44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 7, 2021 10:00AM
- Dec/7/21 6:56:39 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the hon. member's question is one of exceeding importance in the House, particularly as we reflect on the last four months with the discoveries and rediscoveries of unmarked graves. Obviously this is a sober reminder to all of us, and to those in indigenous communities for whom it is a trigger of immense trauma, that truth comes before reconciliation.
It is in and around the events of Kamloops that, as a government, we realized the funds that had been allocated toward continuing to support communities in their search for truth were insufficient. We have deployed over $320 million that has been allocated to assist communities, at their pace and on their leadership, in getting to the bottom of this terrible chapter, and to the ongoing, unwritten chapter of trauma in our collective history.
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- Dec/7/21 7:56:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would be more than glad to provide an answer for that. At this time, I do not have one.
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- Dec/7/21 9:02:43 p.m.
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Madam Chair, hello, kwe, tansi, unusakut.
I want to start this speech by acknowledging that we are here today on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people. I am pleased to be here with my colleagues today to discuss the 2021-22 supplementary estimates (B) for the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.
Joining me today from the department is my deputy minister, Daniel Quan-Watson. He is not in the House with deputy Lucas, but he is here, in any event, in the corridors, passing me messages furiously as the case may be.
Having spent two years as Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, where we as a cabinet faced daily what is, let us hope, a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, I look forward to continuing this work as Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. This department is at the forefront of Canada's efforts to re-establish a nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown and government-to-government relationship between Canada, first nations, Inuit and Métis.
We are also changing the way we work within the department in partnership with indigenous peoples, in order to better support communities across the country as they assert their right to self-determination. This work is critical to building a new type of relationship with indigenous peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership.
The 2021-22 supplementary estimates (B) include investments of over one billion dollars toward key initiatives that are priorities for our government. Of that amount, $973.9 million is for Crown-Indigenous relations and $57.5 million is attributed to Northern Affairs. The majority of these funds for Crown-Indigenous relations will be used to settle claims and litigation, to support infrastructure projects in indigenous communities, and to implement the federal pathway to address missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. We have made these areas a priority and have dedicated substantial resources to supporting them.
Resolving and settling claims that involve historic grievances of wrongs committed by the Crown is at the heart of our mandate, and as a department it is our goal to do so in a respectful manner and in equal partnership across the negotiating table. These claims need to be addressed for us to move forward together. They can often relate to lands that were appropriated by settlers and that hold sacred meaning for indigenous communities. Returning land is essential for communities to make their own plans according to their priorities.
Settling litigation outside the courts, especially class actions related to historic harms committed against indigenous children, is essential to address the legacy of colonial policies and the ongoing unwritten chapter in taking meaningful steps toward reconciliation with those who continue to feel the impacts.
Too many indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people are still being harmed today, and we must continue to do everything we can to stop that now. We are accelerating the work with indigenous partners in provinces and territories to address this national tragedy. The federal pathway is our government's response to the final report of the national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. It is also part of a national action plan launched this year with partners to address this important issue.
The federal pathway is key to restoring a sense of justice for those who have been lost and have gone missing, for those who have survived, and for families and healing for communities. Our government will continue to work with partners on our collective way forward to address the root causes of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. This includes strengthening relationships with indigenous partners and provincial and territorial governments to bring accountability to this work and accountability for the Government of Canada to uphold this role in Canadian society.
More especially in regard to the claims, the $412.2 million that is already allocated to the specific claims settlement fund will be reprofiled in 2022-23. This will ensure that these funds continue to be available for the payment of compensation to first nations under specific claims settlements while concluding the outstanding legal obligations of the federal government.
As the pace of negotiations is directly defined by the priorities of each community and group, it is difficult to predict exactly when they will be completed, but it is the need of this government to accelerate things.
The fund was specifically set up with the flexibility to adapt to the evolving time frames of negotiations so that money not spent in a particular year can be moved to a future year, as needed.
The supplementary estimates (B) also provide $211.2 million to support the Gottfriedson day scholar settlement. Through this settlement, Canada will provide $10,000 to each eligible survivor class member for the experience of attending a residential school during the day. This settlement includes a $50-million fund to the day school revitalization society, which will be a survivor-led organization focusing on healing, wellness, education, language, culture and commemoration activities. Funding sought will include administration and legal costs, obviously for the settlement.
The supplementary estimates (B) also include $3 million to support the government's ongoing commitment to resolving indigenous childhood claims litigation outside of the courts. The estimates this year provide $231.4 million of new funding for the distinctions-based indigenous community infrastructure fund announced in budget 2021. The goal of this fund is to contribute to the closing of the infrastructure gap in indigenous communities by 2030, along with other ministries tasked with closing that gap.
This funding also aims to advance self-determination and self-governance, create good jobs and build healthier, safer and more prosperous indigenous communities. It will support the essential indigenous-led infrastructure and development needs specifically of Inuit, Métis, self-governing and modern treaty nations and northern indigenous communities.
I am thankful for the opportunity to share the important work that Crown-Indigenous Relations carries out. What we are doing is important for so many indigenous communities across this country, from addressing the root causes of violence against indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people to settling land claims and closing infrastructure gaps. These activities will build stronger, safer and healthier indigenous communities from coast to coast to coast.
I look forward to answering any questions the House may have.
Meegwetch. Nakurmiik. Marsi cho.
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- Dec/7/21 9:10:50 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would first like to thank the member for her question.
Of course, the impact of mental health issues is doubly harmful because of the pandemic. The opioid crisis has hit hard across the country, especially in western Canada on the west Coast. Unfortunately, mental health is something we are not very comfortable talking about as individuals and as a government.
Fortunately, budget 2021 allocated $500 million to address this issue. Of course, two of the most serious consequences of mental health issues are suicide and the opioid crisis. This can be seen everywhere. This has been particularly true during the pandemic, and the funds we invested in community support will be renewed year after year to—
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- Dec/7/21 9:12:26 p.m.
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Madam Chair, as the member can appreciate, this is not a question that can be answered in a very easy 30 seconds. Clearly, in the work we look at, we state that the relationship is defined by land, has been broken by land and is restituted by land. However, it is not easy to fix from the sole perspective of the federal government. It involves individuals, municipalities and provinces, especially divisions between provincial Crown land and federal Crown land.
Clearly there is work to be done squarely within this department to be a little more creative in how we settle claims. In some cases, where lands cannot be restituted, funds have to be given and appropriated in the proper fashion to communities. That has to be accelerated, and clearly the additional work for reserves has to be done in a better way. This is something we are working on—
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- Dec/7/21 9:14:01 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I am quite happy to announce that I was recently made aware of the lifting of a long-term water advisory in Whitedog First Nation, or Wabaseemoong. That brings us up to about 120. Let us recall that there were a little over 100 in place when we came into power in 2015. We need to stay steadfast in remedying this, and we have made the investments.
We have also settled a historic piece of litigation that provides for restitution and money to the communities that have suffered from not having clean water, and have forward investments of several billions of dollars to have a document that can be brought before the courts that is enforceable. We expect that to be settled quite quickly. It will ensure that not only the investments we have made as the government as a policy measure are there, but the commitments we made to first nations are there for the future regardless of government.
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- Dec/7/21 9:15:35 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the name for Ojibway in Mohawk is [Member spoke in Mohawk], and that was the language I was speaking at the time. It was a 30-second speech to the House. Obviously this is not my language. It is something I have had a lot of support in learning. It has very little to do with me and is really about assisting communities in regaining their identities, which governments such as ours have been instrumental in stripping from them through, for example, residential schools.
As a Quebecker, obviously I know that language is at the heart of identity, and for indigenous communities this is equally so if not more so, given the precarious state of the languages across the country. There are over 90 dialects and languages, if we rely on the census.
This is something we have to keep investing in. We have made historic investments, but it requires investments across Canada from the provinces and territories as well so that we can work with communities to regain identity and culture, which are so important for reconciliation.
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- Dec/7/21 9:17:17 p.m.
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Madam Chair, indeed that is an important day for us to reflect on the legacy, particularly these days, of residential schools. It is a day for all of us to focus on. We would encourage the provinces and territories to adopt that day as well. This is a moment for all Canadians to reflect, not just indigenous people, and to let the voices of indigenous people speak and resonate throughout the day and obviously the rest of the year. This year our focus has been on allowing a space for indigenous voices to be heard, and we should continue to do so in the coming years.
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