Niki Ashton

[Indigenous Services, December 11th, 2023]

Madam Chair, I will start off by saying that it is well known that the member has a real penchant for deflecting, talking about his time in the Manitoba legislature and pulling up stories from the past. If we were to talk about the diversion projects at the time, I would certainly expect an opportunity for a more fulsome discussion.

The reality here is that the Liberals are all too excited to deflect from what are proposed devastating cuts, to the tune of $7.6 billion, in Indigenous Services. Let us not forget the federal government has the fiduciary obligation to first nations.

As for high-fiving them for success, Indigenous Services has an obligation to indigenous communities to make the investments that are necessary. I just shared a list of at least 15 first nations with dire needs that are not being met by Indigenous Services Canada. That is no reason for the government to to try and convince us, gaslight us, that a cut of $7.6 billion is acceptable, let alone applaud itself for it.

First nations are watching. Canadians are watching. We want to see these cuts reversed and the basic investments made in indigenous communities now.

[Indigenous Services, December 11th, 2023]

Madam Chair, I am tremendously honoured to follow my colleague from Nunavut.

Tonight, we have an obligation to speak out against the reduction in spending, the cuts, in Indigenous Services Canada, given the dire needs of indigenous communities. We in the NDP are clear. A reduction of $7.6 billion in Indigenous Services spending is unacceptable. It flies in the face of the Liberals' commitment to reconciliation. It repeats a colonial approach long waged by Liberal and Conservative governments that have cut spending to indigenous communities. It will further impoverish indigenous communities, which are already the most marginalized in this country.

I would like to speak about the riding that I have the honour of representing, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, and the reality that our region faces. I am honoured to represent 41 first nations, from Saugeen all the way to the Sayisi Dene. Each first nation is different, but they all share a common reality today, which is rooted in the neglect and the underfunding shown by Canada. Let me be clear about some of the needs.

Last Friday, I stood, along with my colleague from Nunavut, with Chief Harper of Wasagamack First Nation and first nations grand chiefs and chiefs from across Manitoba in calling on Canada to work with Wasagamack and partners to build an airport in their community, which is one of the largest, most isolated communities in Canada. Over 4,000 people are without a road or an airport. It is a community that relies on ice roads, which are in peril because of climate change.

Tataskweyak Cree Nation needs its school replaced after years of it falling into disrepair. Red Sucker Lake, one of the first nations that the army helped during the pandemic, has issued yet another boil water advisory. They are clear. They need water pipelines. The current system is making their people sick.

Shamattawa, ravaged by numerous house fires over the past year, and yet another community disproportionately impacted by COVID, is clear. It needs 50 homes. Bloodvein, a community on the front lines of huge wildfires, has been clear with ISC for more than a year. It needs a fire truck and somewhere to store it.

Peguis, a community forcibly relocated onto a flood plain, needs flood protection in the face of the climate emergency. Mathias Colomb needs help in pushing forward on its water treatment plant, which has begun but has stalled.

York Factory, Bunibonibee, Manto Sipi, God's Lake, St. Theresa Point, Garden Hill, Red Sucker Lake and Wasagamack need all-weather road access now, given the fact that climate change is further isolating these communities. Every single one of these needs is known to Indigenous Services Canada. Many of them have been known for years.

These are the realities of the $350-billion infrastructure gap that first nations face in Canada. It is pretty galling that the Liberals are standing up to talk about the investments they have made in the face of a $350-billion infrastructure gap, knowing, as we now know, that they are prepared to cut $7.6 billion in their spending.

Let us be clear. On the infrastructure gap, they have spent less than 3% of what is needed to end the gap since 2015, yet we still have to listen to Liberals talk about how good the situation is. The reality is that the Government of Canada is failing first nations, and abject cruelty will come from the cuts that they are planning.

The idea that they might cut Jordan's principle is shocking, given the absolute need at the community level, as well as the idea that they would not spend on addressing the housing crisis on reserve, given the fact that we know, based on waiting lists of hundreds of people, how acute that housing crisis is. We now know, from the pandemic, that the overcrowded housing, the inadequate housing, contributed to the disproportionate spread of COVID-19 and indigenous people getting more sick than others across our country.

We see failures from this government time and time again. I want to acknowledge the deep cuts and the pain caused by previous Conservative governments, the Harper government.

I will say, as many have said, that the cracks are showing. Many have pointed out that the Liberals are not doing the job when it comes to reconciliation and living up to their commitments to first nations.

This is no way to treat people, much less the first nations this government claims is its most important relationship. These cuts will only bring harm. First nations are watching. The world is watching. Canada can, and must, do better.

[Indigenous Affairs, December 6th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, this past summer was the worst wildfire season in Canada's history. Indigenous communities are on the front lines of the climate crisis and are disproportionately paying the price, yet Liberals are investing less than a third of all emergency preparedness money in prevention, choosing to be reactive.

First nations like Bloodvein River First Nation, which has been evacuated because of wildfires, does not have a fire truck to this day. The AFN is asking for $30 billion in mitigation. The Liberals' spending on mitigation is a drop in the bucket.

Why are the Liberals pretending this reality is acceptable for first nations and indigenous communities facing the climate crisis?

[Foreign Affairs, December 6th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, with the guns silenced, the bombs and missiles grounded, it was a ceasefire by any other name. For a few days, there was some sense of peace in Israel and Palestine, but now the killing has begun again in Gaza. Once again, innocent civilians, children and women are dying at a horrendous rate. Where is Canada? Where is the world?

We now say we are concerned about the number of Palestinian civilians killed. We hear the talk again of a two-state solution. How much of it is talk when the Prime Minister of Israel is telling Israelis that he is the only thing standing between them and a two-state solution?

Canada must be an unequivocal voice for peace and diplomacy. It starts with ending our complicity in the arms trade and in providing ongoing diplomatic cover for those who have no intention of supporting peace, security and justice for Palestinians.

Have we not learned from history? This is a conflict that will repeat itself over and over again, unless there is a political solution.

[Canada Revenue Agency, December 1st, 2023]

Madam Speaker, something is rotten in the CRA. Following a phone call from Deloitte to a senior official at CRA, it gave a company $63 million in tax rebates that are being referred to as “illegitimate”. The CRA was auditing the company in question, yet it took less than 24 hours after a phone call from a powerful accounting firm to not only make the problem go away but also give away millions of dollars of Canadians' money.

The minister needs to come clean. How many audits have they cancelled at Deloitte's request, who else has this kind of power and why are the Liberals not ensuring tax fairness at a time when Canadians are struggling?

[Business of Supply, November 28th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, we have certainly indicated that the NDP would support this motion, which recognizes that farmers in Canada need support these days, and indirectly recognizes that Canadians also need help.

Can my colleague speak to how this motion might help farmers in western Canada?

[Canada Labour Code, November 27th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I do not know the details of that situation, but we know that the NDP has introduced this type of bill in the past and has supported anti-scab bills introduced by other parties, including the Bloc Québécois. Our priority was to ensure that this was part of our work in collaboration with the other parties, including the Liberal Party. To us, it is obvious that we need to move as quickly as possible without waiting 18 months for this bill to become a reality because the workers need it now.

[Canada Labour Code, November 27th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, that is a critical point. We know that the legislation is historic in many ways. It has been fought for over the course of many years, but it is also legislation that is very current, recognizing that many workers in particular sectors, and I am thinking of telecommunications and others, are increasingly engaged in remote work and deserve the protections and should have the rights that any other worker does. Importantly, the legislation would look out for remote workers.

I think we all agree, certainly in the NDP, that we need to move ahead with this critical piece of legislation as soon as possible, much faster than the 18-month implementation period. Workers need the legislation now.

[Canada Labour Code, November 27th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I think that 18 months is an unacceptable delay. That was clearly said. We can move forward much more quickly than that. Obviously, we need this bill. From Quebec's and British Columbia's experience, we know that it can make a difference for workers. Workers in federally regulated sectors need this support as soon as possible. Eighteen months is an unacceptable delay.

[Canada Labour Code, November 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to speak in Parliament today in favour of Bill C-58, a historic piece of legislation. It is a piece of legislation that is in support of workers, and in support of their fundamental right to organize and to bargain collectively.

Fundamentally, this legislation is about fairness. By banning the use of replacement workers, also known as “scabs”, we are supporting fairness, and the right of workers to exercise their fundamental rights.

Before I go on, I want to make sure I mention I am splitting my time with the member for New Westminster—Burnaby.

Many may wonder why this legislation is necessary. We know that, historically, there are employers who have done what they can to attack workers and to undermine their rights. We know that scabs are often brought in during lengthy strikes, and it is not about providing essential services or other excuses that employers might use. It is about breaking workers. It is about breaking unions. We are all worse off for it.

This legislation matters in my riding. I am proud to be from northern Manitoba. I am proud to be from Thompson, a working-class town, a mining town and a union town. I am proud to have been a union member before I got into politics. I am proud to represent communities like The Pas, Flin Flon, Churchill, Norway House and others where workers have a history of standing up and fighting back.

Manitoba has a long history of labour activism. We all know the general strike of 1919 where there was a violent repression against workers fighting for their rights. There have been many strikes and walkouts in the history of our province here in northern Manitoba. We know that workers have stood up with everything they had to fight for better wages, for safety in their workplaces, and for support for our communities and our region. They have fought for all of us.

Let us be clear about the fact that anti-scab legislation is a victory for working people everywhere. I am proud to be in the NDP, a political party that supports workers. We are part of a movement that was created, of course, in large part by workers and organized labour. We, in the NDP, are unequivocal in our support of workers and workers' rights, rather than the billionaire-class, corporate coalition the Liberals and Conservatives always fight for.

Workers, as represented by organized labour, have made this call for anti-scab legislation for years, and the NDP has been there to support them every step of the way. Eight times in 15 years the NDP has introduced anti-scab legislation. We know that the B.C. NDP government brought in anti-scab legislation years ago. I also acknowledge that Quebec has had anti-scab legislation for a long time. I hope the newly elected NDP government in Manitoba brings anti-scab legislation into force as well.

At the federal level, we must acknowledge that this is a historic moment. This is historic legislation. It feels like this time, the Liberals will finally pause their corporate, anti-worker coalition with the Conservatives for a brief enough time to pass this vital piece of legislation. It is legislation that, even through the negotiations with the Liberals, they had to be pulled kicking and screaming toward the finish line. Finally, we have it in sight.

What workers are used to from the Liberals and Conservatives is lip service and not a whole lot else. I, along with my colleagues, hope that we can strike down the 18-month implementation period that is far too long for Canadian workers.

We know that when not one billionaire tax cheat has been punished for parking their money in offshore tax havens, and when billionaires are given a free ride time and time again, we all see the power imbalance in this country for what it is. We see it when the Liberals let 123 corporations avoid paying $30 billion in taxes, all while patting themselves on the back as the defenders of workers that they pretend to be.

We see it in the anti-worker, back-to-work legislation that both Liberals and Conservatives have consistently brought in and supported when workers collectively fight for their rights, like with postal workers, dock workers, Air Canada workers, PSAC workers and UFCW workers. Neither the Prime Minister nor the leader of the official opposition has seen a strike they are uncomfortable quashing. We now have the power to change that.

At this point, it is pretty clear that workers have seen a lot from the federal government that is anti-worker. They have seen billion-dollar contracts with Amazon, while workers rely on food banks. They have seen how hard it is to afford rent or buy a home when billionaires are making record profits.

It is also very important that we remind Canadians of the record of the Conservative Party and the leader of the official opposition who has reshaped himself into a so-called champion for workers, but when they look at his record, he is somebody who has made clear that he hates workers and the defence of workers' rights with the same zeal as the Prime Minister. In fact, when the leader of the official opposition was in government, he cut billions of dollars from health care that we all rely on, he cut EI benefits and he directly attacked workers. He attacked unions. He voted against raising the minimum wage and, of course, we know he supported back-to-work legislation. Simply told, he may talk a big game, but we have seen this before and workers will not buy it.

Because both the Liberals and the Conservatives will try to fool people and they do it any time they need a political boost, out comes the “aw shucks” defence of working people. If we are lucky, some may show up to a picket line, but if either the Liberals or the Conservatives cared for workers, they would not push for trade deals that actively harm them. and it would not have taken the eighth try in 15 years to actually pass anti-scab legislation. It would have happened by now.

I am proud of the work that our federal NDP has done to push the Liberals to bring this piece of legislation forward. We know that this is legislation that would not just lift workers up but would lift Canadians up as well. It is sorely needed to restore the power imbalance between workers and the billionaire class, where workers have been forced to fight for scraps while the ultrarich in this country make record profits. There is hope. I think of workers at a Starbucks in Chicoutimi who just signed their first union card, or workers in Montreal at Amazon working to unionize their workplace. It is time we fixed this power imbalance and it starts with enshrining worker protections, like anti-scab legislation, so that every worker has a voice.

The reality is that billionaires and their enablers in the Liberal Party and Conservative Party are all too happy to quash the power of workers. However, with this legislation, fought for by the NDP, we have made it a bit harder. Any day we make it easier for workers and harder to be a billionaire is a good day for Canadians.

I am going to make a prediction that the Conservatives are going to talk a good talk, as we are hearing in the House with respect to how tough people have it, but I predict that they are not going to support anti-scab legislation which is fundamentally tied to the ability of workers to fight for fairness. We know that from the track record of their leader and we know that from the track record of many MPs who were part of the previous Harper government, which was a dark time for working people in this country.

I can pretty well guarantee that despite some of the verbal pronouncements of support for workers, we certainly will not hear them singing Solidarity Forever or see them standing up to vote for this legislation that would ban the use of replacement workers. The bottom line is that if they really support workers, if they really support their right to organize and their right to bargain collectively, and if they support the labour movement and believe that it is fundamentally tied to bettering the lives of workers and all Canadians, they will vote for this legislation. I hope all parties will do just that.