Clearly there has been lots of consultation on child welfare. You just have to look at the work of Cindy Blackstock. Kinship and customary care are a top priority. I find it very patronizing to indigenous people that they think we're so stupid that we have to consult about things that we have been talking about publicly for years.
If you look at any first nations child welfare agency and if it's now an issue just because I'm bringing it up, maybe the onus isn't on us. Maybe if people really cared, they'd actually read, when they're spending money on reconciliation, what's being said. I know I'm emotional here, but our kids are dying on the streets.
I have to be honest: I don't care if you're bringing a bill forward. I'll sit in committee and I'll make the same amendments to your bill, and if the Conservatives vote against it, I'll say the same thing. Do you know why? It's because this is a human rights issue.
When you're using “nothing about us without us”, let me give you examples in real time about how it's everything about us without us, including the fact that this government spends nothing on murdered and missing indigenous women when we're very loud and clear about what the needs are, so please spare me. Our kids are dying. If we're going to make excuses about why we're not supporting the human rights of indigenous families to have the economic resources so that they have food on the table, then let's just be honest here about where this country's at with reconciliation. I don't want to hear about “nothing about us without us”, because I have a whole list of items that are happening without us.
When it comes to our kids, it seems to be a reachable excuse, and that is unacceptable to me. In fact, it's pretty racist.
I'm going to leave it there.