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Dec/8/21 9:43:48 p.m.
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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 was announced in June, we also announced $2.2 billion to continue to work on this as indigenous women are disproportionately affected by this, and even more so by the pandemic. This is a difficult path, but we will walk with partners—

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The Deputy Chair

Dec/8/21 9:44:24 p.m.
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The hon. parliamentary secretary.

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Ms. Pam Damoff

Dec/8/21 9:44:27 p.m.
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Madam Chair, in January 2020, An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families came into effect in order to affirm the jurisdiction of indigenous communities over child and family services in order to support the well-being of indigenous children and families and provide culturally relevant care to children. I had the great privilege of working with the minister when I was his parliamentary secretary to start to establish this act in communities. So far, there has only been one community that has completed an agreement, Cowessess First Nation. Could the minister provide an update on the implementation of the act? Are there more communities developing coordination agreements and moving towards this new system, and is there funding to support communities through this process?

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Hon. Marc Miller

Dec/8/21 9:45:28 p.m.
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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 law itself provides a one-year period where communities put forth their set of laws, which then will take precedence over every other law in Canada. This is a difficult process with coordination with provinces so that children do not fall through the cracks. Obviously, Cowessess First Nation was the first to adopt it, and there have been many others. We are in the process of establishing coordination agreements with provinces. I am very hopeful, but it will be an extended process. Obviously, we want to have the children at the heart of this. The most important feature of that law is ensuring that there are minimum standards, and those came into effect last year on January 1.

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Ms. Pam Damoff

Dec/8/21 9:46:19 p.m.
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Madam Chair, this past year has highlighted the horrific reality of the systemic racism that remains in our institutions. As we know, tragedies like the experience Joyce Echaquan endured are not isolated incidents. Indigenous peoples across the country experience apprehension and reluctance to seek health care due to the fear of facing, at times, fatal discrimination. The minister has been outspoken on the need for change. Can the minister please elaborate on the work our government is doing to tackle systemic racism in health care, and how this government will ensure that indigenous peoples, particularly indigenous women, have equitable access to care?

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Hon. Marc Miller

Dec/8/21 9:47:05 p.m.
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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 about his own experience raising his children as a single father. We have invested $130 million specifically in eradicating systemic racism in the health care system. It really involves the provinces and territories, and everyone has to be committed to it. We cannot have a system that treats indigenous people as third-class citizens. They are at their most vulnerable when they are either interacting with police forces or in a health care scenario where they should be getting what we should be giving to them, which is first-class health services. This is an all-of-government approach—

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The Deputy Chair

Dec/8/21 9:48:04 p.m.
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Resuming debate, the hon. member for Manicouagan.

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Mrs. Marilène Gill (Manicouagan, BQ)

Dec/8/21 9:48:08 p.m.
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Madam Chair, as the indigenous affairs critic for the Bloc Québécois, I do not have the luxury of being able to split the minister across the way into three so I will address him on different topics. First, I would like to talk about housing. In its budget statement, the government allocated $6 billion over five years to be invested across Quebec and Canada. After the announcement, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, or AFNQL, indicated that this was a step in the right direction but that it was not enough to build, repair and maintain housing in indigenous communities. In 2018, the AFNQL determined that Quebec alone needed $3.9 billion for five years. Not to speak for the first nations, they are saying so themselves, but the Bloc Québécois used the AFNQL projection and determined that a $4.3‑billion investment over five years was needed for Quebec communities alone, including $400 million for Inuit communities. With inflation and the growing problems resulting from the housing shortage, which we we saw in indigenous communities during the COVID‑19 crisis, we can expect that estimate will need to be even higher. Does the minister agree with me and the AFNQL that $6 billion is not enough to meet the housing needs of first nations in Quebec?

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Hon. Marc Miller (Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Lib.)

Dec/8/21 9:49:41 p.m.
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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 was strongly advised by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.

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Mrs. Marilène Gill

Dec/8/21 9:50:19 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I completely agree with the minister. That would be a luxury for me; I cannot split myself in three. There are just not as many of us, as my colleagues know, so we always have to do more. In fact, as the minister said—and this is just an aside before my next question—the AFNQL has figured it out already and has been aware of these needs for decades now. I invite the minister, his staff and all the teams of people who could work together to address those needs to get in touch with the associations. They already know the details, so I am sure they would be delighted to collaborate. Everyone agrees that there is a major gap and that it cannot just be closed. There is no plan for after those five years are up. We need a long-term plan. Five years is not a long time. It is very likely one Parliament given that this is a minority government. How is the government planning to close the resulting gaps?

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Hon. Marc Miller

Dec/8/21 9:51:26 p.m.
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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 filled. We are talking about the government's commitment, which has been stated loud and clear, to close this gap by 2030. Obviously, this will not happen in the next three to five years, especially in remote communities, even though they may have the greatest needs because of their remote location. The construction season is a lot shorter because of the weather. This is a calling that will need to be maintained and worked on relentlessly. Several departments are involved, not necessarily just the Minister of Indigenous Services and me, but also the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion and the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities. Up to five departments could be involved in addressing this need.

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Mrs. Marilène Gill

Dec/8/21 9:52:32 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I agree that it can be complex. That is why we separatists like it when things are simpler, when there are fewer levels of government and fewer parties involved. Overall, the AFNQL is representative. It represents its members and knows what is going on. It has an excellent view of what is happening in communities, and it knows what they need. Is the government not concerned that by under-investing, it is deferring expenditures that will become even more significant in future? We spoke about northern communities. Construction is an issue in the north, whether it is on the territory of the Naskapi in Quebec or in Cree and Inuit communities. At the same time, the reality is that indigenous communities are very young. There are many families and many children, and we are unable to house them. It is not necessarily about geography, but about demographics. With money, I would hope that we can do it. We are not fighting the climate but a dire lack of funding. There is already a shortfall. In the minister's view, if we fail to make sufficient investments now, will we be further postponing investments of even greater amounts in housing for indigenous communities?

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Hon. Marc Miller

Dec/8/21 9:54:03 p.m.
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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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Mrs. Marilène Gill

Dec/8/21 9:54:30 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I am very glad to hear the minister talk about the pandemic, which might have exposed and exacerbated needs and challenges in various sectors. I would like to remind that minister that the Viens commission report said the housing problem had “emerged as the epicentre of many of the issues faced by the First Nations and Inuit”. According to the indigenous leaders I speak to in their capacity as community representatives, one of the biggest problems they have to tackle is housing, which is the root cause of many other problems, difficulties and even tragedies. I would like to know if housing is a priority for the government, if not its top priority, as it is for band councils and chiefs.

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Hon. Marc Miller

Dec/8/21 9:55:34 p.m.
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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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Mrs. Marilène Gill

Dec/8/21 9:55:56 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would remind the minister that I am glad that $6 billion has been invested, but that amount was for all of Canada. Quebec alone needs more than $4 billion over the next five years, as I mentioned earlier. The amount of federal funding is $6 billion, yes, but so far only $2.8 billion has gone out the door for all of Canada. Quebec therefore has a $4‑billion shortfall. We must also consider what this could mean for Canada and remember that the $6 billion covers only the next five years. Nothing is planned for after that, which means we will have another shortfall. That amount is simply not enough, and I wanted to point that out. People will correct me if I am wrong, but according to everyone I have spoken with, housing is a cornerstone of first nations development and well-being. Nevertheless, I would like to raise some other issues. I would like to talk about residential schools, which were mentioned earlier. This matter came up five days before the election. The Prime Minister announced an investment that the minister said earlier was in the tens of thousands of dollars, but it is more like $320 million over three years to fund searches for unmarked graves, as well as the demolition or rehabilitation of former residential school sites. That $320 million was announced five days before the federal election was called. After the election, some time went by before Parliament opened, and we see that we have not made much headway. I would like to know where we are today on this file that essentially amounts to an election promise.

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Hon. Marc Miller

Dec/8/21 9:57:43 p.m.
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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 same institution. I would like to disburse these funds as quickly as possible because there are needs to fill, but I will follow the pace and needs of the communities. We certainly need to provide some investments in Quebec, perhaps even in the member's riding. We will be there with the communities, on an as-needed basis.

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Mrs. Marilène Gill

Dec/8/21 9:58:35 p.m.
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Madam Chair, [Member spoke in indigenous language]. [Translation] Going back to the date, it may have been a few days before. I am not going to argue about the dates, but we can agree that the announcement was made before the election was called. However, whenever we are in an election period, nothing happens; nothing gets done. I understand, of course, that there are a number of projects, and $320 million was mentioned. I would like to know where the approved projects are at and where we are in terms of the budget. What amounts have been allocated to the projects that have been selected so far? I realize that there are others that are still being analyzed.

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Hon. Marc Miller

Dec/8/21 9:59:16 p.m.
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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 buildings, as needed. That would have to be sorted out. If I am not mistaken, the amount is at least $50 million or $60 million, but it could be much more. I will ask my deputy minister to confirm this quickly.

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Mrs. Marilène Gill

Dec/8/21 10:00:06 p.m.
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Madam Chair, can the minister tell me the amount of funding requested by the government in the supplementary estimates (B) for the same cause?

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