44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 19, 2024 10:00AM
Madam Speaker, today I rise to speak to Bill C-29, an act to provide for the establishment of a national council for reconciliation.
What does the word “reconciliation” mean? After nine years of the current government, what we have seen is that it has become a buzzword. Reconciliation is about walking shoulder to shoulder, listening, learning and being open to admitting that wrongs were done.
Bill C-29 is a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action 53 to 56. I will remind the House that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was founded by our former prime minister, Stephen Harper, in the former Conservative government. Throughout these conversations, there is always finger pointing that goes on, but I would hazard that there is enough blame to go around on all sides.
We have seen, in the last nine years, the government picking winners and losers, pitting first nations against first nations, first nations against non-first nations, Métis against Métis, and Métis against non-Métis. We have seen our Prime Minister thank indigenous protesters who were simply protesting the fact that the boil water advisories in their communities are ongoing. What did he do when he was at his fancy function? He thanked them for their donation. We have seen him cast away the first indigenous female Attorney General, Jody Wilson-Raybould. She spoke truth to power and was cast aside.
We have seen the Prime Minister stand there with his hand on his heart, dabbing away a fake tear with a tissue, saying that this is his most important relationship. However, as we just heard, the government has launched its ninth budget without any mention of reconciliation for indigenous peoples, so members will have to pardon me if I seem a bit skeptical about what the government is planning with Bill C-29.
Over the time of my being elected, whether with my current file on mental health and suicide prevention or my previous files on transportation or fisheries, the government likes to say that it has consulted. However, is it truly consultation and engagement, or is it merely putting a checkmark in a box on a sheet that says what they had to do and complete? True engagement means sitting at the table and fully understanding all sides.
What has brought us to this point? In recent years, we heard about the horrors of the residential school program, but the world is just waking up to what some of us have been hearing for many years. The residential school program was designed to drive the Indian out of the children, and thousands upon thousands of first nations, Inuit and Métis children were taken from their homes and never returned.
Sitting with residential school survivors and listening to their stories is horrible. The start of the ground sonar search in my riding of Cariboo—Prince George was at the former St. Joseph's Mission Residential School in my hometown of Williams Lake. I am on record saying that I grew up just down the road from this school, yet I had no idea of the horrors that were going on at that school.
These were kids that I played with. I know many of them to this day. They are my friends and family. My family is first nations as well. Watching a residential school survivor come to the lands for a ceremony marking the start of the ground sonar search and watching them shake and become so emotional as those memories come flooding back is absolutely heartbreaking.
In nine years of the government, it has only fully implemented 11 of the 94 calls to action, and only eight of the 76 calls that are the federal government's responsibility. Why did it take four years for the Liberals to implement this after the Prime Minister made the announcement about it in 2018? Why are they still not bringing in or listening to all of the indigenous groups that want to be a part of this?
There is the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, an organization that represents over 800 status and non-status, off-reserve, urban indigenous peoples, and the Native Women's Association of Canada, an organization that represents women and children on and off reserve. At committee, our Conservative team, the Bloc and NDP members passed a motion to include these two national organizations. However, when the rubber hit the road, when it came time to make sure they were part of it, our NDP colleagues sided with their Liberal friends and voted to exclude the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, effectively silencing the voices of 800,000 off-reserve indigenous peoples. Why?
Reconciliation is about inclusion. Reconciliation is about recognizing economic prosperity, allowing indigenous individuals and communities to recognize their full potential. It is unbelievable that we are still debating this bill. The fact that this bill is still here, the fact that we are still in the process of debating it after having numerous amendments and speeches, speaks to the government's failure to meaningfully consult and advance this issue.
Now the Liberals are going to stand up and I guarantee that at one point we are going to hear that the bill has been blocked and there have been lots of dilatory motions from this side, but they have the majority. If the Liberals want to push something through, with their NDP colleagues they can push it through.
Our Conservative colleagues worked diligently at the committee to improve the bill. Is that not the message we always give? Just let it pass, let it get to committee and we will make it better there. However, again, we have heard that they blocked and left out two important groups.
The Liberals talk about consultation. Does Bill C-29 truly represent the work and consultation they have done? Does it truly represent all the indigenous people, or does it just simply reflect the views of those who are friends of the Liberal government?
We know that recently there are about 113 indigenous groups in Ontario that are taking the federal government to court over boil water advisories. The government talks a good game, but the truth is in its actions. As important as the bill is, it also highlights the failure of the Liberal government to listen to Canadians, to listen meaningfully and to consult with indigenous peoples.
This is, of course, not the first time we have spoken about the Liberals' inability to consult and listen. They always seem to go down the path of just ticking the boxes of the groups that are in agreement with them. They use that as their record of consultation, yet they have left a whole community of indigenous peoples out when it pertains to Bill C-29.
A concern we have is that, time and again, we see these bills that come forth, and they are not perfect, and then the consequences are faced afterwards. We will hear comments from the other side, saying that we should never let perfection get in the way of getting something done.
I have talked about winners and losers with the government. I have talked about my friend Chief Willie Sellars in Williams Lake. He is the chief of his community who, in all senses of the word, is leading by example. He is not waiting for the government to provide handouts. He has done everything to lead his nation and his community to economic prosperity.
Ellis Ross, a provincial MLA in British Columbia, walks the walk. I remember sitting at a presentation with him about 10 years ago, and he said that we do not need all these fancy words and we don't need to listen to an unelected group, the United Nations, with the calls to action. What we need, he said, is the government to get out of the way, to allow us to chart our own path forward.
Is this council going to be just another arm of the minister of the day? These are the questions we have. Will the government even listen to the national council? It has spent the last nine years over-promising and under-delivering on indigenous issues. How many communities still have the boil water advisories? It is unbelievable.
I remember the speeches we did in the House during one of the first emergency debates we had. It was on the suicide epidemic on Attawapiskat First Nation. It was heartbreaking for me to hear the stories we were hearing.
Sadly, I ask if things have gotten better for indigenous peoples in the last nine years under the current government. In 2015, the Prime Minister stood and promised that this was his most important relationship.
It is complex, I will give the Liberals that, but if this was truly the Prime Minister's most important relationship, why have they just announced so much spending in a budget in which we would spend more money servicing our debt than we do on health care? When the books were open, the safe was open, and they were throwing money at everything, yet there was not a mention of indigenous peoples or reconciliation. It is frustrating. What would be measured with this council? What gets measured, gets done.
Conservatives will be supporting this bill because we believe in the premise that we have to have everyone around the table. True reconciliation begins with understanding and, as I said earlier, listening with open hearts, open ears and open eyes. My concern with the government is that this is just here to placate. There is no real meaning or value behind doing this.
It is frustrating, as I already said earlier in my speech, that we are debating this today, when it could have been done previously. It has been nine years.
An hon. member: Oh, oh!
Mr. Todd Doherty: Madam Speaker, I am getting heckled from the other side, but the government has had nine years to get this done, and now, at the eleventh hour, with the last few shreds of power it has, it is putting this forward. It has taken forever for it to do this.
That being said, as I mentioned, Conservatives will be supporting this bill. We hope that some amendments we put forward will be agreed to. We hope that all indigenous peoples would be included at the table. The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and the Native Women's Association of Canada are two organizations that we feel should be included in this. They should have a say with at least one director at the table.
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- Apr/19/24 10:50:12 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the empathy from my hon. colleague, but the Conservatives have quite a history. If we talk about their history with reconciliation, I will start with former prime minister Stephen Harper, who said that MMIWG was not on his “radar”.
Tanya Kappo, an indigenous lawyer, wrote, “In a span of a week, the Conservative government confirmed their feelings of indifference, disregard and utter lack of respect for indigenous people.”
If we fast-forward to today, the member for Carleton, the current leader of the Conservative Party, actively fraternizes with residential school denialists. In fact, there is an article entitled “Poilievre delivers speech to a group criticized for residential school 'denialism'”, to which the former national chief of the AFN Archibald said in a media statement, “I condemn any association with denialist views and the deep hurt they cause our survivors and their families”. He has had to apologize in the past for minimizing and denying the impacts of residential schools when he was a minister.
The member wants to talk about nine years; I want to talk about before the last nine years. I am not saying the government is doing a good job, but it is pretty rich for the Conservatives, when their leader actively fraternizes with residential school denialists, to talk about how they care about indigenous people.
Will my hon. colleague acknowledge the level of denialism that his party—
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- Apr/19/24 10:52:11 a.m.
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I am hearing side conversations about the opportunity the Speaker allows members to speak. I want to indicate to those individuals that I look at the room to see how many members are standing up for questions and comments, and I base the decision on how much time to allow each member to speak on that. I would remind members that I am paying attention to the time, and I will actively indicate when it is time to end the question and when it is time to answer the question.
The hon. member for Cariboo—Prince George has the floor.
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- Apr/19/24 10:52:56 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is disappointing to hear the comments from our colleague down the way.
I always say that those in glass houses should not throw rocks, and I would say that it was our former prime minister, Stephen Harper, who started the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
However, I have never seen a prime minister be more indignant on one hand, and stand here whenever the cameras are on to say that this is his most important relationship, but then absolutely turn away and shun our first indigenous female attorney general, a person who is a dear and close friend of mine. I have seen, over the last nine years, the damage the Prime Minister has done within indigenous communities, pitting indigenous community against indigenous community, and pitting indigenous community against non-indigenous community. I have seen the Prime Minister smirk and smile when hearing the plight of those in our gallery, or in our House, talking about their communities and the indigenous peoples within the communities they are a part of.
I will remind my colleague that this is the government that is in power. This is a government that made a tremendous amount of promises over the last nine years and has failed at every step. This is a Prime Minister who thanked indigenous protesters who were simply protesting the fact that they do not have potable water in their communities and have to boil—
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- Apr/19/24 10:55:05 a.m.
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I will give the hon. member the same amount of time that I gave to the hon. member asking the question. We need to go to other questions as there are other members who are rising.
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- Apr/19/24 10:55:20 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I listened to the member's speech with interest.
I would, first of all, say that it is encouraging to hear that the Conservatives are considering supporting this legislation, given that they did not support the passage of the UN declaration act. Having heard that from this member and other members in the Conservative Party, would the member commit to allowing the bill to carry on the voices today so that we do not have to wait another week to vote on it?
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- Apr/19/24 10:55:49 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague knows full well that this is a discussion for House leadership and not one that I can speak to.
It is disappointing, as this is a minister of the Crown and minister of this file asking the question, that it has taken the Liberals four years to get to this point. However, she is one that I have a great deal of respect for in the work that we did on 988 and on the mental health of Canadians, but she has stumbled into this file and has stumbled along the way, likely because of the leadership, or lack thereof, of her Prime Minister.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague for the empathy and goodwill toward indigenous people that were so evident in his speech. I think it is important to do the work required to move closer to reconciliation. We learned that he is going to vote in favour of Bill C‑29, which can only be a positive thing.
Obviously, the Conservatives are not the government. They are the opposition. However, there are things they could do right now to help with reconciliation. Not so long ago, for example, their leader held a big celebration of the well-known John A. Macdonald, who created residential schools, had Louis Riel hanged and came up with a strategy to cause famine among indigenous peoples.
Does my colleague think that celebrations like this are appropriate against a backdrop of reconciliation?
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Madam Speaker, it is interesting that we get these questions from the Bloc and others talking about the past when we are looking forward to the future. We are here today to talk about a bill, Bill C-29, which we all agree is important and needed. Unfortunately, we have parties who just want to continue to point fingers. They are doing everything to try to take a very non-partisan piece of legislation and turn it into a partisan hit job.
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- Apr/19/24 10:58:11 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I really do appreciate the words from my colleague from northern British Columbia. I know that he represents a number of first nations and Métis in his riding, and he does a fantastic job bringing their voices here to Ottawa. We saw that reflected in his speech.
My question to him revolves around this piece of legislation, and I am speaking about those living off of first nations who represent status, non-status and Métis. I am specifically speaking to the fact that the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples has been left off of the founding table, despite representing a large number of indigenous people living off reserve. That would then dictate the path going forward. That is something we advocated strongly for at committee. Unfortunately, the government did not listen, so I would like to get his comments on that.
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Madam Speaker, we know that there is a very large community of indigenous youth, status and non-status youth, living off reserve and within the urban centres, as well as families who live off reserve. Our family is one of them.
The government has chosen to leave out the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, an organization that represents over 800,000 status and non-status indigenous peoples, as well as the Native Women's Association of Canada, an organization that represents women and children on and off reserve. That is par for the course. We have seen time and time again with the government that it has chosen to pick winners and losers. They have done the same with Bill C-29, and it is disappointing.
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- Apr/19/24 11:00:21 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, also referred to as Freedom Day in Portugal.
At the crack of dawn on April 25, 1974, songs of liberty played over the radio. It marked the start of what became known as the bloodless revolution.
As the army stood guard at the capital, children began placing carnations in the barrels of soldiers' rifles. That love and compassion tugged at the hearts of citizens and generals alike. By day's end, the people peacefully triumphed over a fascist regime, ending 40 years of totalitarian rule.
Portugal and its diaspora around the world gather to celebrate 25 de abril based on values of liberty, equality and the rule of law. It is also a reminder for all of us that democracy and freedom must prevail.
To my fellow Portuguese across Canada, Feliz Dia da Liberdade.
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- Apr/19/24 11:01:28 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, after nine Liberal Pinocchio budgets and nine straight deficits on which every Liberal projection has been wrong, the NDP-Liberal government is still not worth the cost.
After nine years, we have a new Liberal double-double. NDP-Liberals have doubled the cost of government, doubled Canada's debt, doubled the taxes Canadians pay, doubled the interest on Canada's debt and doubled the cost of rent and mortgages.
Are government services twice as good? Is our health care twice as good? Are defence and national security twice as good? The answer, of course, is that all are worse.
Liberals have added more debt to Canada than all other governments combined in our history, and now Canadians are paying $44 billion in interest on the Canadian credit card. The Liberal budget plan will drive this number to $60 billion in five years. Today that is more money than we spend on health care.
After nine years, the Prime Minister is not worth the cost, but there is good news. Common-sense Conservatives will replace Liberal hurt with Conservative hope. We will axe the tax, build the homes—
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- Apr/19/24 11:02:25 a.m.
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The hon. member for Oakville North—Burlington has the floor.
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- Apr/19/24 11:02:29 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, organ donation saves lives. One organ donor can save up to eight lives. However, less than 25% of people living in Canada are registered donors, even though 90% of Canadians say they support organ donation.
In Ontario, 1,400 people on average are waiting for a life-saving organ, with thousands more needing transformative tissue donation. Sadly, every three days someone will die waiting.
Thanks to a private member's bill put forward by my colleague from Calgary Confederation, becoming an organ donor in Canada is easier than ever. Ontario residents like me are able to tick a box on our tax return, indicating whether or not we would like to become an organ and tissue donor.
Since 2022, 2.5 million Canadians in Ontario and Nunavut have indicated their intention. I encourage all provinces and territories to sign up for this life-saving initiative.
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Madam Speaker, more than 165,000 new cases of traumatic brain injury occur annually in Canada. In fact, this current number is likely underestimated because of under-reporting of cases stemming from concussions, intimate partner violence, combat injuries and survival of toxic substance poisoning.
Beyond the significant physical damage people experience from traumatic brain injury, we know there is a link between brain injury and further challenges with mental health, substance misuse, homelessness and incarceration.
It is necessary to support education and prevention measures and interventions. My hon. colleague from Cowichan—Malahat—Langford has brought forward Bill C-277 to establish a national strategy on brain injuries act.
The legislation is driven by the support of so many living with brain injuries and organizations like the Nanaimo Brain Injury Society, which provides tremendous support and advocacy.
I urge all hon. members to add their support to the voices calling for a national strategy on brain injuries.
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- Apr/19/24 11:04:36 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, what do metallurgical mushrooms, decomposition and capturing wind energy on cars have in common? Those are just some of the Sudbury Regional Science Fair projects heading to the national science fair competition.
Sixty-three students participated in this year's annual Sudbury Regional Science Fair. Seven students from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School in my riding of Sudbury will be heading to Ottawa for the Canada-Wide Science Fair to showcase their projects.
For over 55 years, Sudbury students in grades 7 to 12 have been showcasing science experiments, studies and innovative endeavours that have taken weeks and sometimes even months of effort to pull together.
I want to congratulate all participants of the 2024 Sudbury Regional Science Fair. I also want to extend a big congratulations to this year's winners: Benjamin Kawa, Felix Naghi, Eden Abols, Jack O'Connell, Violet Simon, Camille Landry and Zavier Simard.
I am wishing all of them the best of luck at the national competition. Go team Lo-Ellen.
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- Apr/19/24 11:05:42 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the science is in: What is terrible for one's pocketbook, for one's health and for the economy is paper straws. They suck, yet the radical Liberal government wants to force everyone to use them.
After nine long years of the Liberal government, it and the paper straws are not worth the cost. Everything is getting more expensive, while the Liberals focus on banning things that science shows are better for the environment, better for us and better for the economy.
Canada should be a superpower in plastics recycling, and we will be, just not under the current Prime Minister. Limp, wet and utterly useless, paper straws and Liberal governments are not worth the cost.
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- Apr/19/24 11:06:29 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Nepean Nighthawks Field Hockey Club is dedicated to fostering a love for field hockey among youth.
Field hockey in Ottawa stretches back to the 1950s. A recent explosion of participation in the Ottawa region began in 2007. Interestingly, unlike globally, 70% of Ottawa members are female.
The Nepean Nighthawks’ vision includes fostering sport participation for life. Their goals include reaching out to underserved communities in Ottawa and building a world-class field hockey complex to serve the local field hockey community. The club is particularly noted for its inclusive Stick Together program, which emphasizes teamwork, sportsmanship and the development of field hockey skills for all ages and skill levels.
The Nighthawks are committed to reconciliation, and they actively promote the participation of indigenous youth.
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- Apr/19/24 11:07:37 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, April is Oral Health Month in Canada, an opportunity to highlight good oral health as an essential component of overall health.
In Scarborough North, the Filipino-Canadian Dental Hygienists’ Society has offered no-cost dental hygiene services to residents in need. Most recently, it partnered with the Filipino Centre Toronto and the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto to provide drop-in checkups and cleanings. When I visited its mobile dental clinic last Sunday, I was met by bright smiles, and I thanked the volunteer dentist and dental hygienists for their tireless efforts.
This month, the Canadian Dental Association reminds everyone to brush twice a day, floss daily, check for signs of gum disease and visit their dentist regularly. Now, with the new Canadian dental care plan, up to nine million people without coverage will soon have access to the dental care services they need.
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