Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on May 8th, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Maurice Vellacott]

Today we're getting at our work plan; that was the agreement from last time. We've had some very good submissions from various members of the committee—from all sides actually. Some very good ideas came forward. I think we'll probably get a consensus; I'm anticipating that over the course of the meeting.

Off the top, there were a few 48-hour advance motions hanging there, if those people want to proceed with them. If there's not a desire to proceed with those right away, we can do them at the end of the meeting. If there's not a sense that you want to proceed with any motions right now, then we can actually move right to the work plan.

Monsieur Lemay had a motion over here, Mr. Bruinooge, but we can go right to the prioritization if we want.

[Marc Lemay, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Chair, I suggest that we wait until other members of the committee arrive, because I know that our Liberal colleagues are on their way. Oh, here they come!

[Yvon Lévesque, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Chair, at the last meeting, we were told that if we had any suggestions for the future business of the committee, we should send them to the clerk. I am going over the list that was distributed, and I see that my suggestions have not been included. Is there an explanation for this?

[The Chair, Conservative, Maurice Vellacott]

The clerk will respond.

[The Clerk of the Committee]

Mr. Lévesque, I received your suggestions this morning. I had the document translated and I will be sending a copy to all members of the committee.

[Yvon Lévesque, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Very well, but I thought that they were sent on Friday.

[Mary Hurley, Committee Researcher]

We had asked that they be sent out on Thursday afternoon, at the latest.

[The Clerk]

I was only made aware of them this morning.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maurice Vellacott]

Monsieur Lévesque, we are still going to include them today, though. Our intent is to meld those in as we come to those different issues there. Would that be fair?

Hearing nothing more at this juncture, I suggest we get right to these various suggested topics that were distributed to everybody en français and in English as well.

[Marc Lemay, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Chair, I respectfully suggest that we begin with the motions. That way, we can be done with them. The motion that we are tabling regarding the Kelowna Accord is very important and may alter subsequent suggestions concerning committee business.

I suggest that we begin with the motions, the first of which is the Bloc Québécois motion on the Kelowna Accord.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maurice Vellacott]

Does everybody have their copy in French and English before them? Monsieur Lemay, you would want....

On all of these motions we need to be fair. If any of these are proposed 48 hours in advance, then from there it's an issue of that individual or somebody else moving the motion at the meeting itself. So it just sits on the table in limbo, or lingers.

So you're moving it?

[Marc Lemay, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Yes, I move the motion.

You should have received it on Thursday, May 4, at 4:14 p.m. in both French and English. I have a copy here. It is a notice of motion from Marc Lemay. Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maurice Vellacott]

It's in order.

Is there any discussion with respect to the motion moved by Mr. Lemay?

[Rod Bruinooge, Conservative, Winnipeg South, MB]

Mr. Chair, with all respect to my honourable colleague, I would like to suggest that before adopting a motion such as this, I think it would be prudent for this committee to actually study the document that it's about to recommend to Parliament. I know this committee hasn't studied this in the past, and I think it would be prudent for us to proceed on that basis before adopting such a motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maurice Vellacott]

Okay.

Other comments?

Monsieur Lemay.

[Marc Lemay, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Chair, I do not want to take up too much time, but I want to point out that this motion tabled by the Bloc Québécois respects the agreement signed by two nations. In November 2005, the First Nations and the Government of Canada signed an agreement called the Kelowna Accord. We are asking for this document that was signed by two nations on November 25, 2006, to be respected and implemented. That is what this motion means. To my mind, it is obvious that this motion is very significant and respects the politicians who signed this agreement and the governments that ratified it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maurice Vellacott]

Ms. Crowder.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Thank you.

I'm speaking in favour of the motion by Monsieur Lemay. An extensive amount of consultation and work went into developing the agreement that occurred in Kelowna. What we know from a number of other committees is that sufficient study has been done on closing the poverty gap.

These are just figures that I think will be helpful for the committee to know, and these are the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs' own figures. In 1999-2000, the funding had decreased for First Nations and Inuit communities by 13% for things like education, economic and social development, capital facilities, and maintenance. I would urge the committee that the time for action is now. I think we've gone far beyond the time for talk. So I would encourage the committee to support the Kelowna agreement, and I fully support Monsieur Lemay's motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maurice Vellacott]

Thank you.

Anita.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I strongly support Mr. Lemay's motion, and I think the time for discussion and action is today. I think it's incumbent upon everybody around this table, by virtue of sitting on this committee, to be familiar with the Kelowna accord.

The Kelowna accord, as my colleague has indicated, was arrived at by a collaborative, consultative process with 10 premiers, three territorial leaders, aboriginal leadership from coast to coast to coast, and the Government of Canada. It's an agreement signed by the Government of Canada and it's an agreement that should be honoured by the Government of Canada, whatever its partisan stripe.

I think it is important that we move forward and that we show the conviction of this committee today in endorsing the Kelowna accord. Canadians from all across the country are familiar with this, and it is--and I'm repeating myself--a time to move and a time for action.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maurice Vellacott]

Thank you.

Rod.

[Rod Bruinooge, Conservative, Winnipeg South, MB]

Mr. Chair, I believe Ms. Neville has raised some valid points. I think there's no question that we as a government would agree with the targets that were sought at the previous first ministers meeting. There's also no question that the actual document generated has not yet been presented to our government or this committee. I think for us to put forward to Parliament that we want the Kelowna agreement ratified before we've studied it, before we look at the document itself, is something above and beyond what we should be doing at this point as a committee.

I would also mention that aboriginal people across Canada want to see the funding that is meant for aboriginal people flow through to aboriginal people at the street level, and that was a concern raised by many people. I think before we inject that type of investment, we need to ensure that the system is able to deliver the returns that aboriginal people across Canada want from it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maurice Vellacott]

Anita.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

I just want to comment again, Mr. Chair. I don't mean to get into an argument, but I think that's a false argument that the member is putting forward.

This is an agreement that's been arrived at by the Government of Canada. This is an agreement that was done in consultation with aboriginal communities across the country. The agreement was signed; the money was booked; the agreement is in place. I know from my conversations that communities across the country are waiting for this money. The agreement provides hope, it provides opportunity, and it provides an opportunity for peace and progress in aboriginal communities. To put up another barrier, in my mind, is short-sighted, obstructionist, and is in some way reinforcing what I view to be a rather colonial mentality as it relates to aboriginal peoples.

This agreement was signed, this agreement was done in concert and in collaboration... and there is no reason not to move forward and endorse it. As I said before, it's incumbent upon every member of this committee to be familiar with it, as Canadians across the country are.

[The Chair, Conservative, Maurice Vellacott]

Okay.

We'll have Mr. Lemay and then Jean.