong. That brings us up to about 120. Let us recall that there were a little over 100 in place when we came into power in 2015. We need to stay steadfast in remedying this, and we have made the investments. We have also settled a historic piece …
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Madam Chair, the name for Ojibway in Mohawk is Tewa’keháka, and that was the language I was speaking at the time. It was a 30-second speech to the House. Obviously this is not my language. It is something I have had a lot of support in learning. It has very little to do with me and is really about assisting communities in regaining their identities, which governments such as ours have been instru…
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Madam Chair, hello, kwe, tansi, unusakut. I want to start this speech by acknowledging that we are here today on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people. I am pleased to be here with my colleagues today to discuss the 2021-22 supplementary estimates (B) for the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Joining me today from the department is…
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Mr. Speaker, I would be more than glad to provide an answer for that. At this time, I do not have one.
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Madam Chair, indeed that is an important day for us to reflect on the legacy, particularly these days, of residential schools. It is a day for all of us to focus on. We would encourage the provinces and territories to adopt that day as well. This is a moment for all Canadians to reflect, not just indigenous people, and to let the voices of indigenous people speak and resonate throughout the day an…
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Madam Chair, the hon. member's question is one of exceeding importance in the House, particularly as we reflect on the last four months with the discoveries and rediscoveries of unmarked graves. Obviously this is a sober reminder to all of us, and to those in indigenous communities for whom it is a trigger of immense trauma, that truth comes before reconciliation. It is in and around the events of…
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Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, I want to thank the speaker for letting her voice resonate in her language in this House. It is a very valuable addition to what we need to be hearing more often. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I want to acknowledge the words that the member has stated. I think her words speak for herself. I have no question to pose to her. I also want to take this opportun…
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