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House Hansard - 209

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 8, 2023 10:00AM
  • Jun/8/23 1:31:15 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my dear colleague from the Bloc Québécois and all members of the Bloc for raising this debate today. The federal government's answer is that it is already doing things to protect the climate, but obviously it has yet to reach any of its targets because it is still favourable to new products that come from fossil fuels. We have only to think of the Bay du Nord project, as well as other projects in the Arctic and in Newfoundland-and-Labrador. What does my colleague think of the fact that the government says one thing and does the opposite?
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  • Jun/9/23 12:22:20 a.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, back in March, I travelled with committee members of the indigenous and northern affairs committee to my riding in Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk and the Northwest Territories in Yellowknife. We met with many of my constituents and with Canadian Rangers in both of my communities. We went to the joint task force north headquarters office in Yellowknife as well. We heard from my constituents, especially Canadian Rangers, who are extremely proud to serve and keep the Arctic secure for Arctic sovereignty. Canadian Rangers wear their uniforms with pride when they do their operations. They outlined some issues with being Canadian Rangers. When I asked my original question back in March, my question related to one of those issues, which included how long it takes for their reimbursements after they have completed operations. That was three months ago. Some have waited as long as six months to be reimbursed for their time and for repairs. One of the images shared during these visits showed that the Canadian Armed Forces must be using horse carriages to get from Yellowknife to Ottawa to submit the paperwork to Ottawa, with Ottawa using that same mode of transportation to send the cheques back to the communities. Part of the response to my question was, “The CAF has recently streamlined the compensation process. This will expedite the process for Rangers to receive their reimbursements.” Can the government please describe exactly in what way the process has been streamlined and by how much time the process has been cut so that Canadian Rangers do not have to wait months for their reimbursements?
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  • Jun/9/23 12:24:51 a.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, I very much appreciate that very informative response. It does give me hope that Canadian Rangers will get their reimbursements sooner. Another issue brought up with the process of reimbursing Canadian Rangers is how difficult it is to get repairs completed. The main reason is that most Nunavut communities do not have access to direct mechanics in their communities. Canadian Rangers must use limited bandwidth to find the right parts to fix their vehicles, describe them to the mechanics in the south and finally order them and have them delivered by airmail. What will the government do to make it easier for Canadian Rangers to get their vehicles repaired so they can continue with their important operations to maintain Arctic sovereignty?
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