Government Orders
moved that Bill C-69, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 16, 2024, be read the second time and referred to a committee.
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Mr. Speaker, let me thank the member opposite for his years of advocacy and reassure him that I spoke with Grand Chief Fiddler just last week about this very project. We are working with the province and with the region to make sure that everyone can access quality health care, no matter where they live.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her ongoing advocacy. Since 2015, we have increased spending on indigenous priorities by 180%. That is right. That is the abysmal state in which we received this file in 2015 from the previous Harper Conservatives, who gave zero cares about the lives of indigenous people. In fact, budget 2024 dedicates over $9.5 billion to indigenous priorities. A ful…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his years of advocacy for the rights of indigenous people, including for the people of Attawapiskat. As the member notes, Attawapiskat is currently landlocked. Indeed it is looking for more land to build the necessary houses to help the community grow. I have been communicating with the Province of Ontario, which is currently the owner of the land. We w…
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Mr. Speaker, for decades and decades, Canada has underinvested in indigenous communities, and the Liberal government is putting a stop to that. We have increased funding for housing on first nations by 1,100%. While we know there is a long way to go, I want to thank the AFN for co-writing this report with us. It is very important to understand the size of the gap so that we can work even more quic…
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Mr. Speaker, let me first say that I fully agree with the member opposite about the need to preserve indigenous languages and restore them when they have been so cruelly ripped away from first nations communities for decades. Indeed, in my own riding, Matawa tribal council provides first nation language training and support for first nations communities all through northern Ontario, supported by t…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Ottawa—Vanier for her allyship to indigenous reconciliation and peoples. It is a well-known saying that when people show who they are, believe them. A few lines at a press conference does not change the Conservative track record on reconciliation, including just a few days ago, when we look at the stereotypes the member of Parliament for Saskatoon—Grassw…
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Mr. Speaker, let us roll the tape back to when Conservatives were in power, where they changed the Canada drug strategy, stripped out harm reduction and refused to meet with community organizers, like me, about saving the lives of people who were struggling with substance use. They refused to support communities in the way that communities knew they could work together to save lives and to help pe…
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Mr. Speaker, I was listening to the debate from the lobby, and I heard the member start by talking about “woke” policy. I wondered what she thought about when she used that word, and if “woke” to her means caring for vulnerable people, advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ communities, working on reconciliation, and making sure that people have a fair chance to succeed and young people do not fin…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Cloverdale—Langley City for caring so much about access to clean water for first nations, something about which we should all care. It was very disappointing yesterday, on the first day of the second reading of the bill, that the Conservative member blamed first nations for their lack of drinking water. I guess it is easier to do that than to look in the…
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Mr. Speaker, I have been working with Weenusk First Nation since last year when there was yet another tragic death in that community due to a house fire. In fact, last march, we airlifted in the fire truck that would help them respond. I agree that they do need a fire hall as well. Our department is working with the community to make sure that we can accelerate the work of the design and make it p…
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moved that Bill C-61, an act respecting water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on first nation lands, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Madam Speaker, it is with great privilege that I rise today to speak to Bill C-61, the first nations clean water act, at second reading. Upon its introduction to this House on December 11, 2023, Chief Logan of…
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Madam Speaker, I would say that Canadians are seized with the need for all first nations to have access to clean water. That is why we have a transparency tracker on the Government of Canada website that can delineate all the remaining 28 long-term boil water advisories and at what stage they are in terms of the work needed to deliver clean water. Most projects are either in the construction stage…
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Madam Speaker, first of all, let me say that I have travelled across this country and visited with first nations people in every province and territory. Universally, the conversation has always started with a deep recognition that water is indeed life, and in fact, water itself has life and is an important element of being custodians and protectors of this planet we all call home. I want to acknow…
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Madam Speaker, trust a Conservative member to blame first nations people for burning down their own water treatment plants and for not being smart enough to be able to understand how to operate those plants. That is the kind of paternalism that led to 105 long-term boil water advisories. They were just not worth investing in, I guess. First nations people have the dignity, the ability and the inte…
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Madam Speaker, I would say that this legislation would establish the inherent right to clean water, and it would do more than that. What it would also do is provide first nations with the tools to be able to monitor the source water that feeds their drinking water systems. That is work that we must do together with provinces and territories. This is collaborative work with multiple levels of juris…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her passion for clean water. I share her dismay that this country, in many ways, has led to discriminatory policy and funding for first nations. In fact, that is why we are here today. Discretionary funding for water safety has been part of the government's shameful legacy, and we are changing that with this legislation. In fact, not only would this legislatio…
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Mr. Speaker, I think all Canadians were so sad to hear about the fire that destroyed the school in Eabametoong. I spoke with Chief Atlookan on Friday night to reiterate to the chief that we will work with the community, not only on fire prevention, with the truck waiting for the ice roads so it can be delivered, but also on making sure that those students have a plan to complete their year of stud…
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Mr. Speaker, last week, it was shameful to see the Conservative Party members get up, all night long, to vote against all of the things that indigenous people need, such as health care, education and housing. While the Conservatives play games with people's lives, on this side we are hard at work. That is why it was so exciting to announce the next steps toward rolling out a historic $4.3 billion …
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Mr. Speaker, I have been meeting on a quarterly basis with Neskantaga to solve the current crisis that Neskantaga has been undergoing. Despite the renovation of their plant, the water is still not testing clean. We are working together to make sure that happens. In regard to the legislation, Neskantaga was one of the litigant communities that were deeply involved in the drafting of the legislation…
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-61, An Act respecting water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nation lands. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
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Mr. Speaker, last week, when the Conservatives had the chance to stand up for first nations people, they voted against the measures indigenous communities need every single day to deliver things like clean water, to deliver things like education and to make sure infrastructure is kept running and maintained. When they had a chance to stand up with first nations, what did they do? They voted agains…
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Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives had wanted to make life easier for first nations people, they would not have voted against so many measures that first nations leaders need and are essential to running good communities, things like education, emergency management, water infrastructure and the building of homes. These are the kinds of things that Conservatives voted against last week. They have ne…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for his unwavering advocacy for the people of Attawapiskat. I have met extensively with chief and council and many members of Attawapiskat. Indeed, the department is working closely with the community to make sure they have the tools they need, and not just in the short term as winter bears down, but in the long term so that the community can move f…
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Madam Speaker, since we took office in 2015, indigenous spending has increased by 168% in first nations communities. That is no small number. What underlies that number is the ongoing systemic discrimination of the previous Conservative government, which spent nothing in first nations communities, discriminated against children and ensured that generations of poverty would continue. We are reversi…
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Madam Speaker, I spent last summer with first nations leaders in community after community evacuating people from the onslaught of incredible wildfires and floods that devastated community infrastructure and that put people out of their homes for months on end. That is the risk of climate change to first nations communities. They are first on the line in terms of people affected by the devastation…
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Madam Speaker, it is still clear that the Conservative Party and its members do not really understand how indigenous people are not indigenous Canadians but, in fact, indigenous people of their own nations. The idea of self-determination is something that this Conservative Party just cannot wrap its head around. The colonial Conservatives just will not quit.
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moved: That, notwithstanding any standing order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-50, An Act respecting accountability, transparency and engagement to support the creation of sustainable jobs for workers and economic growth in a net-zero economy, shall be disposed of as follows: (a) during the consideration of the bill by the Standing Committee on Natural Resources, (i) the committee shall ha…
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Madam Speaker, for a decade, the Conservative government kept people in poverty, refused to invest in infrastructure and refused to support education. Can colleagues believe it? When we were elected in 2015, we made sure there was parity for first nations education so kids could get a decent education. The member knows the record of the Conservative Party. We will not stop our work in reconciliati…
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Mr. Speaker, I share the member opposite's sense of urgency for closing the infrastructure gap in first nations. In 2015, we inherited a situation where no investments had been made in housing. Since 2016, 30,000 homes or renovations had been completed across the nation, with the leadership of first nations, investing in new models, ensuring that people have the tools, the support and the equity t…
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Listen to that, Mr. Speaker. The colonialism from the Conservatives in this place will just not quit. Mr. Speaker, I will say that, on this side, we respect first nations. We know that they are leaders. That is why we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in first nations to ensure equity in water, child welfare and housing, and we will continue to do so.
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, they are not “our first people”. They are first nations, which are independent first nations. This government for—
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Mr. Speaker, it is too bad that the former leader of the opposition did not listen to the Chiefs of Ontario for over a decade as the infrastructure gap grew and grew, as children suffered with discriminatory first nations child welfare, as education rates and levels were underfunded per capita—
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Mr. Speaker, we have to ask ourselves how that infrastructure gap got so big, and it was a decade of neglect. In fact, the Leader of the Opposition, on the day of the apology from Prime Minister Harper, said that what people really needed to do was actually get to work and show work values. These are the kinds of ethics that these Conservatives hold in terms of first nations. We will continue to w…
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Mr. Speaker, this summer we saw a record wildfire season raging across the country. I, as Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, worked with first nation leaders all across the country as they did the most unimaginable to protect their communities, with evacuations, people displaced for weeks if not months, and land, property and infrastructure destroyed. We will continue to work on fighting clim…
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Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the advocacy of the member opposite to continue our work to close the infrastructure gap and to seek true reconciliation with indigenous people. That is a journey we have been on since 2015. In fact, services for indigenous people were flatlined for over a decade with the previous Conservative government. We have seen an increase of 168% in investments in indigenou…
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Mr. Speaker, during question period, I heard in one of the questions from the Leader of the Opposition his reckless use of the word “crazy” as a pejorative for one of our cabinet ministers. The use of the word “crazy” is offensive and stigmatizing and, for so many Canadians—
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Nunavut for this really important question. In fact, after a decade of no investments in first nations communities under the Harper government, our government got to work with first nations partners to start to close that infrastructure gap on things such as clean water, where boil water advisories had been left unattended for a decade, and things such as hou…
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Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to be a northern Liberal member of Parliament because I work everyday with constituents who are telling me that we need to take faster action on the climate. This is because we are losing acres of forest and seeing droughts, even in northern Ontario, which are making it harder to grow food and to grow our economy. My constituents expect me to advocate for a clean environ…
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Mr. Speaker, I am so grateful to indigenous leaders who are working so hard on blending traditional and western ways of healing. At the second annual National Summit on Indigenous Mental Wellness, people gathered to share successful stories about programs that are designed by indigenous people for indigenous people. From the Ahousaht key-note speech to the Pimishka project in northern Quebec, heal…
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Mr. Speaker, since 2015, we have worked with first nations partners to address the shocking and appalling housing gap that exists on first nations. Indeed, over 33,000 units of housing have been built or renovated since that time. We continue to invest in affordable housing, not just for first nations people but for indigenous people in urban, rural and northern communities. Let us compare that to…
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Mr. Speaker, let us roll back the tape a bit. In 2015, when we were elected, the former Conservative government refused to meet with indigenous leaders in this country. In fact, indigenous leaders could not meet with the previous prime minister and could not move forward an agenda of reconciliation whatsoever. In fact, the previous prime minister said that an inquiry into the murdered and missing …
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Mr. Speaker, in 2015, after a decade of entrenching poverty for first nations, a newly elected Liberal government got to work on reconciliation. First nations community services have increased by 156% since then. That is for things like school, water and health services. I have been clear and so has the government: Programs and services for indigenous peoples will be protected. Reconciliation is g…
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Mr. Speaker, insofar as Indigenous Services Canada, or ISC, is concerned, the response to part (a) is that ISC continues to support the Okanagan Indian Band with the Addition to Reserve of the former Canadian National Rail corridor lands bisecting Duck Lake Indian Reserve No. 7. Canadian National Rail is currently the registered owner of the lands in fee simple and Canada has previously provided C…
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Mr. Speaker, why should Canadians trust the Leader of the Opposition on housing? When he had the file, he failed hard. In fact, a $300-million fund to build housing in first nations, set up by the leader himself, built 99 houses. For every one house he and the Harper Conservatives built on reserve, we have renovated or built nine. We cannot afford his broken ideas.
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Mr. Speaker, it was a privilege to meet with the community members and the chief of Attiwapiskat this morning, where the member was also present. Together we talked about a road map to make sure that Attiwapiskat has the tools it needs and the financial support of the federal government to move forward. I agree with the member. Every person in this country must feel that they can reach their full …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Sudbury for understanding and advocating an inclusive economy in which indigenous entrepreneurs and indigenous communities have all the tools of economic success. Indeed, that is exactly how FedNor has been transitioning to support indigenous economies and support economic reconciliation. Today, FedNor is investing over $8.2 million in new, targeted investments …
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Mr. Speaker, since this government was elected, we have worked tirelessly to close the gaping infrastructure gap left by the previous Conservative government. It underinvested in indigenous children, underinvested in indigenous infrastructure and did nothing about boiled water advisories for a decade, which left a massive gap of infrastructure across the country, including children's schools. Our …
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Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be part of a government that prioritizes access to care for children all across this country. Indigenous children are receiving care through hundreds of thousands of products and services as a result of the action this government has taken. In respect of the provider the member opposite is speaking about, the member now has a dedicated service provider in the department …
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Mr. Speaker, Indigenous Services Canada, indeed the federal government, has been working with Kanesatake leaders to determine a solution to move forward in a way that protects the health and safety of the community. We agree that we must do better to protect our lands together, and that is exactly what I am doing with the leadership of Kanesatake.
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