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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 13

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 8, 2021 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:56:25 p.m.
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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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Ms. Lori Idlout
  • Dec/8/21 10:56:32 p.m.
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Madam Chair, does the minister have data related to how much more it costs to build a house in the north as compared to building a house in the south?
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Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:56:40 p.m.
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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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Ms. Lori Idlout
  • Dec/8/21 10:56:59 p.m.
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Madam Chair, housing was a main campaign issue in this last election. The Liberal government promised four years ago to deliver an urban, rural and northern indigenous housing strategy. Could the minister provide a timeline of when this work will begin?
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Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:57:15 p.m.
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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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Ms. Lori Idlout
  • Dec/8/21 10:57:40 p.m.
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Madam Chair, has the minister reached out to first nations, Métis and Inuit to initiate the dialogue toward the development of the strategy?
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Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:57:49 p.m.
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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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Ms. Lori Idlout
  • Dec/8/21 10:58:15 p.m.
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Madam Chair, other than COVID-19, what has been the delay in starting the drafting of the strategy, which was promised two years before the COVID pandemic started?
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Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:58:28 p.m.
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Madam Chair, one, there is no excuse. Two, it has largely been due to COVID.
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Ms. Lori Idlout
  • Dec/8/21 10:58:36 p.m.
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Madam Chair, by how much will the minister increase short- and long-term federal investments in housing in Nunavut and indigenous communities now and in the future?
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Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:58:49 p.m.
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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 been rapid housing initiatives, but this is a whole-of-government approach, including Infrastructure and other departments, as well as territorial and provincial governments.
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Ms. Lori Idlout
  • Dec/8/21 10:59:22 p.m.
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Madam Chair, still related to housing but more focused on seniors, what investments will be included for long-term care homes in Nunavut, first nations, Métis and Inuit communities in Canada?
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Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:59:35 p.m.
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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 need to have more people, and seniors in particular, able to age in their own communities. That is something we are working on.
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Ms. Lori Idlout
  • Dec/8/21 11:00:09 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the minister did not answer my question, but I will move to the next question. What investments will be made to ensure that first nations, Métis, Inuit and Nunavut communities can take care of their own elders in their own home communities?
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Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 11:00:25 p.m.
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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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Ms. Lori Idlout
  • Dec/8/21 11:00:44 p.m.
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Madam Chair, will these investments be made?
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Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 11:00:50 p.m.
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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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Ms. Lori Idlout
  • Dec/8/21 11:01:06 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I am going to turn now to the next set of questions, regarding energy. All 25 of the communities in my riding run on diesel. The Qulliq Energy Corporation is eager to explore renewable energy production across Nunavut. In the 2019 election, Prime Minister Trudeau committed to moving all Inuit communities off diesel power to clean energy by 2030. Nunavut has yet to see any significant investments toward this goal to date. Iqaluit has plans on the shelf for a hydroelectric dam. My first question is: When will these investments begin?
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The Assistant Deputy Chair
  • Dec/8/21 11:01:46 p.m.
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This will be the hon. member for Nunavut's last question, because we are out of time. Also, I will just remind the member that we cannot use the names of current members in the chamber. The hon. minister has the floor.
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Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 11:02:01 p.m.
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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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