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Decentralized Democracy

Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Hon. Marc Miller

  • Member of Parliament
  • Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
  • Liberal
  • Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs
  • Quebec
  • Voting Attendance: 66%
  • Expenses Last Quarter: $97,404.09

  • Government Page
Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller (Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Lib.)
  • Dec/8/21 11:14:21 p.m.
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Madam Chair, as we know, with the tragic death of Joyce Echaquan, indigenous peoples dread having to use health care services across the country. We know that the federal government has a moral duty to outline the state of affairs. Systemic racism exists right across the country, from British Columbia to Quebec. It is everywhere. I am forced to acknowledge it so we can make the necessary investments to ensure that people get the first-class service they deserve. In the 2020-21 budget, our government invested $133 million to provide funding for indigenous people to bring along an advocate to ensure they receive high-quality care. The federal government's role is to approach provincial governments and to work with the territories to ensure that this serious problem is eradicated once and for all.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 11:02:01 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I cannot commit to a current timeline. These are projects that we want to prioritize, but they have to be done in partnership with the communities. Obviously, that commitment of the Prime Minister was to get the communities off diesel. It is extremely difficult in the north, but we believe it is a challenge we can face together.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 11:00:50 p.m.
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Madam Chair, again, these are investments that need to be worked with in the priorities expressed by the communities we serve. Clearly, we have heard that need, and it is something we are working to fulfill.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 11:00:25 p.m.
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Madam Chair, in addition to the capital requirements and investments that we will be working with communities to effect, we want to be in a position to empower communities to ensure their own are able to age in their own communities. That work is ongoing and needs to continue.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:59:35 p.m.
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Madam Chair, clearly we have heard that need. One of the biggest concerns we heard, particularly as we saw seniors being heavily affected, especially in my riding, was the concern in indigenous communities. We heard a need for more long-term care homes. One of the initiatives we faced was to reach out to them directly to make sure everyone was safe, but what we heard as well was that there is a need to have more people, and seniors in particular, able to age in their own communities. That is something we are working on.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:58:49 p.m.
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Madam Chair, as I said previously, there are those amounts that have been announced for Inuit Nunangat, of $500 million and $300 million respectively. Within Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations, there is a sum of $6 billion that has been earmarked for infrastructure writ large. Again, this investment does span across departments, including the ministry of housing. There have been rapid housing initiatives, but this is a whole-of-government approach, including Infrastructure and other departments, as well as territorial and provincial governments.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:58:28 p.m.
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Madam Chair, one, there is no excuse. Two, it has largely been due to COVID.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:57:49 p.m.
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Madam Chair, again, that is the purview largely of the Minister of Indigenous Services. It is my responsibility with respect to self-governing nations as well as the Inuit, with the territorial government. We have begun that process. It is a process that needs to be done in detail over a span, to the best of my recollection, of the next 18 months, to quantify that gap we all lament in Canada.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:57:15 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the platform commitment of this government was $300 million. That supplements the various initiatives we have throughout four to five ministries within this government. We are committed to committing that distinctions-based investment in short order. Obviously, the timelines are within the next three years to five years, as we deploy this capital.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:56:40 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we know well that a dollar in the north is much more than the dollar in the south. Those are rough understandings, but it obviously varies from community to community, but much more clearly, particularly given the shorter construction season.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:56:25 p.m.
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Madam Chair, not as well as the member opposite. My understanding is that it ranges in and around $400,000.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:55:46 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we have a rough understanding of the massive underfunding that exists across Canada. In Inuit Nunangat. there was a very good report produced by Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami through Ernst & Young. It is very detailed. We appreciate the co-operation that we have ITK. This is a double work that we have with the territorial governments as well as ITK. We do have an appreciation, but we need to refine it throughout the next couple of years as we close the gap for 2030 to which committed.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller (Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Lib.)
  • Dec/8/21 10:54:57 p.m.
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Madam Chair, there are two timelines that are important to bear in mind for people. One, the $500 million in infrastructure that we committed has gone through the Treasury Board. That is intended for shovel-ready projects in Inuit Nunangat over the next three to five years, conscious of the construction season as well. We announced, during our campaign, a commitment to a specific Inuit amount in housing of $300 million. We want to get that out as quickly as possible. Obviously we will work with partners, including ITK and the territorial government.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:02:55 p.m.
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Madam Chair, indigenous communities are telling us loud and clear that this must not be handled by people in Ottawa only. The policies need to be changed, and this overhaul needs to be done. However, some clauses are no longer being used, including extinguishment clauses, and they need to be removed. This uncertainty is a good thing because it is the indigenous communities who are setting the pace on this file.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:01:48 p.m.
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Madam Chair, to answer that question, I would have to go into a lot more detail than my time here permits. It is a long-term process to get rid of past policies that are clearly both racist and colonial. The framework is there, but there has to be recognition of rights based on the paradigm and the community's needs. Progress is happening across the country, and we are respecting communities' priorities. That is what we will keep doing.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:00:54 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I will certainly do that.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 10:00:25 p.m.
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Madam Chair, that funding is not reflected in the supplementary estimates (B). I would have to look and sort that out. The funds were approved and distributed by Treasury Board.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 9:59:16 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would like some clarification. Is the member asking how much of the $320 million has been allocated, or is she talking about a supplementary budget? The budget itself is spread across a few departments, specifically, my own, Indigenous Services Canada, particularly for mental health support and assistance, Canadian Heritage and Infrastructure Canada, for the demolition or repair of buildings, as needed. That would have to be sorted out. If I am not mistaken, the amount is at least $50 million or $60 million, but it could be much more. I will ask my deputy minister to confirm this quickly.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 9:57:43 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I do not want to dispute what the member is saying in the House, but I believe that the announcement was made much more than five days before the election was called. As of today, and I will verify this in case I am mistaken, 28 projects have been approved and many more have been submitted. There is overlap since some communities saw children taken from their families and sent to the same institution. I would like to disburse these funds as quickly as possible because there are needs to fill, but I will follow the pace and needs of the communities. We certainly need to provide some investments in Quebec, perhaps even in the member's riding. We will be there with the communities, on an as-needed basis.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Hon. Marc Miller
  • Dec/8/21 9:55:34 p.m.
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Madam Chair, it is a top priority, so much so that I would like to thank the former Treasury Board president for approving the substantial sum of $6 billion right before the general election so we could get that money out the door quickly. That funding will help close the existing gap over the next three to five years.
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