Tina Keeper

[Human Rights, January 29th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, this morning MPs gathered at a meeting on Parliament Hill in support of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The meeting was hosted by a group of organizations, including the Assembly of First Nations, Amnesty International Canada, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Inuit Circumpolar Council, the Canadian Friends Service Committee, KAIROS and the Native Women's Association of Canada.

Their voices were strong and unanimous in calling on the Government of Canada to fully implement the standards of the declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 13 last year. As members of the House will remember, the declaration was passed by an overwhelming majority vote of 144 to 4, with Canada's Conservative government shamefully voting against rights for indigenous people.

The government must realize Canadians took pride in our reputation in the role we used to have as a human rights champion in the global community. It should take back this role and implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples today.

[Poverty, December 13th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, across my constituency of Churchill, and indeed the entire country, Canadians are united in their demands for immediate action to address poverty in this country.

The 30-50 plan recently unveiled by the Liberal leader will reduce the number of Canadians living below the poverty line by at least 30% and, more importantly, will cut the number of children living in poverty by half within five years.

It will improve the child tax benefit, help lift vulnerable seniors out of poverty by increasing the guaranteed income supplement, and create a “making work pay benefit” to lower the welfare wall and encourage personal success and independence.

When implemented, this approach will then, and only then, set Canada back on track toward a fair and just society.

[Norval Morrisseau, December 7th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay respect to the life of Ojibwa artist Norval Morrisseau who passed away at the age of 75 on Tuesday morning.

He was one of Canada's greatest painters. He was a master artist. He was a shaman. He was known as the “Picasso of the North”. He was the innovator of what would become the woodland style.

Norval Morrisseau spent his childhood immersed in his Ojibwa culture in northwestern Ontario. His self-taught style reflected this oral history, this spirituality and this environment.

Creating his own genre, he would become one of the most important artists Canada has ever produced. He has exhibited his works internationally for decades.

In 1978 he was made a member of the Order of Canada. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy. He will be honoured in 2008 for a lifetime achievement award by the Aboriginal Achievement Awards.

I encourage all members of this House to join me in honouring the incredible life and contributions of Norval Morrisseau.

[Poverty, December 5th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, women are far more likely than men to experience extended periods of low income and greater depths of poverty. Poverty means isolation and exclusion. It has devastating impacts for women and their children.

When is the government going to respond to the real needs of Canadian women and come up with real action to reduce poverty in Canada?

[Poverty, December 4th, 2007]

It is shameful, Mr. Speaker. Almost 800,000 Canadian children are now living in poverty and the government has put forward two economic updates and two budgets, but not one single page of these documents mentions child poverty anywhere. In more than 1,000 pages, there is nothing for child poverty.

The government's silence on the issue speaks volumes to Canadians. The Liberal leader has spoken up for children living in poverty. Why will the government not?

[Poverty, December 4th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the Campaign 2000 report made it clear that the poverty rate in Canada is devastatingly high. What is missing from the government's narrow agenda is a plan to address it.

The Liberals have a plan for the government. Our plan reduces the number of Canadians living in poverty by at least 30% and cuts in half the number of children living in poverty within five years.

Why is the government ignoring the needs of Canada's most vulnerable children?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 30th, 2007]

With respect to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in the riding of Churchill: (a) how many RCMP detachments are there currently, including the community name and the number of police officers in each individual detachment; (b) how many detachments are on First Nation reserves in the riding; (c) what is the government's policy on how First Nations are policed in communities without RCMP detachments; (d) what is the total annual federal allotment to provide policing on First Nations without a RCMP detachment; (e) what was the total allotment for band constable funding for First Nations in the province of Manitoba in each of the fiscal years from 2004 to 2007 inclusively; (f) in the budget tabled in March 2007, how much funding was provided for the band constable training program; (g) on First Nations without detachments on reserve, (i) how many have holding cells, (ii) which First Nations have holding cells; and (h) what has been the annual funding in each First Nation without holding cells for the fiscal years 2004 to 2007 inclusively?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 30th, 2007]

With regard to First Nations Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada upstream investment funding for suicide prevention in the Churchill electoral district: (a) since the program’s inception what has been the rate of suicide in the First Nations population in Canada, in Manitoba and in the Churchill riding in particular, including the rates in the categories for adults, youth, and children; (b) what has been the rate in each province; (c) has the government assessed what reasons exist for different rates among the provinces and territories; (d) has the government undertaken or contracted for any audits, evaluation reports or analysis of its Suicide Prevention Strategy; (e) what is the annual allocation and expenditure by the government for its annual Suicide Prevention Strategy since its inception; (f) what has been the annual expenditure and allocation for suicide prevention strategies in each province and territory; (g) what is the annual allocation and expenditure of the government on First Nations suicide prevention in the government budget tabled in March 2007; (h) as per the joint report completed by the Assembly of First Nations and Health Canada, entitled "Acting on What We Know: Preventing Youth Suicide in First Nations", what steps has the government taken to address the 30 recommendations; (i) if the government has not acted on certain recommendations, what are its reasons; (j) how many suicide prevention crisis lines are presently receiving federal funding in the Churchill riding; (k) how much federal funding has been allocated to suicide prevention crisis lines in the Churchill riding; (l) what is the amount of federal funding in each of the fiscal years from 2003 to 2008, inclusively; and (m) when will the government begin to fund appropriate and adequate funding and provide services to prevent the high incidence of suicide amongst First Nations?

[Questions on the Order Paper, November 22nd, 2007]

With respect to the government's funding to the provinces and territories to support the launch of a $300 million national program for the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine announced in the budget tabled in March 2007: (a) how much of this funding has been distributed to the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada to be further distributed to provide the vaccine to First Nations women and girls living on reserve; (b) what steps has the government taken to promote the vaccine to rural, northern and urban First Nations women and girls, living both on and off reserve; (c) what steps are being taken to ensure better screening, prevention and treatment of HPV for First Nations women and girls, particularly in rural and northern communities; and (d) how much funding has been provided to implement an HPV awareness campaign, including the augmentation of information, distribution of materials, and other related research for the Aboriginal population?

[Afghanistan, November 21st, 2007]

But, Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claims there is no evidence of torture. His own officials say there is evidence, but he just ignores them. There is a complete disconnect between what the officials are saying and what the Prime Minister is trying to lead Canadians to believe.

What is the Prime Minister afraid of? Is he afraid the truth will catch up to him?