Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Nov. 30th, 2011

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Yes, around a thousand. So we've cleared up a backlog of over 500. We've also settled 40 through negotiations, totalling $925 million. We now have an inventory that's reduced by more than half. We have 102 claims under assessment and 300 claims in negotiation, for a total of 402. We have concluded 1,029 claims altogether. I remembered around a thousand. So that's where we are. I think it's a real success story.

One of the things we didn't know as we dealt with the backlog was whether we were going to get another onslaught. It hasn't happened. There are a few that have dribbled in. But basically we see this backlog as one that we can deal with, and then the regular intake will be very simple and straightforward to deal with.

[Greg Rickford, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Do I have any more time?

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

No, your time is up.

Ms. Bennett, you have seven minutes.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Thanks very much.

Minister, when were you first notified of the state of emergency in Attawapiskat?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

I would say it was last week, about Thursday.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

So despite the fact that it had been in the media since the end of October, there was no action for a month?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

It had been in the media, but there is a process that's involved here.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

And would that be the same process if it were a tornado or a flood?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

No.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

But people living in tents with winter coming, that's dealt with differently? There's three or four weeks of paperwork for that?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

No, there's no paperwork.

What we have is a process. When a first nation wants to declare a state of emergency, it does so in a format that reaches us. That did not happen. There was no official state of emergency delivered. And in actual fact, when we did receive what we received, it had no specifics attached to it.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Did anybody in your department pick up the phone and find out how it's going up there?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

We've had people in the community for months and months dealing with the school construction and other things. The visits were made on March 15, May 19, April 12, July 2, July 7, July 12, September 2, October 21, October 25, and October 31.

I can tell you that the member from Timmins—James Bay has had many, many opportunities to talk about this, which didn't happen either.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

I think some of us would beg to differ. Attawapiskat has become a household name since Shannen's Dream.

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Yes, that was about the school.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Well, it's about a lot of things.

I understand that in the media, it says that Kashechewan and Fort Albany have also declared a state of emergency. Do you know anything about that, Minister?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

It's news to me.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

In the estimates, sometimes it's about what's there, but it's also about what's not there. Since April, your department has had a paper that you commissioned showing the huge need in terms of water and waste water for hundreds of communities across the country, and I don't see any money in the estimates for that. Are we to expect that in the coming budget?

I think I've already sent you a letter saying that we won't be supporting any legislation unless there's money to go with it.

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

We have money in the budget for water and waste water.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Is that the $1.2 billion that was in the report?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

There may not be anything in the supplementary estimates, but we've certainly been spending much money on water and waste water. As a matter of fact we are committed. By the end of 2012-13, we'll have spent $2.5 billion just on those two items since forming government.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

But just continuing to spend in the same way when you've commissioned a report to look at the needs assessment. Will there be any alteration in the budget based on the results of that report you commissioned? Are you just going to keep spending and leave all these homes without running water?

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

No.

We were setting our priorities on where to spend our money on water and waste water based on the survey that was done, I believe, in 2003 under the Liberal administration, which very conveniently, for example, excluded communities without piped water.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Yes, I've heard you say that before.

[John Duncan, Conservative, Vancouver Island North, BC]

Yes you have, and all I'm saying is that we are now in possession of a report that we commissioned—