Evidence of meeting #37 for Finance in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was federal.
A video is available from Parliament.
Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada
They cannot. As I said, the burden is on the federal government to prove to the tribunal that it has mitigated the discrimination. Without data, they cannot make that case.
Timmins—James Bay, NDP
Thank you.
This summer the government announced that $7 billion was spent on projects that included tennis courts, flagpoles, and a $30-billion deficit. It sounds like money's flying out the door. I notice, Madam Blackstock, you said that we're $155 million short for indigenous children. Chief Bellegarde, you say that the feds have only spent 1% of the budget so far on indigenous needs. The year is chugging along. What is that gap that could put so much money out the door and yet leave indigenous communities behind?
National Chief, Assembly of First Nations
National Chief Perry Bellegarde
As a quick comment, on the $8.4 billion, we are happy with the start. It's better than Kelowna. When I go to our communities across Canada, what I hear from our chiefs is, “you can't jump up on a pedestal, Bellegarde, for that $8.4 billion, and neither can they, because we're not seeing it out in the communities”. We're already into the second quarter. We are trying to work with government and put as much pressure as we can to get the dollars flowing so that they have an impact on the ground for housing, education, and water. That's the big push we have to do. We have to push INAC to find more effective ways internally. A lot of it comes down to the bureaucracy. We have to find ways to improve the bureaucracy and to get decisions made more quickly. That's one point.
On the bigger piece, there has to be a policy change between Finance and the Treasury Board so that monies don't lapse, and so that stupid decisions aren't made in February and March, like “spend, spend, spend before the end of the fiscal year”. You should change the policy so there's no fear of losing it and you can carry it over into the next fiscal year. If it's there for water or housing, then it's still there for the next fiscal year and you don't make silly decisions before it's terminated. Change the policy.
Timmins—James Bay, NDP
Ms. Blackstock, what about the $155-million shortfall to indigenous children when we have a $30-billion deficit that's been raised?
Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada
I think I ended my remarks by saying if you choose not to comply with the law, and if you choose not to eliminate the racial discrimination, then what are the children losing to? According to that report, it's flagpoles and tennis courts. I think we owe children much more than that.
Timmins—James Bay, NDP
I have one final question. We've see that the government is still fighting indigenous children's health care. They've spent enormous amounts of money on previous cases to deny children with severe needs and to keep their families from getting it. We have a case now of a young Cree girl.
Can you talk about the difficulties of families taking the federal government to court and getting their rights respected?
Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada
In that particular case, a girl required medical treatment so that she could eat and talk without chronic pain. She was assessed by two pediatric specialists who said that it was required. It would have cost $8,000. The Government of Canada refused to pay that, and they've now spent $32,000 in litigation against that teenager. I spoke to the mom yesterday. She's relying on volunteer legal counsel, and I used my own personal air miles to fly her lawyer out so that she can meet with her. That's the balance of injustice.
I don't understand, as a taxpayer, why we didn't spend $8,000 for kids to be able to talk and eat properly without chronic pain. I understand the floodgates argument, but if there are other children out there who can't eat or talk properly without chronic pain, they're welcome to all my tax dollars.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Ron Liepert
With that, unfortunately, I'm going to have to conclude the discussion.
Mr. Ross, Mr. Roberts, and Mr. Leclerc, I want you to know that your presentations were no less important just because we ran out of time and didn't get to asking you questions.
Thank you, all of you, for being here.
The meeting is adjourned.