44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 30, 2022 11:00AM
- May/30/22 2:49:29 p.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, the legacy of colonialism is deep. Former students, now parents and grandparents, told churches and governments about the loss of their loved ones. They were ignored.
Unmarked graves are now being found and many more will show the truth of what was hidden. Indigenous peoples need the resources to support each other in these traumatic experiences.
Will the government provide funding directly to indigenous organizations, communities and families to help with healing, instead of giving funds to the RCMP?
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- May/30/22 2:51:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to the member opposite's point, clearly what we have seen in this country is a pattern of dispossession that has continued to retraumatize and traumatize communities, and the constant denial of this reality is what characterizes today's discourse as well.
We have a duty, as a society, to keep opening our minds and being more respectful, and to show compassion to communities that are reeling, but also to provide those resources. We know that some communities are not even ready at this point and it may take some time, and the last thing they want to think about is any party in the House suggesting that the funding would ever stop.
I would encourage all people in the House to support our efforts in walking with communities and supporting them in their searches.
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- May/30/22 3:11:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our community has been begging for a 24-7 low-barrier safe space for women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people for over 10 years. We are still waiting. Even though the former minister of crown-indigenous relations called Winnipeg “Ground Zero” for MMIWG, last week we had another two women murdered. Thoughts and prayers do not cut it.
Will the minister confirm that the funding they announced Friday will be used to open a 24-7 safe space in Winnipeg and save lives now?
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- May/30/22 8:02:28 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, military members and their families are our top priority and we are taking steps to ensure that they are in fact supported. We know many Canadians are deeply concerned about housing, and in many ways a life in the Canadian Armed Forces amplifies this issue.
CAF members move frequently, and when they are posted to a place where housing is more expensive, it can be extremely challenging for them and their families. This is why the Department of National Defence is improving access to housing for our members.
In 2021-22, we began allocating $40 million per year for 10 years to be invested in the DND residential housing program. Starting in 2022-23, DND has allocated an additional $15 million per year for three years. This means that in 2022-23, we will be investing $55 million in residential housing for CAF members.
This includes renovation projects to ensure the existing 11,540 housing units are functional and suitable. Some of this funding will go toward constructing new housing units at bases and wings over the next several years. In addition to improving housing access to members, the Canadian Armed Forces is offering them a number of benefits for relocation anywhere in Canada, including reimbursing legal fees and real estate fees.
If members who have to move encounter challenges selling their old houses or finding new ones, or their family needs more time to adjust, a CAF member can proceed unaccompanied to the new location and lodging will be paid for up to six months, or longer if authorized by the CAF. If the residence cannot be sold, the CAF will also cover some expenses for dual residences up to six months.
Most importantly, we are listening to our members and their families. The CAF is conducting surveys continuously during the active posting season to gather feedback on how the relocation experience can be improved.
Through budget 2022, the Department of National Defence also announced an increase of $8 billion in funding over five years for the Canadian Armed Forces on top of our planned SSE investments, and we are updating our defence policy to ensure it continues to be relevant in the evolving defence and security environment.
In February 2021, we increased military members' rates of pay to ensure alignment with the increase received by the federal public service. In addition, to ensure the post living differential allowance effectively supports CAF members and their families and addresses affordability concerns, the Department of National Defence is reviewing that policy.
We will always seek to support the people who choose to serve their country with a robust compensation and benefits framework. As part of the CAF reconstitution plan, we are making sure that we are doing everything we can to take care of our people. This involves rebuilding the CAF's effective strength, transforming defence team culture and emphasizing the physical and mental well-being of our people.
For example, through national initiatives like Seamless Canada, we are making sure CAF members and their families are not facing the challenges that come with posting out of province or territory alone. Supporting our families is central to having a strong, healthy and modern military. We are continually exploring ways to ensure CAF members and their families have what they need to live in uniform.
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- May/30/22 8:06:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, those are great promises but we are not delivering. On May 5, there was an email passed around from a senior officer at a base north of Vancouver letting family members of military know that Habitat for Humanity was an option for those family members looking for housing. How bad is it that the military is offering Habitat for Humanity housing? That should be going to families that need actual housing. Our military members are being forced into that scenario.
At the end of the day, it is great that we have committed. I will admit that for CFB Trenton, there was an announcement two weeks ago for some money to build 60 new homes of the 360 we need, so that is great. That is committed money. We have had that from the government. We need action.
I am going to ask again. I know we have the funding announcement. On what date are shovels going to be in the ground to build those homes committed from the budget? Is that going to be done by the end of 2022?
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- May/30/22 8:27:23 p.m.
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Madam Chair, it is my pleasure to rise in committee of the whole to present the items in the 2022-23 main estimates for Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard.
Today I am seeking $3.98 billion in planned spending. This amount represents a decrease of $396.2 million in total planned spending compared to the previous fiscal year. This variance in spending is attributed to a combination of factors, including the evolution of existing programs and the completion of other initiatives, as well as some recently introduced programs.
To be more specific, these main estimates include an increase of $589.8 million that is earmarked for a number of key initiatives. This includes $176.7 million in new funding for the Pacific salmon strategy initiative; $149.5 million in new funding for the small craft harbours program; $126 million in new funding related to marine conservation targets; $40.1 million to help conserve Canada's lands and fresh water, protect species, advance indigenous reconciliation and increase access to nature; and an additional $97.5 million for other initiatives.
It is important to note that these increases have been offset by $986 million in spending decreases in other program areas. This includes a number of planned funding profile changes related to indigenous programs, the five-year oceans protection plan, the department's response to the Big Bar landslide, Canadian Coast Guard fleet projects, the Trans Mountain expansion project, as well as other select programs.
This $986 million in spending decreases also includes $140 million in savings, which is attributed to a program that supported self-employed Canadian fish harvesters who were impacted by COVID-19. The original intent of this program was to provide immediate financial assistance to harvesters affected by the pandemic so their operations could begin or continue during the 2020-21 fishing season. Now that this program has met its intended objectives, we are in the process of drawing it to a close.
I want to take this opportunity to address one of the key reductions in planned spending for the 2022-23 year compared to the previous fiscal year. I am referring to the $468.4-million decrease in planned spending on some indigenous programs within my portfolio. It is important to note that this type of planned spending varies each year based on the status of ongoing negotiations and other influences. The main factor underlying this year-over-year change is related to the successful ratification of significant reconciliation funding agreements in 2021-22.
To be more specific, my department transferred approximately $300 million to indigenous groups to support their fisheries access, vessels and gear, as well as collaborative governance. Of this funding, $290 million represents one-time payments. As members know, my department plays a central role in advancing reconciliation with indigenous peoples, and I am very proud of the progress we have made to date, while acknowledging we still have much work to do together. As we chart a fair and equitable path forward, DFO will continue to negotiate and implement fisheries reconciliation agreements and treaty-related measures to advance reconciliation through the fisheries.
I want my hon. colleagues to know I am committed to working with indigenous partners across Canada to find mutually acceptable outcomes on a broad range of files related to fisheries and aquaculture, oceans planning and conservation, habitat protection and restoration, scientific research, and marine safety and environmental protection. By working together toward shared goals, I am confident we can better manage our ocean and marine resources in ways that are collaborative and respectful of indigenous values and communities, as well as their treaty and cultural rights and their aspirations.
I also want to take a few minutes to talk about the Pacific salmon strategy initiative, which will receive $176.7 million in additional funding through these main estimates. Pacific salmon are some of the most iconic species in Canada. They hold immense social, cultural and economic significance for many coastal and inland communities throughout British Columbia and the Yukon, but unfortunately these stocks are also facing serious and unprecedented challenges and declines as a result of a number of complex risk factors.
Urgent and coordinated action is necessary to not only protect and stabilize Pacific salmon stocks, but also to help them recover. That is why budget 2021 set aside $647.1 million over five years, plus $98.9 million in amortization to preserve and rebuild Pacific salmon stocks. This historic investment is being used to conduct research, open new hatcheries, restore habitat, launch the Pacific salmon secretariat and the habitat restoration centre of expertise, and engage with first nations and fish harvesters on the west coast.
To reverse the decline of Pacific salmon stocks, additional funds from the main estimates will be used to advance the Pacific salmon strategy initiative and support ongoing efforts and activities with our many partners.
Before I conclude, I would like to highlight some of the investments in budget 2022 that will help Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard fulfill their mandate.
Chapter 3 of the budget includes a section called “Protecting Our Lands, Lakes, and Oceans”, which includes dedicated funding for my department. Most notably, it sets aside $1.1 billion over nine years and $74.5 million in ongoing funding to renew the oceans protection plan.
Additional funding is earmarked for a zero plastic waste initiative, of which my department will receive $41.1 million over five years to help reduce plastic pollution in the marine environment. This includes $10 million for the ghost gear program so our partners on the water can continue removing lost, abandoned and discarded fishing gear from our oceans to keep fishing ongoing. It will also go toward testing new and innovative fishing gear to help reduce gear loss.
Finally, budget 2022 provides $44.9 million over five years, beginning in 2022-23, and $9 million in ongoing funding for my department to meet Canada's commitments to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. In April, our colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services and the member of Parliament for Niagara Centre, who has worked very hard on this matter, made this announcement and can attest to the fact that it was very much welcomed news indeed.
I am confident the funding outlined in these main estimates, coupled with the investments contained in budget 2022 and budget 2021, will help my department implement the initiatives I have just highlighted and fulfill our broader mandate on behalf of the Canadians we are so proud to serve.
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- May/30/22 8:59:50 p.m.
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Madam Chair, why should Canadians be confident that this funding will be spent if fundamental parts of the program still have not been established after an entire year of this program being implemented?
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- May/30/22 9:01:03 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we could get the exact numbers to the member, but I can say that work has started. We have been funding, through the SRIF program, everything from science to restoration work. That work is ongoing.
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- May/30/22 9:03:28 p.m.
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Madam Chair, there are many factors contributing to the decline of wild salmon, but it is indisputable that open-net salmon farming is having a detrimental impact on our wild salmon.
The government has promised to take action in its past three mandate letters. Why are we not seeing real funding being committed in this year's budget?
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- May/30/22 9:09:32 p.m.
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Madam Chair, last year's flooding in the lower Fraser, and in British Columbia as a whole, could have devastating impacts on already threatened salmon species. When the PSSI's senior director Sarah Murdoch testified to the fisheries and oceans committee, she said that DFO was not looking to reallocate resources from the PSSI to help with salmon habitat restoration in the wake of last year's flooding.
Does the minister agree that this emergency event is worth allocating funding towards?
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- May/30/22 9:24:27 p.m.
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Madam Chair, Pacific salmon have social and cultural significance for many Canadians, and they are economically vital to many local communities. This iconic species is experiencing drastic population declines due to a combination of climate, habitat and harvesting pressures. Bold, transformative action is needed now to stabilize, protect and rebuild west coast salmon stocks for the ecosystems and communities that depend on them before it is too late. Many Pacific wild salmon are on the verge of collapse, and we need to take bold and ambitious action now if we are to reverse the trends and give them a fighting chance at survival.
The PSSI is a comprehensive initiative that will build on and support the years of work and wisdom that grassroots organizations, indigenous communities, scientists and others have already put into effect to protect and recover Pacific salmon. Can the hon. minister please explain the funding strategy of the PSSI?
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- May/30/22 9:25:17 p.m.
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Madam Chair, with this total five-year funding envelope, $346.4 million is vote 1 funding, which means it is dedicated to program operations across all four pillars, including climate change science, stock assessments, fisheries monitoring, a new habitat restoration centre of expertise and enhanced collaborative processes with first nations, the B.C. government, Yukon and key partners.
Second, $274.5 million is vote 10 funding, which includes grants and contribution investments in the B.C. salmon restoration and innovation fund, the new Pacific salmon commercial licence retirement program and other activities.
Lastly, $125.1 million is vote 5 capital funding to build new conservation-based hatchery facilities in the upper Fraser watershed, retrofit DFO and community hatcheries in key geographic areas and acquire key scientific equipment such as mass-marking trailers.
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- May/30/22 10:00:55 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, our obligation is to be a good partner with the United States in helping to protect the waters of the Great Lakes from invasive species like sea lamprey, and we have almost doubled our funding just for that.
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- May/30/22 10:02:13 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I am just going to reinforce what I said before, which is that Canada lived up to its commitment to the Great Lakes Commission. The U.S. partners increased their funding for the commission, and we have now brought our funding up as well. I am very proud of the work that the commission does.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- May/30/22 10:05:52 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, the minister should be aware this is funding from the federal government.
An additional $400,000 was invested at the same time over three years for educational outreach. The money was intended to create new advertisements. Can the minister tell us who was the target and what the purpose of this ad initiative was?
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- May/30/22 10:06:30 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, funding ran out last year, and I see no funding of any kind in budget 2022 to protect western provinces from invasive aquatic species spreading across Canada. Is it correct that there is no funding?
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- May/30/22 10:06:46 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, we maintain funding for invasive species. There are a number of invasive species across Canada, and we are acting to find and remove them wherever possible.
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- May/30/22 10:07:02 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, what specifically is the funding to address aquatic invasive mussels to British Columbia from being transported across Canada?
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- May/30/22 11:02:45 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, while we are on the subject of the Coast Guard, I would like to talk about the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary.
The St. Lawrence River is magnificent. It is one of the most beautiful rivers in the world, but it is also one of the most complex and perilous to navigate. That is precisely why there are pilots to navigate the St. Lawrence River. Most of the time, it is the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary that keeps people safe in the turbulent waters of the St. Lawrence.
The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary has a very small budget. Is the minister planning to increase its funding soon, as the Senate committee proposed in its November 2018 report?
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- May/30/22 11:04:35 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I thank the member for her concern over the Canadian Coast Guard, which is a very effective and proud part of this department. It is the 60th anniversary of the Coast Guard, and that is something worth celebrating.
As to details about the Coast Guard funding, we are happy to provide them should the member provide us a written question.
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