44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 11, 2023 11:00AM
- Dec/11/23 7:54:50 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, I am finally taking the floor this evening in this take-note debate on indigenous services in Canada.
I would first like to acknowledge the exceptional work done by my colleague from Manicouagan, who is currently vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs. I have no doubt that she would have had far more to say than I do in this take-note debate. My colleague from Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou also had a lot to say. It is interesting to discuss these issues with them.
I am taking the floor tonight with great humility, in my capacity as the status of women critic for the Bloc Québécois and as vice-chair of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. Unfortunately, indigenous women and girls are disproportionately affected by numerous issues. In particular, I am thinking about the problems surrounding resource development in western Canada and the issue of human trafficking and modern slavery. Our committee will soon be studying the idea of creating a “red dress alert” to try and tackle violence against indigenous women and girls. We conduct study after study, yet one question still gets repeated far too often: Why these women?
Last week, I met with representatives of native friendship centres, who were here on the Hill to make us aware of the important work they are doing for indigenous communities, particularly with respect to promoting languages and passing on their culture and traditions. I want to commend Édith Cloutier and the members of the Val‑d'Or Native Friendship Centre, who do vital work and with whom I have had constructive discussions. I hope to have a chance to go visit them on site soon to better understand their reality.
We need programs that are tailored to the culture of indigenous families. We also need to respond to the calls for justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls by providing adequate, stable, equitable and ongoing funding for indigenous-centred community health and wellness services that are accessible and tailored to the culture of indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ persons.
We must respond to the calls of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
With regard to the rights of indigenous people to better economic outcomes, they also need better social outcomes and support for their community infrastructure. Indigenous people, including seniors, women, girls and indigenous people from diverse communities, need access to appropriate services, as well as to infrastructure that meets their social and economic needs, such as safe housing and clean drinking water, and that promotes hygiene, health and social security.
We need to ensure that funding for economic development respects the right of indigenous partners to self-determination. We need more entrepreneurship initiatives for indigenous women. We need to increase the supports available to women and improve the social and economic security of indigenous women entrepreneurs. That is another study that we are conducting at the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, a study on women's economic empowerment. Of course, indigenous women are under-represented in entrepreneurship. This study looks at that.
I am aware of all the work that still needs to be done. We need to think about the relevance of the Indian Act in 2023.
We need to think in terms of additional legislation on the road to reconciliation. These amendments will help acknowledge, protect and support missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, notably by seeking to uphold the rights of indigenous peoples to give their free and informed consent as part of decision-making processes that affects them—and that must be comprehensive—in order to eliminate gender discrimination in the Indian Act and ensure equal rights.
Our committee is particularly interested in gender-based analysis plus, which, incidentally, should lead us to reflect on the impact our policies have on indigenous women and girls.
Some of the most recent crime statistics were released in 2020, and they indicate that the homicide rate among indigenous people is still seven times higher than among non-indigenous people. The fact that the rate remains so high is a human rights failure for Canada. The completion of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls should not be seen by the government as an end point, but as a starting point. These murders are proof that we are still at square one.
Between 2004 and 2014, while homicide rates were falling across Canada, the number of murdered indigenous women and girls was six times higher than among non-indigenous women and girls. This calls for a new relationship in equal partnership with indigenous people.
In conclusion, we must recognize the root causes of this violence and support indigenous people in their recovery, promote gender equality and help empower women. We also need a nation-to-nation partnership with indigenous peoples, and the Bloc Québécois has long promoted that idea. Those are the hopes that I bring to this debate.
870 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/11/23 8:04:08 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Chair, I thank my colleague from Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou for her question and for her work. She knows that I have wanted to go and visit her riding for quite some time. I was supposed to go in 2020 but, unfortunately, my travel plans were postponed because of the pandemic. However, I really want to get there and visit these native friendship centres and indigenous communities.
As the critic for status of women, I think it is crucial that we focus on reconciliation and look at what continues to happen too often to indigenous women and girls, who are overrepresented on too many issues. The native friendship centres are calling on the government to focus on reconciliation and to take action instead of just paying lip service and producing reports.
What happens next? What concrete action is being taken to ensure that true reconciliation can begin?
That is what I am wondering, with all due respect, after discussions I have had with representatives of native friendship centres.
173 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Dec/11/23 10:04:23 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Chair, it is an honour and a privilege to rise today as part of this important discussion. As has been noted by many, this is a discussion we have had far too often. I have been elected here for about four years, and it seems like we have had this same debate over and over again. The fact that we are continuing to have to do that just shows how the government has failed to address the concerns that have been raised by members of all parties during these discussions. I hope I speak for everyone in saying that we hope to see much quicker action taken to improve Indigenous Services.
Before I go too far, I want to advise that I will be splitting my time with my friend from British Columbia, the hon. member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon. Members are looking forward to hearing what he has to say as well.
As I get into my remarks, I want to briefly mention something we have talked about quite a bit in this chamber, and that is the Chiefs of Ontario taking the government to court, alleging that the carbon tax is leaving them worse off and that it is breaching the principles of reconciliation. This is 133 first nations and nearly a third of them are in the district of Kenora in my riding, so I want to echo those concerns, and we certainly hope to see the government move forward to remove this carbon tax and make life more affordable for first nations and for people in northern and remote regions right across the country.
Of course, that is not the direct issue we are debating here today. We are talking about Indigenous Services Canada. I want to thank the NDP for bringing this motion forward, because it is a very important discussion. I represent 42 first nations across three treaty territories in northern Ontario, so this is very near and dear to me and people right across my district.
One of the major concerns I have seen, and I have mentioned it already in debate, is that the independent Parliamentary Budget Officer has shown that despite a dramatic increase in funding from the current government, they have not seen a significant increase in the ability of Indigenous Services Canada to meet the targets it has set. It is spending more, creating more bureaucracy, but not actually having the dollars flow the way they need to go to improve the lives of first nations.
A recent example we see in my riding is in Mishkeegogamang first nation, which is a first nation trying to move forward on an important treatment centre project, something that is badly needed in the community and in the region. It has been able to secure some federal funds for certain steps in terms of feasibility studies and things of that nature, but it has been review after review and more red tape each and every time the government puts up a roadblock. The government has allocated quite a bit of money toward this project, but it is not getting off the ground. The shovels are not in the ground and the people in the community are continuing to struggle without the proper support.
Other members have mentioned a similar case in Grassy Narrows First Nation, which is also in my riding. It is what we see time and time again under the current government: spending money but not getting the results we need to see. That is one of the biggest things that need to change when we talk about the department of Indigenous Services Canada.
We see it with drinking water advisories as well. Despite the government's pledge to end all long-term drinking water advisories on reserve, we know that has not been the case. In fact, according to information from the Indigenous Services website, there are currently 28 drinking water advisories on reserve, 11 of which are located in my northwestern Ontario district of Kenora. Again, funding has been allocated and there have been steps taken in the process, so to speak, but the government has failed to take into account local considerations to be able to get these projects off the ground and ensure that people in remote first nations across northern Ontario can have access to clean drinking water. We hope to see the government move much more quickly and much more directly on that.
With the remaining time I have, I want to briefly talk about an overarching way we can help support self-determination. I believe one of the ultimate ways the government can ensure that indigenous services are properly funded is to offer and provide avenues for more self-determination. We are currently working on a policy, a first nations resource charge, an optional policy that would allow first nations to directly collect revenue rather than having it go to Ottawa and trickle down through the bureaucracy. It is something that would give more control and more power to individual first nations to ensure they have proper services.
I look forward to hearing any questions and comments from my colleagues.
861 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
