Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, let me be crystal clear. Children who have suffered discrimination at the hands of the first nations child welfare system will receive fair, equitable and just compensation.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister has said time and time again, and as this government has said time and time again, we want to be crystal clear. Every first nations child who has suffered discrimination at the hands of the failed child welfare system will receive just, fair and equitable compensation.
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Madam Speaker, today I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Vancouver Centre. Kwe. Unusakut. Tansi. Hello. Bonjour. I want to acknowledge that I am speaking today from the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people. Indigenous communities, families and friends are hurting. Emotions are high, and the pain is real. For indigenous people, the events this week may not be a …
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Madam Speaker, I cannot put myself in the place of an indigenous person to whom this has happened. It would be wrong. I certainly know how viscerally I would react if someone, no matter how well-intentioned, decided he or she wanted to survey a plot where my ancestors were buried when I knew how they had died. I know and understand some of the reactions people have across the country in wanting to…
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Madam Speaker, indeed, there are some uneasy parallels to people who have served and have had post-traumatic stress. The residential school system has broken people, languages and culture. My colleague for the Northwest Territories, whom I sat with on the bench for a year in Parliament, has certainly given poignant testimony as to those effects. We will be continuing to support indigenous communit…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her question. At this time of national mourning, I do not want to offer excuses for the spending of money that was allocated. At the same time, these monies did not come from thin air. They were allocated in the 2019 budget to respond to the calls to action, and these amounts have yet to be spent. They may not be enough, but we will continue to invest them in …
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Mr. Speaker, we are all heartbroken by the discovery of the remains of children at the Kamloops residential school. Our thoughts are obviously with the Kamloops Secwépemc First Nation and the surrounding communities that had children stolen by that institution. Presently, we are working with those communities, which have asked for space, to help them with their mental health supports and to help c…
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Mr. Speaker, indeed, it is a question of healing and of grieving for all indigenous peoples in mourning right now, specifically the communities around Kamloops whose children were scooped up, only to die, as some did, at the Kamloops residential school. Our thoughts are with them. We will be there to take action, to support them in their needs. They have asked for space, and that is what we are gi…
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Mr. Speaker, our government and the Prime Minister have been clear. Our goal is comprehensive, fair and equitable compensation to support the healing of those affected by the historical inequity of discriminatory policies governing services to first nations children and families. We maintain that there remain substantive unresolved questions about the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal's jurisdiction.…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to be clear with the member opposite, and with all Canadians, that every first nations child who suffered discrimination at the hands of the child and family services system, which is broken, will receive just, fair and equitable compensation. We maintain that there are substantive unresolved questions on the CHRT jurisdiction. On the other court cases that are outstandin…
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Mr. Speaker, I would remind the member that these calls are for all of Canada and particularly non-indigenous Canadians. The federal government has a very large role to play in this and there are a number of calls to action that we have moved on quite quickly. I would note the implementation and passage and royal assent of Bill C-91 on indigenous languages, and Bill C-92 on child and family servic…
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Mr. Speaker, earlier today, contributing partners from across Canada came together to release a national action plan and the federal pathway to finally end this ongoing tragedy. The federal pathway is a key contribution in the national action plan that will leave real lasting and widespread changes. We provided funding to indigenous women's organizations, including NWAC, to engage with its members…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her advocacy and deep personal commitment to these matters. Earlier today, contributing partners from across Canada came together to release the national action plan and the federal pathway to addressing the ongoing tragedy. The federal pathway is a key contribution to the national action plan that will lead to real, lasting and widespread…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to take this moment, in front of the House, to thank the former attorney general and minister of justice for the work she did to move these important issues forward, in answering the TRC's calls to action and the MMIW's calls for justice, in making sure that indigenous languages affirmed their inherent right to have a rightful place in this country, and that child and family se…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for that exceedingly important question. The answer is yes. I will take this opportunity, because there is not a single indigenous community that has not been affected by this, to remind people that there is a crisis referral service hotline they can access by dialing 1-866-925-4419. I have reached out directly to Chief Casimir and the surrounding communities to ens…
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Mr. Speaker, now is in fact the time to stand with the communities that are most deeply affected and support them in their time of grieving. On the member's question, we have said time and time again that we will compensate first nations children for the discrimination they suffered at the hands of child and family services. We continue on those paths. We continue to work with the three competing …
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Madam Chair, Adrian Reynold George, Agnes Michou, Ambrose Alexander, Annie Frank, Annie Lucy Andrew, Arcelle William, Archie Oxime, Bobby Joseph Bell, Caroline Harris, Christine Jacob, Christine Josephine Joy Joseph, Christine Jules, Clarina Matthew, Eileen Joseph, Florence Morgan, Francis Alec, Francis Maximin, Francis Moses, Frederick Lecamp, George Michel, George Petel, George Purdaby, Gertrude…
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Madam Chair, emotions are high and the pain is very real. For indigenous people, this may not be a surprise, but it does not make it less of a shock or less painful. Anyone who frequented residential schools and survived has a story about someone who died or disappeared. More often than not, they were not believed. This truth is painful and must be told. We cannot talk about reconciliation without…
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Madam Chair, it is key to whatever we are doing as a country that it is not just politicians talking about it. Everyone needs to talk about it. My daughter, on Monday, chased me out with her computer as I was leaving and started telling me about what they were talking about just then, which was the drama and the find in Kamloops. It is what inspired me to say those words. I certainly did not learn…
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Madam Chair, I thank the member so much for her very relevant question. I do not think this is the time to boast about all of the financial and political capital this government has invested in indigenous communities. What we need to remember is that we will be there for the communities by responding to calls to action 71 to 76, knowing that call to action 71 talks about provincial coroners and th…
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Madam Chair, indigenous communities should know that we will be there for them now in their period of grieving and healing, and that we are deploying mental health supports. My thoughts are squarely with the communities. Many of them had their kids stolen and taken to the residential school in Kamloops. We will be there for them. We have been asked to give them space, and we will give them that sp…
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Mr. Speaker, people across the country and in indigenous communities feel the pain of this discovery. Not one community is untouched by the situation. The member opposite will be pleased to hear that we will be there for communities. Most importantly, we will be there with communities, and we will respect their wishes. Grieving communities need support. On Thursday evening, I spoke to Chief Casimi…
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Mr. Speaker, the government has said time and time again that we will compensate children for the harm that they have suffered. We have acknowledged as much. This is a time where we perhaps do need to reflect on the course of reconciliation, but this is also a time where we must continue with the communities at the forefront to help their search in the truth. There can be no healing without the tr…
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Mr. Speaker, the government has been very clear about this. We will compensate those who were harmed while in the care of child services. There is a time for the government to reflect on reconciliation, but right now, we need to help the communities in question on their path and their search for the truth. The search continues, as we do not know the whole truth. We will support these communities b…
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Mr. Speaker, this topic is all the more painful in the wake of this weekend's news. Obviously the Indian Act is entirely unacceptable, but it is also unacceptable to abolish it in one fell swoop from on high in Ottawa. This is something that must be done in tandem, in partnership with the indigenous communities involved. With all due respect, the member has got it all wrong. The new modern treatie…
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Mr. Speaker, we will absolutely support these communities. However, I would like to remind the member that call to action 76 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada states that indigenous communities shall lead such efforts. We will be there for them if they wish to conduct research and carry out digs. The provinces have also indicated that they will be there for them. This truth must…
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Madam Speaker, the member failed to note that there are now no longer any long-term water advisories in the province of British Columbia, thanks to the work that has been done and the plans put into place throughout the past years. This includes the Semiahmoo first nation, which lifted its advisory last month. There is much more to be done. We continue to invest in indigenous communities to ensure…
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Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, this government has made significant progress. In 2015, there were 105 long-term water advisories in effect. We have, in fact, lifted 106, and we will continue to do so. We will fix a failed funding formula, and we have invested now $1.5 billion pursuant to the fall economic statement. We will continue to work with every community to ensure that long-term wat…
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Mr. Speaker, through budget 2021, our government is investing over $18 billion to improve the quality of life, close socio-economic gaps and create new opportunities for indigenous communities and peoples. This includes an additional $1.4 billion to fight COVID; over $6 billion, with $389 million ongoing to support indigenous infrastructure; $100 million for indigenous entrepreneurship and economi…
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Mr. Speaker, as the member may well know from the fall economic statement, as well as from the budget that came out on Monday, there are sustained investments for water across the country in indigenous communities and in York Landing. We will continue those. No nation should go without secure and safe access to clean water. We will continue working on it. When we took power, there were 105 long-te…
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Mr. Speaker, let me reassure members of this House and all Canadians that this simply is not the case. I would note that when we took power, there were 105 long-term water advisories in effect. We put together a plan and invested $4 billion, and we have now lifted 106 long-term water advisories. No pressure is put on any first nation. We work in partnership with those nations, including the Chippe…
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Mr. Speaker, the member would well know that this government has invested historical funding into the mercury treatment centre that was announced early last year to right a historical wrong that should never have occurred in the first place. When it comes to advocating for the rights of Grassy Narrows', chief and council, and the people of Grassy Narrows are fully capable of doing it, but we will …
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Mr. Speaker, the member will know that this government has made significant investments in accelerating the processing times in and around status. The cases can vary from one person to another. If the member has any particular case she would like to advance, the ministry would be more than happy to look at it and pass it onto my team.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the member opposite was not part of the government that created this problem in the first place. I do appreciate his earnest question. In 2015, we made a clear promise to all first nations and Canadians to end the unacceptable long-term drinking water advisories affecting first nations and communities. At that time, there were 105. We just yesterday celebrated the 10…
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Mr. Speaker, if the member paid attention to the information on the website, he would see that every community that is currently on a long-term water advisory has a plan. When I sat down with my team, when I had the privilege of being named minister, we saw that we needed to commit to communities for long-term operations and maintenance of a critical asset. That is what we did with an announcement…
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Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Canada, I offer my sincere condolences on this tragic passing. We know that first nations face a terrible health crisis, particularly during this pandemic. We know that coming out of COVID we must invest in health infrastructures in communities. We must invest in housing as a health crisis. We know that this is the challenge. We know that this inequity exists and persists…
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Mr. Speaker, we welcome the recommendations in the report from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada. I assure the House that we share this commitment and will continue to work around the clock until all of the long-term advisories are lifted. We have been working directly with first nations communities since 2015 to improve access to drinking water. In spite of the challenges we announced i…
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Mr. Speaker, let me be clear once again that this government is unequivocally committed to addressing the long-standing unmet needs of first nation children and resolving these cases. The member will note that we are continuing our mediation with the CHRT partners, two other class action partners, to the complaints first nations partners, provinces and territories to ensure that we fully implement…
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Mr. Speaker, as the member will note, at the end of November and the beginning of December, this government invested a further $1.5 billion in water infrastructure with first nations and in partnership with first nations. The member is fundamentally mistaken about the process by which we engage with first nations. They pick the contractors; we work with them and we follow industry practice to ensu…
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Mr. Speaker, first off, we absolutely respect the rights of indigenous groups, including Tataskweyak Cree Nation, to seek intervention of the courts, and we absolutely must respect that process. Our government continues to support Tataskweyak in the repairs and upgrades to its water system as the water quality does indeed continue to meet approved guidelines. I would point out that since 2016, Ind…
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Mr. Speaker, while today is the fifth anniversary of the CHRT order on the inequalities and overrepresentation of indigenous children in care that spanned decades, we have been clear that our goal is a comprehensive, fair and equitable compensation for those impacted by the historic inequities in first nations child welfare. Let me be equally clear in saying that currently Canada is facing three c…
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Mr. Speaker, I would highlight for the member opposite that Indigenous Services Canada has provided 800,000 supports since 2016 in implementing these orders. The appeal of the particular order that the member is referencing will in no way prejudice indigenous children. We will implement every single aspect of that order, regardless of the outcome. It is part of the competing three lawsuits that th…
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