Government Operations Committee on Nov. 29th, 2011

[Susan MacGowan]

Mr. Chair, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask my colleague Janet King to respond to that question.

[Janet King, Assistant Deputy Minister, Northern Affairs Organization, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Thank you for the question.

Just to make sure I understood, you're asking how we support communities in the north and how funds are transferred to the north.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

I would also add the major challenges facing these communities.

[Janet King]

The major challenges in the north. Okay.

I will be speaking to north of 60, largely in the northern territories. In particular, small and very isolated communities, extreme weather, and limited capacity are some of the challenges they face. These challenges lead to difficult social situations that are fairly common across the north.

We support the northern communities through the programs we're responsible for in a variety of ways. We support the broad regulatory regimes in the north and both informed resource development and environmental management. So we support broad economic development in that way.

We also support the communities through governance relations with a variety of first nations. For example, in Nunavut we support the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement implementation, which then supports a suite of communities across the north.

We have a particular program to reduce the price of nutritious foods in the north called Nutrition North. It was implemented last spring as well. That's a direct program that's contributing to enhanced access to nutritious foods in the north.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Will development in Canada's north give aboriginal communities the opportunity to obtain sustainable jobs, good jobs, that will help them get out of this economic slump?

[Janet King]

We expect so. First nations are involved in the consideration of and participation in many development opportunities moving forward. For example, many of the resource projects have very direct impact benefit agreements with the communities to ensure that the northerners have direct access to training, learning, resources, and so on. So we anticipate there will be very direct and positive impacts to northern communities as economic development proceeds in the north.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Are the training programs well suited to the reality of Canada's north? Is there a good rate of participation in the aboriginal communities? For example, are young people 15 to 25 years of age participating in these programs voluntarily, or do they need to be encouraged to go?

[Janet King]

I won't be able to speak specifically to the age group from 15 years to 25 years, but from what we understand, there is generally increasing participation in these training opportunities. There is quite a diverse suite of them relating to territorial, community, and private sector offers of training.

Increasingly, people are being enabled to participate and become interested. Programs offered are being developed in discussion with the communities to make sure they match the needs of the demographics of the people and their community plans going forward. So best practices are being reviewed and built upon by both government and the private sector as they pursue these training opportunities.

[The Chair, NDP, Pat Martin]

Your time has expired. Thank you very much.

For the NDP, the next five minutes go to Ève Péclet.

[Ève Péclet, NDP, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here today.

The third line on page 38 indicates that Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada is requesting $95.4 million for costs incurred on reserves by provincial, territorial or other emergency management organizations as part of the emergency management assistance program.

How are the roles and responsibilities shared between Aboriginal Affairs and Norther Development Canada and the provincial and territorial governments when it comes to managing emergency situations?

[Susan MacGowan]

There are cost-sharing agreements with a number of provinces to deal with the emergency management assistance plans, in particular Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and more recently Manitoba. There are cost-sharing agreements in place.

In previous years, many of the costs would have gone through Public Safety Canada's disaster financial assistance arrangement for reimbursement. However, this year the DFAA was not suitable as the sole funding mechanism due to the magnitude of the costs. Several first nations require assistance cash in managing their eligible costs until such time as they're reimbursed through the DFAA, and that can take three to five years.

Once there is reimbursement to provinces, then first nations expenses and AANDC mechanisms to replace or ensure there is not a duplication in funding kick into place.

I'm not sure whether that fully addresses your question.

[Ève Péclet, NDP, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Yes, thank you.

An assessment of the program conducted in 2010 showed that the financial structure of the emergency management assistance program contains some gaps. So this is problematic. It does not provide the financial assistance needed to achieve all the program objectives. This structure also leads to inefficiencies in relation to the financial assistance Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada needs to meet it legal obligations.

Has Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada done any work to improve the funding structure?

[Susan MacGowan]

The department has moved forward in terms of improving the funding structure. There are now formalized agreements with British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Manitoba. We're in the process of negotiating agreements with other provinces.

Where those agreements aren't already in place, we work with emergency management organizations and other partners—in the case of Manitoba, for example, the Manitoba Association of Native FireFighters. We do have recourse to the management reserve within government for these. The amount of money in any given year certainly fluctuates, and this was a particularly difficult year in terms of emergency management, given the size of the floods and the nature of the fires.

We continue to put agreements in place so there are no delays and we can move very swiftly in supporting first nations and addressing emergencies.

[Ève Péclet, NDP, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

As you know, there's been a lot of talk about this issue this week. It's been more than four weeks since Attawapiskat declared a state of emergency. People are in need. They don't have access to water. They are living in tents. They are in danger because of the cold, but no federal official has visited the community to assess their needs.

Since this isn't the only reserve that faces this problem, as there are many other aboriginal communities across Canada that do as well, could you tell me whether amounts have been set aside for this, including additional amounts in the $95.4 million? What are the plans to help out these communities?

[Susan MacGowan]

I'll mention in starting that the federal officials are now, and they have been, at Attawapiskat First Nation, the one that's been particularly in the news over the last number of weeks. The department is deeply concerned about the situation. Since 2006, as a department we have invested approximately $80 million on the Attawapiskat First Nation for housing infrastructure, education, and administration.

Department officials have been and are now in ongoing contact with the community. We're working with them to implement their emergency plan. Our priority in the immediate term is working with the community and also with provincial officials to ensure the affected residents of Attawapiskat have access to warm, dry, and safe shelter. We're going to continue to work with them, ensuring health, safety, and well-being of the residents.

When we determine our capital budget through our capital planning process with our first nations, health and safety clearly comes to the fore, and there are opportunities to make sure we can reallocate to high-priority items through the year.

[The Chair, NDP, Pat Martin]

Thank you. Right now, you're at six minutes, actually. You're well over time.

Just on a point of clarification, though, Ms. MacGowan, I didn't hear the dollar figure you said in answer to Ève's question. How many dollars did you say we have spent up to this date?

[Susan MacGowan]

Since 2006, approximately $80 million in Attawapiskat.

[The Chair, NDP, Pat Martin]

I thought you said eight at first.

[Susan MacGowan]

I said eighty.

[The Chair, NDP, Pat Martin]

You said eighty—eight zero. Okay.

[Susan MacGowan]

Sorry.

[The Chair, NDP, Pat Martin]

Thank you very much.

Next, Kelly Block for the Conservatives.

Kelly, you have five minutes.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and I'd like to thank Ms. MacGowan and the other officials for joining us today.

I note that you capture the costs of funding for legislative and regulatory changes in the supplementary estimates. Most recently, I had the opportunity to join the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada in Saskatchewan, where he introduced a new piece of legislation, enhancing first nations accountability and transparency.

I guess my question would be, and in fact it's a question that I've been asked over the past few days, what will be the cost to Aboriginal and Northern Development Canada when this legislation is passed?

[Susan MacGowan]

What we're anticipating with respect to the Financial Transparency Act is additional transparency from first nations to their communities. Currently, in the context of our transfer payments, first nations already report to our department in the context of their financial outcomes. We're not anticipating that there are going to be additional costs to us with respect to the financial reporting, and indeed these are the kinds of details that are shared with the department but are not shared today with communities.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK]

Thank you.

In keeping with talking about legislation, I'm wondering if you could give us an update on the state of the implementation of Bill C-3.