SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 265 - Dec/11/23

Ms. Niki Ashton (Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, NDP)

Dec/11/23 8:14:47 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I am tremendously honoured to follow my colleague from Nunavut. Tonight, we have an obligation to speak out against the reduction in spending, the cuts, in Indigenous Services Canada, given the dire needs of indigenous communities. We in the NDP are clear. A reduction of $7.6 billion in Indigenous Services spending is unacceptable. It flies in the face of the Liberals' commitment to reconciliation. It repeats a colonial approach long waged by Liberal and Conservative governments that have cut spending to indigenous communities. It will further impoverish indigenous communities, which are already the most marginalized in this country. I would like to speak about the riding that I have the honour of representing, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, and the reality that our region faces. I am honoured to represent 41 first nations, from Saugeen all the way to the Sayisi Dene. Each first nation is different, but they all share a common reality today, which is rooted in the neglect and the underfunding shown by Canada. Let me be clear about some of the needs. Last Friday, I stood, along with my colleague from Nunavut, with Chief Harper of Wasagamack First Nation and first nations grand chiefs and chiefs from across Manitoba in calling on Canada to work with Wasagamack and partners to build an airport in their community, which is one of the largest, most isolated communities in Canada. Over 4,000 people are without a road or an airport. It is a community that relies on ice roads, which are in peril because of climate change. Tataskweyak Cree Nation needs its school replaced after years of it falling into disrepair. Red Sucker Lake, one of the first nations that the army helped during the pandemic, has issued yet another boil water advisory. They are clear. They need water pipelines. The current system is making their people sick. Shamattawa, ravaged by numerous house fires over the past year, and yet another community disproportionately impacted by COVID, is clear. It needs 50 homes. Bloodvein, a community on the front lines of huge wildfires, has been clear with ISC for more than a year. It needs a fire truck and somewhere to store it. Peguis, a community forcibly relocated onto a flood plain, needs flood protection in the face of the climate emergency. Mathias Colomb needs help in pushing forward on its water treatment plant, which has begun but has stalled. York Factory, Bunibonibee, Manto Sipi, God's Lake, St. Theresa Point, Garden Hill, Red Sucker Lake and Wasagamack need all-weather road access now, given the fact that climate change is further isolating these communities. Every single one of these needs is known to Indigenous Services Canada. Many of them have been known for years. These are the realities of the $350-billion infrastructure gap that first nations face in Canada. It is pretty galling that the Liberals are standing up to talk about the investments they have made in the face of a $350-billion infrastructure gap, knowing, as we now know, that they are prepared to cut $7.6 billion in their spending. Let us be clear. On the infrastructure gap, they have spent less than 3% of what is needed to end the gap since 2015, yet we still have to listen to Liberals talk about how good the situation is. The reality is that the Government of Canada is failing first nations, and abject cruelty will come from the cuts that they are planning. The idea that they might cut Jordan's principle is shocking, given the absolute need at the community level, as well as the idea that they would not spend on addressing the housing crisis on reserve, given the fact that we know, based on waiting lists of hundreds of people, how acute that housing crisis is. We now know, from the pandemic, that the overcrowded housing, the inadequate housing, contributed to the disproportionate spread of COVID-19 and indigenous people getting more sick than others across our country. We see failures from this government time and time again. I want to acknowledge the deep cuts and the pain caused by previous Conservative governments, the Harper government. I will say, as many have said, that the cracks are showing. Many have pointed out that the Liberals are not doing the job when it comes to reconciliation and living up to their commitments to first nations. This is no way to treat people, much less the first nations this government claims is its most important relationship. These cuts will only bring harm. First nations are watching. The world is watching. Canada can, and must, do better.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Dec/11/23 8:19:50 p.m.
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Madam Chair, with all due respect, I do not agree with the conclusions that are being drawn, and I do see some politicization of the issue in itself. I was very much aware of the Lake St. Martin first nation and the flood water diversion caused by the provincial New Democrats. There were assertions and allegations being made on how first nations were completely disrespected, disregarded and told to leave, and we are talking about well over 1,000 residents. It took a decade-plus to resolve that particular issue. The member is trying to paint a picture that it is the Conservatives and the Liberals. I will not comment on the Conservatives, but I will say that, from the government's perspective, under the Prime Minister, we continue to invest in very real, tangible ways to build on the issue of reconciliation. There has been somewhere in the neighbourhood of 80% of those being, if not acted on, then definitely in the process of being, hopefully, finalized. I think we have to be careful that we do not necessarily discredit when there has been a great deal of effort by many stakeholders, not just the Government of Canada, in reconciliation and building healthier communities.

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Ms. Niki Ashton

Dec/11/23 8:21:27 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I will start off by saying that it is well known that the member has a real penchant for deflecting, talking about his time in the Manitoba legislature and pulling up stories from the past. If we were to talk about the diversion projects at the time, I would certainly expect an opportunity for a more fulsome discussion. The reality here is that the Liberals are all too excited to deflect from what are proposed devastating cuts, to the tune of $7.6 billion, in Indigenous Services. Let us not forget the federal government has the fiduciary obligation to first nations. As for high-fiving them for success, Indigenous Services has an obligation to indigenous communities to make the investments that are necessary. I just shared a list of at least 15 first nations with dire needs that are not being met by Indigenous Services Canada. That is no reason for the government to to try and convince us, gaslight us, that a cut of $7.6 billion is acceptable, let alone applaud itself for it. First nations are watching. Canadians are watching. We want to see these cuts reversed and the basic investments made in indigenous communities now.

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Mr. Gary Vidal (Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, CPC)

Dec/11/23 8:23:03 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the member and her colleagues from the NDP stand in this place and rail against the Liberals for some of the issues they perceive to be caused by the Liberal government in the context of the relationship with indigenous people. My question is actually a simple one: Can the member identify what specific elements of their coalition agreement with the Liberals affect indigenous issues? How are they holding the government to account through that agreement specifically?

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Ms. Niki Ashton

Dec/11/23 8:23:41 p.m.
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Madam Chair, first off, I am proud of the gains that we have made through our agreement. Obviously, today is a very big day with the announcement of the dental care program. We have made previous announcements and are certainly hoping for a lot more. For us, it has been very important to see the government deliver for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. However, we are clear today, and we have been clear in the House right from day one of this Parliament, that the Liberals need to step up and do far more when it comes to their obligations to indigenous communities. The NDP is the reason this debate is happening, and I am very glad to see the other parties agree to it because it is very clear that we cannot stay silent. Communities are going to be hurt by these cuts, devastated in fact by these cuts, and we need to see the Liberals reverse course.

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Ms. Arielle Kayabaga (London West, Lib.)

Dec/11/23 8:24:52 p.m.
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Madam Chair, it is a privilege for me to speak to our government's commitment to closing the infrastructure gap in first nations, Inuit and Métis communities. Earlier, the Minister of Indigenous Services introduced Bill C-61, an act respecting water, source water, drinking water, waste water and related infrastructure on first nation lands. My riding of London West neighbours and houses members of the Oneida Nation of the Thames, the Chippewas of the Thames and the Munsee-Delaware Nation. This bill is really important. It is a step forward for my community and for ensuring that everyone in Canada has access to safe and clean drinking water. First nations have long called for legislation that affirms their inherent rights, recognizes their stewardship in keeping water clean and meets first nations' needs. This bill is part of the government's commitment to establish new proposed safe drinking water and waste water legislation in consultation with first nations. Today, my remarks will focus on infrastructure and indigenous housing. The federal government is committed to closing the infrastructure gaps in first nations, Inuit and Métis communities by 2030. Since 2016, we have committed more than $25 billion to support these efforts. Despite these investments, we know more work is needed. In the 2022-23 period, the department engaged with first nations, Inuit and Métis to identify and prioritize the infrastructure needs in their communities, and the work required to close this gap. The government will continue to work directly with indigenous partners and other federal organizations to identify what further measures and investments may be required. This includes working with first nations communities and organizations, other government departments and financial institutions to define a new approach to how the department funds infrastructure for first nations lands. Exploring how new financial tools could improve infrastructure service delivery will be a fundamental aspect of this infrastructure modernization. We know that housing is a fundamental need across the country, and we know that indigenous peoples are more likely than the general population to experience poor housing conditions and overcrowding. As part of our responsibility, our government supports indigenous housing across the country, from the east, west, north and south, not only on reserve, but also in rural and urban areas. I want to emphasize two important points. Indigenous housing is backed by significant funding. In fact, budgets 2022 and 2023 committed up to $4.3 billion and $4 billion, respectively. Since 2016, we have been tracking the progress that we have made together on housing, although we acknowledge that there is still so much work to done. Indigenous housing priorities are being co-developed or led by indigenous peoples with a focus on specific needs of first nations, Inuit, Métis and self-governing modern treaty groups. In other words, Indigenous Services Canada does not work alone. Whether for water, housing or infrastructure, the department works with indigenous communities to make sure that we have the tools they can use to decide for themselves. That is why I want to highlight a few successful and innovative approaches to housing that have been developed by indigenous peoples. I will begin with the Nuxalk in Bella Coola, British Columbia, which has been building homes designed by and for their own people for many years now. This started with Richard Hall, a Nuxalk Red Seal carpenter, who worked in construction for 33 years as a builder and building inspector, on and off-reserve. Richard noticed that existing houses were not suitable for the climate, which is very wet, with high winds and erratic temperatures. He created a design for homes and other buildings that could withstand these conditions. He also noticed that existing homes were not suited for all that people did in their kitchens to cook fish and wild game. Ventilation was improved with people being taught new maintenance and home care tips. Through its B.C. regional office, Indigenous Services Canada supported Nuxalk Nation with developing and implementing its own housing strategies. The Nuxalk Nation leveraged this funding, along with their own equity and other financing partners, to implement this vision for culturally appropriate and safe housing. They further reduced costs by using their own resources, such as timber and a mill. There are so many other examples of innovative housing across the country that I could share. For example, indigenous innovators are moving forward in developing their own ideas under their indigenous homes innovation initiative. The initiative has an indigenous steering committee made up of first nations, Inuit and Métis nation experts in infrastructure and housing. The selected innovators come from all regions of Canada and their ideas cover a range of new ways to respond to indigenous and social housing needs. The innovators are provided with mentoring support from indigenous architects and other professionals to refine their ideas and build fully implementable projects. Some of the projects include the following. The Central Urban Métis Federation of Saskatoon built the Round Prairie Elders' Lodge, a three-storey complex with 26 one-bedroom units. This facility offers wraparound health and cultural supports, enabling Métis seniors to live independently in an environment that provides services to address age-related challenges. This past July, the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre in Ontario built a three-floor, 30-single-unit transitional housing facility called Suswin Village. It provides safe, accessible and dignified housing for indigenous community members who are ready to leave the emergency shelter system. Suswin, which means “nest” in Ojibwa, provides stable housing and necessary services to find permanent housing, employment and overall long-term success. The lower level is being used for programming, counselling, life skills teaching and other gatherings. As I noted earlier, the responsibility for housing is shared, with partnership playing an important role to address on-reserve housing needs. Targeted funding, in addition to ongoing funding from Indigenous Services Canada, supports housing projects in first nation communities, including new builds, retrofits and renovations. As of September 30, 2023, ISC is supporting 4,631 housing projects in 611 first nation communities. In 2023, so far, 2,763 new homes have been built, another 5,956 homes renovated and upgraded, and many more are under way. Another 1,500 housing-related capacity development and innovation projects have been funded in first nation communities. This includes supporting the creation and implementation of housing authorities and housing management training. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada is working in partnership with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Inuit treaty organizations on the delivery of Inuit-specific investments premised on self-determination and the implementation of the co-developed Inuit Nunangat housing strategy. Since 2016, when the government began providing direct funding to Inuit partners, more than 500 new units have been constructed, with many more units repaired and critical Inuit-led housing programming expanded. This success will be accelerated by the budget 2022 investment of $845 million over the next seven years. The four Inuit treaty organizations determined housing delivery. Delivering housing in Inuit Nunangat and supporting those most in need requires all levels of government to work together. This approach to housing differs in each of these four regions of Inuit Nunangat and can involve regional governments, public and private partners, provincial or territorial governments and of course the Government of Canada. In 2018, a Canada-Métis nation housing sub-accord was signed by the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Métis nation leadership. The sub-accord outlined the design, delivery and administration of housing services undertaken, such as purchasing new houses, repairing existing houses and providing rent supplements to families in most need. To date, governing members of the Métis National Council and the Manitoba Métis Federation have bought or built 1,575 housing units and have renovated an additional 4,600 housing units. They have also provided down payment assistance to 1,537 households and rental supports to 9,528 households. In March, the Manitoba Métis Federation opened Fre Maachi, which means “fresh beginnings” in Michif, with four two-bedroom suites and 16 studios, including six accessible units. The building includes a spiritual room, access to computers, free Wi-Fi, fully furnished units, free laundry and more. Fre Maachi provides wraparound services like mental health and addiction help, employment and training, and cultural programming. In closing, the federal government has a responsibility for infrastructure and housing, but we are not the only ones. It will take all levels of government to work together, and many other partners.

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Mr. Eric Melillo (Kenora, CPC)

Dec/11/23 8:35:05 p.m.
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Madam Chair, one of the concerns I see with Indigenous Services Canada is that there has been quite an increase in funding since the Liberal government took office but, as the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed, this increase in funding has not led to a similar increase in the ability of ISC to achieve its goals. This means that for first nations, including 42 throughout the Kenora riding, we have not seen the increase in services and the increase in the standard of living that we would expect and that we need to see to help these communities and help these people thrive. Can she provide some comments as to what the government is going to do to ensure that these dollars are flowing to where they need to go, rather than just bloating the bureaucracy further?

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Ms. Arielle Kayabaga

Dec/11/23 8:35:58 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would like to thank my colleague on the other side for his question and for the co-operation we are able to have from time to time. Respectfully, I think he is not qualified to ask any questions on this issue, given that his party and his leader, when they were in government, built about 99 homes for indigenous communities. I just finished talking about the fact that there is a lot of work to be done in terms of the responsibility we have toward indigenous communities across the country. We continue to work to make sure that we are responding to the needs of the indigenous communities. There is always room for improvement, but I respectfully say that my colleague on the other side will have to speak to his leader to do better and actually make a better commitment to indigenous communities across the country.

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Ms. Lori Idlout (Nunavut, NDP)

Dec/11/23 8:36:57 p.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, I wonder if the member has looked at her government's own website. Indigenous Services Canada's website has shown that it is going to be making billions of dollars' worth of cuts, including to, for example, Jordan's principle, which is set to sunset and the government intends not to renew Jordan's principle. I know that we all realize how important Jordan's principle is, given how dire the situation is that indigenous peoples continue to be in. Can the member explain what she is seeing of the cuts or the programs that will be sunsetting and what she will do to make sure that we help reverse those decisions?

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Ms. Arielle Kayabaga

Dec/11/23 8:38:01 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the member opposite for all the work that she does in this House. I have had the pleasure of getting to know her and her community, the work she does and the advocacy she does for her community in this House. I think she has asked a great question. I would like to mention that since this government has been in office, we have increased our funding to indigenous communities and our commitment to funding to Indigenous Services by 150%. As I said earlier in my speech, there is a lot of work to be done. There is a lot room for improvement. We continue to work across the aisle and across the country, working with communities directly to make sure we are responding to the needs of the communities across the country. She asked what I would do to make sure that this funding is ongoing. I will continue to work with her, continue to advocate on behalf of our communities and make sure that we do this in partnership.

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Mr. Blake Desjarlais (Edmonton Griesbach, NDP)

Dec/11/23 8:39:05 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I often find it both a tragedy and a comedy that we are in this place. The question from the hon. member for Nunavut was whether the member was able to identify the fact that Indigenous Services Canada is cutting millions of dollars in programs and services, including but not limited to an important program, Jordan's principle, that protects children in care from dying. To the member, again, can she recognize that her government's cuts will harm children, yes or no?

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Ms. Arielle Kayabaga

Dec/11/23 8:39:48 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I want to thank the member opposite for his advocacy and the work he does in this House; it is very important. I also think it is important that we continue to work together. I said in my speech that there is a lot of work left to be done and we continue to do that work together. I am open to continue to work with colleagues across the aisle to make sure that we strengthen our advocacy for the communities we all care about.

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Mrs. Brenda Shanahan (Châteauguay—Lacolle, Lib.)

Dec/11/23 8:40:26 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I thought my colleague's speech was very interesting, especially as it related to the challenges around housing for Indigenous communities. The community of Kahnawake, which is in my riding, is an urban community. However, it faces its own challenges. A project was recently approved by Indigenous Services Canada. It is a halfway house for Mohawk youth, with services delivered by Mohawk professionals, in the community of Châteauguay. Does my colleague think that this is a good approach?

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Ms. Arielle Kayabaga

Dec/11/23 8:41:22 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I am very pleased that my colleague was able to tell us about this concrete example from her community. In my speech earlier, I talked about the responsibilities of the federal, provincial and municipal governments. We must all work together to ensure that more housing is built for indigenous communities across the country. Just as my colleague mentioned an example in her community, I also mentioned examples involving Manitoba and Saskatoon. The important thing is to ensure that these kinds of projects are done by and for indigenous communities across the country, and to ensure that culturally appropriate services are in place and ready to meet the needs and challenges faced by the various communities across the country. That is our responsibility. We are in the process of doing just that. We are prepared to continue to make amendments to this type of legislation to ensure that the needs of indigenous peoples across the country are met.

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Ms. Andréanne Larouche (Shefford, BQ)

Dec/11/23 8:42:42 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I heard my colleague talk about the housing challenges facing indigenous peoples. I spoke about the overrepresentation of indigenous women and girls among the victims of domestic violence, but can it be normal, in 2023, that there should also be such a significant overrepresentation of indigenous persons when it comes to homelessness?

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Ms. Arielle Kayabaga

Dec/11/23 8:43:13 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I really appreciate that question. We have been talking about homelessness since I entered politics in 2018. It is important that we can continue to build housing across the country to try to reduce homelessness. I think that my colleague who also voted during the 30‑hour marathon at the end of last week, may know that, on this side of the House, we are prepared to continue supporting projects in collaboration and partnership with communities in need to try to combat homelessness in the country. I appreciate the work that my colleague does on this, and I hope to be able to continue working with her to eradicate homelessness in Canada.

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Mr. Jamie Schmale (Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, CPC)

Dec/11/23 8:44:22 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I appreciate the opportunity to stand and speak about Indigenous Services and the failures within that department. It is always a pleasure. I will be splitting my time with the member for Peace River—Westlock and I look forward to hearing his wise words as well.

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Mr. Jamie Schmale

Dec/11/23 8:44:52 p.m.
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We are here tonight to discuss Indigenous Services and how, in the Conservatives' opinion, it is failing indigenous people right across this country. What seems to be the constant theme with this department, backed up by the Parliamentary Budget Officer and reinforced by the Auditor General, is that the government is spending more, but achieving less, and the departmental targets reflect those reports. The department itself is hitting less than 20% of its annual targets. These are targets set by the department itself, but it seems to have an issue with achieving the targets. Indigenous people on the ground expecting a service or level of care are not getting it. We are hearing that over and over again. Not only that, the cost of living crisis that we are dealing with is exacerbating the problem. Today we heard of another leader within the provincial government, Premier-Elect Simpson, who is now calling for the elimination of the carbon tax, or at least a carve-out, in the Northwest Territories. This is on top of the 133 chiefs across Ontario who are taking the government to court seeking relief. It amplifies the fact that not only is Indigenous Services failing at what it does, but indigenous people are not better off because of the government. The policies are failing and indigenous people want relief. These communities want the cost of their goods and services to come down, not continue to go up. I will go over some of the Auditor General's reports, which said that ISC failed to provide support first nations communities need to manage emergencies, such as floods and wildfires; actions were reactive instead of preventive, despite first nations communities themselves laying out an action plan; indigenous-led projects were ignored by the department; ISC did not implement a risk-based approach to manage emergencies, which was required under the Emergency Management Act; it did not use information about risks faced by first nations and the capacity of first nations to respond to those emergencies; ISC spent 3.5 times more on responding to emergencies than on supporting first nations communities, in fact, preparing them with 112 unfunded infrastructure projects, 74 of which had been in the department's backlog for more than five years. That list goes on and on. Unfortunately, there are people on the ground in communities that are suffering because of it. When we have a department that continues to gobble up more and more dollars and does not get results, where are the objectives for reconciliation being met? Unfortunately, people are suffering because of it. I am looking at the ISC's core responsibilities. Under “Services and Benefits to Individuals”, there is no change in the results. Results, in some cases, are six years old, yet we seen an increase in staffing planned, 1,700 to 1,824, an increase of 7%, but again there is no improvement in services. There is a decrease in services, an increase in the cost of living, indigenous communities are looking for help and asking for relief in housing, health care and the justice portfolio. We have studied all this at committee, but the problems continue to get worse. A pet peeve of mine, when we were looking at non-insured health benefits, is that ISC is still using a fax machine, if anyone can believe it, to fax prescriptions to the department. It is absolutely incredible that this continues to go on. We hear about this at committee, and people on the ground are hurting because of it. Let us axe the tax for farmers, first nations and families forever and help indigenous people looking to ISC for help.

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Mr. Blake Desjarlais (Edmonton Griesbach, NDP)

Dec/11/23 8:49:47 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I have a great deal of respect for the hon. member who just spoke. However, one of the most important pieces of indigenous relations to this country is ensuring that one understands the principles one is advocating. The member and the other Conservative member earlier are so narrowly focused on the outcomes of their carbon tax debate that they have not even mentioned clean water issues on reserves today. They have not mentioned the genocide facing the 2SLGBTQI+ community and murdered and missing women. They have not mentioned the infrastructure gap. We are left to beg the question: What are the priorities of the Conservative Party if not to recognize the treaty and aboriginal and indigenous inherent rights that are found in this country and in our Constitution? To the member's point about the carbon tax specifically, it is important that he recognizes that federal taxation in Canada writ large should ultimately be exempted on first nations reserves, which is something that is found within the Indian Act. If the member was so concerned about affordability on reserves, would he agree that it is time to ensure that first nations have true partnership in relation to all resource projects, including when they say no to them?

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Mr. Jamie Schmale

Dec/11/23 8:50:58 p.m.
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Madam Chair, there is a lot to unpack there, but I actually did mention it. Unfortunately, I only had five minutes, but I did cover health and justice specifically. We did a study in committee talking about indigenous policing. We are actually working on things as a party to address that. So, I disagree with the member; it was outlined. On resource projects, yes, we would like to see more built across Canada, but in order to do that, we do need to have first nations involvement, and we are already seeing it right across the country. We are seeing it with Trans Mountain and others where there are equity stakes in these projects. First nations themselves are getting involved in these projects and actually creating wealth opportunity for their nations. This is something that, yes, in some cases we have done right and some cases we have done wrong, but let us improve on that, get better and come together as a country.

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