44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 31, 2023 02:00PM
- May/31/23 2:06:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a Mi'kmaq elder, whose wisdom, knowledge and persistence will be rightfully recognized during Indigenous History Month.
Albert Marshall, Sr., of Eskasoni, is this year's recipient of the lndspire lifetime achievement award for his life's work to preserve and foster Mi'kmaq teachings and language. Elder Albert Marshall is the innovator of the emerging indigenous knowledge system known as etuaptmumk, or two-eyed seeing, a perspective that speaks to the need for both indigenous knowledge and western ways of knowing in all that we do.
Albert teaches that every action we take should be in balance and harmony with our earth. We call this netukulimk.
In closing, I could not mention Albert's achievements without also honouring the contributions of his late wife Murdena. Together, they created a wealth of knowledge that continues to inspire future generations.
Wela'lioq, Albert. I congratulate him.
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- May/31/23 2:16:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability recently released a report on gender-based violence and murder in Canada. The “#CallItFemicide” report, 2018 to 2022, shows gender-based violence and murder are on the rise, and the numbers are chilling.
The report notes a 27% increase in the number of women and girls killed by a male accused compared to 2019. Young women aged 25 to 34 are more likely to be victims. The report also states that one in five female victims killed by a male accused was an indigenous woman or girl.
The “#CallItFemicide” report shows exactly why Parliament needs to take the national action plan to end gender-based violence seriously. There is also a dire need to ensure that the funding for the indigenous shelter and transitional housing initiative is allocated, which would go a long way to protecting indigenous women from dangerous situations.
Let us immediately do all that we can to end gender-based violence.
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- May/31/23 2:56:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Wahpeton Dakota Nation has not had a proper school in a long time.
I have been to the school. Students are forced to learn in portables. They do not have proper running water. They do not have heating in the winter or cooling in the summer. The school itself has a roof that is caving in. There is black mould everywhere.
This is often the reality for first nations and indigenous kids—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- May/31/23 2:57:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Wahpeton Dakota Nation has not had a properly functioning school in a long time.
I visited the first nation and saw the school. They have to operate in portables. The portables do not have proper heating and cooling. These portables do not have running water in the winter. I went to the school itself, and the main structure has a roof that is caving in. There is also black mould.
This is often the reality for indigenous children in our country. When will the Prime Minister take this matter seriously and ensure that this first nation has a proper school so indigenous kids could learn in a safe and secure surrounding?
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- May/31/23 2:58:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with my hon. colleague. We need to do more.
We have built hundreds of new schools across this country in indigenous communities over the past seven and a half years, but there is much more to do. We will continue to work hand in hand with indigenous peoples on record investments and partnerships to build schools, health centres and senior centres. We will continue to work to solve outstanding land claim issues and to install wastewater and water treatment plants to ensure drinking water across the country.
These are things that we are doing and continue to do. I appreciate the member opposite's hard work on bringing them forward as well.
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Madam Speaker, I really enjoy working with my hon. colleague. I know she is fighting for autonomy for indigenous peoples as well, which we support.
I think what is important here is to say that we absolutely put forward that amendment. When we are looking at recruitment and retention of a labour strategy, there is nothing in this bill. We put it forth in committee, and it was turned down.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her intervention. I enjoy working with her at committee and in the process of listening to witness testimony.
An amendment was put forward by the member to add “free, prior and informed consent” with respect to indigenous peoples. This amendment is very similar to what Conservatives believe, which is that parents should be able to choose what is right for their children and family. The Liberals voted against that motion.
My question for the member is this: How can she trust the Liberals when they voted against that very amendment that allows indigenous peoples to choose what is it right for their children?
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Madam Speaker, it goes back to legislation. We need to negotiate a piece of legislation to enshrine it into law.
This is about law. I was very happy to see support from the Conservatives, the Bloc and members of the Liberal Party, in fact, for my amendment to include “free, prior and informed consent” on all matters relating to the children of indigenous peoples, something we know historically has not been done. It is fundamental to self-determination, and in fact it is in the framework agreement.
That is why we are pushing for legislation. That is why we need to vote for this legislation and put it in place. We need to make sure that it is enshrined in law going forward.
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Uqaqtittiji, I would also like to send my condolences to the family in the member's riding.
I really appreciated the member's intervention, because he seems to be taking Bill C-35 seriously and not talking only about the motion about the short title.
The bill is especially important for Nunavummiut. I do not know if members have read the Auditor General's report published on May 30 about Inuit children's and youth's rights being infringed. There are many children and youth who are in care, but who also who do not need to be in care. Preferably, Bill C-35 would help make sure that families are able to get the supports they need to use day care, rather than having their children stolen by governments.
What I do appreciate about the bill as well, and I thank the member for Winnipeg Centre for her great work, is that it includes the importance of upholding indigenous rights, because of the inclusion of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the implementation of UNDRIP. I wonder if the member agrees that it is absolutely necessary that we pass Bill C-35 so indigenous children's rights can be upheld.
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Madam Speaker, I think that was a fantastic and fair question, and that is why we supported the amendment put forward by the NDP. We will continue to support that. Obviously, the residential schools and the stealing of indigenous children are absolutely beyond the pale, so inclusive of that or exclusive of that, Conservatives believe entirely that children should be raised as their parents and their culture want. I have had many discussions with the great chiefs of the Hiawatha First Nation and the Alderville First Nation, whose nations are located within the boundaries of the riding of Northumberland—Peterborough South, and every single indigenous child deserves to be raised with an indigenous upbringing and culture. Parents in general deserve the ability and the right to raise their children as they see fit, not how the government sees fit, through the residential schools or otherwise.
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Madam Speaker, yes, and we supported that at committee. In addition to that, as I mentioned during my intervention, we put forth a motion that would have captured all different types of child care providers, but unfortunately that was not accepted. Part of that did include different cultural and indigenous-type providers, but unfortunately our motion was not accepted by the other members of the committee.
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