44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 2, 2023 10:00AM
- May/2/23 3:00:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the toxic drug and overdose crisis continues to take a tragic toll on families, loved ones and communities.
Our government will use every tool at our disposal to work with our partners to end this national public health tragedy. Since 2017, we have committed more than $1 billion to address the overdose crisis, and we are taking concrete steps to divert people who use drugs away from the criminal justice system. Approving B.C.'s decriminalization proposal for personal possession is an important step. So far, we have supported 31 projects, providing a safer supply.
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- May/2/23 3:01:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are committed to ending the toxic drug and overdose crisis.
In moving forward on decriminalization, there is adequate supervision by the B.C. government and the B.C. Centre on Substance Use on both public safety and public health, with proper indicators. We are monitoring this very closely, but we have to stop this toxic drug overdose tragedy. We will do that.
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- May/2/23 3:08:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our hearts go out to all the people of Nova Scotia so affected by this tragedy. I want to thank the member for Kings—Hants for his work to support all of those impacted.
Our government is investing an initial $9 million, along with $9 million from the Nova Scotia government, to design and deliver mental health, grief and bereavement services in Cumberland, Colchester and Hants counties, as recommended in the Mass Casualty Commission's final report. We will also continue to work with community organizations to ensure that the appropriate supports are available for all Nova Scotians.
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- May/2/23 9:00:56 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I would like to start by acknowledging that we are on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
May 5, Red Dress Day, is a day to reflect, mourn and recommit to our continued work together to put an end to this ongoing national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.
On Red Dress Day and every day, our hearts are with families and survivors as we mourn and honour missing and murdered indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
Jaime Black, as the Minister for Northern Affairs reminded us, began The REDress Project, where we saw empty red dresses blowing in the wind from trees and hanging on lampposts. We wear red dresses on this day to support families and survivors and to honour all the lives lost and those whose lives have been ever changed by violence toward indigenous women and girls and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.
Canada's colonial past, along with sexism, ableism, racism, homophobia and transphobia, and the unacceptable actions and inactions of past governments, have created systemic discrimination. These systemic inequities must end for indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people to be safe wherever they live.
For decades, families, survivors and communities have been demanding justice, healing and concrete actions to stop this tragedy. It has been that way since the death of Helen Betty Osborne in 1971. That was over 50 years ago.
I remember that one of my first meetings here on the Hill, probably not knowing very much about this situation, was with Bernie Williams and Gladys Radek, who crossed this country seven times in their walk for justice. That was 20 years ago, and I learned much from these truly inspirational people about the need for justice, healing and concrete actions to stop this tragedy.
It was the tragic death of Tina Fontaine that galvanized the nation and the long-standing calls for a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. We launched the national inquiry in 2016, and its final report in June 2019 recommended concrete actions to end violence through systemic, substantial and transformative change. We recommend that all Canadians read or reread “Reclaiming Power and Place” and the calls for justice to raise awareness, broaden understanding and then take action.
The national inquiry called on all governments, federal, provincial, territorial and indigenous, to work together to build an effective and responsible national action plan.
We were truly inspired by the work done with families, survivors and over 100 indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people to develop the regional, first nations, Inuit, Métis, urban, two-spirit+ and data components of the whole-of-Canada action plan to respond to the calls for justice. Incredible indigenous leaders like Diane Redsky and Sylvia Maracle helped to ensure that the action plan reflected the urban indigenous perspectives and the unique lived experiences of indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people from across the country.
We know that much more work needs to be done. Budget 2021 invested $2.2 billion over five years. Building on that is more than $2.7 billion in funding to support housing in indigenous communities. Budget 2022 invested another $4.3 billion to support housing in first nations and Inuit communities.
We are determined to continue our ongoing work in co-operation with our indigenous, provincial and territorial partners in order to put an end to this tragedy.
As the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, I pledge to ensure indigenous-led, trauma-informed, culturally safe care for all first nations, Inuit and Métis across this country. We will fight for reforms in child and family services, indigenous policing, indigenous housing and all the social determinants of health so we can end this terrible tragedy.
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- May/2/23 9:06:53 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I thank the member for her ongoing advocacy and her always eloquent and heartfelt interventions in this House.
I remember the terrible debate on the convoy and how diligent the member was in fighting for justice and fighting for the feeling of safety that had been lost in this town.
I think we are fighting an ongoing tragedy across this country and it is an emergency. However, it means that everybody has to see themselves in the solutions. It means that everybody has to know to call out discrimination and deal with it every day of their lives, not just on May 5 or October 4, but every day of the year.
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- May/2/23 9:09:28 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I thank the member for his ongoing commitment to his community, to fairness and to the culturally safe, indigenous-led approach that leads to durable solutions.
In the budget and in the February 7 announcement of the Prime Minister, we were very pleased to see not only $200 billion ongoing for 10 years, but $25 billion for serious action plans from all the provinces and territories on the four pillars, and the extra $2 billion for indigenous-led health and social services.
I look forward to working with the Minister of Indigenous Services to do whatever it takes to build those bottom-up solutions not only in remote and rural areas but in urban centres as well.
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