Evidence of meeting #27 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
And training.
For $11 million, we have connectivity with broadband to 47 first nations in Alberta, and we now have monitoring in all of the water treatment plants.
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
So some of this stuff is not as expensive as you might think.
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
We've made major progress on a priority list based on that survey.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
In a plan to get to 100%, we don't know the number.
How about on education? The Auditor General, the Senate, the first nations that my colleague was waxing eloquently about...how much funding do you think is required to bring a first nations education system up to comparable standards? That's obviously K-to-12, but we also have huge need in post-secondary and training. What do you think it would take to get the comprehensive first nations education system up to speed?
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
Once again I'm going to go back to a concrete example. We put $30 million into budget 2010.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
No, no, but estimates are about the future, so tell me, what do you think it would take in the future to do this?
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
I'm getting there.
That allowed us to create the proper conditions to now have a tripartite arrangement, which covers the province of British Columbia, for 120 first nations schools, basically one-quarter of the schools on reserve in Canada, which now have seamless transformation. This will enable a seamless transition between the provincial and the first nations on-reserve schools going both directions, and it will give second-level and third-level services as well.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
Okay.
I want to just focus on the supplementary estimates (C), the $47.5 million that's for emergency management assistance. I guess I'd like to know what the money was spent on, and how much of that was related to the crisis in Attawapiskat, and how much of the total the Attawapiskat First Nation is expected to spend.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
It's in the supplementary estimates (C) under “emergency management assistance program”.
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
How much is for Attawapiskat? I'm not sure.
Michael.
Michael Wernick Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
I'll get you the number. It's a small amount that is used to reimburse Emergency Measures Ontario, which was in over the winter. These are always reimbursements to the service delivery organizations. They're usually provincial emergency measures organizations that go in as first responders. They do the work, and then we reimburse them later.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
Our government had a cabinet committee chaired by the Prime Minister that dealt with aboriginal affairs. I am just concerned that in the estimates it looks as though the Minister of Health has cut funding for drug treatment and prevention in the main estimates by $11.3 million, including $4.17 million for drug treatment.
I want to know how you and your colleague can defend that. How do you deal with the fact that the drug treatment and prevention main estimates have been cut? Also, how are we going to deal with the fact that the TRC, as it comes up with its reports—and we know the trauma that comes when people are courageous enough to come to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission--will be without the Healing Foundation, and what dollars will there be?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin
I do apologize. There are only about ten seconds to answer that question, if you'd like to answer it.
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
You know, the simple answer, Mr. Chair, is the fact that these are the main estimates. These do not include supplementary estimates (A), (B), and (C). There's other spending that will happen throughout the year. As I explained, the main estimates here have an increase over the main estimates for last year. There's always a lot of other spending that occurs. That's true for me and it will be true for the Minister of Health as well.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin
Thank you, Minister.
Mr. Clarke, please go ahead for seven minutes.
Conservative
Rob Clarke Conservative Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to thank the minister for coming here and testifying on the supplementary estimates today.
Minister, with regard to some of the projects taking place in northern Saskatchewan on water and waste water, we see the need for water and waste-water projects, especially in remote areas, especially in northern Saskatchewan. For instance, we've seen waste-water and water projects taking place in the aboriginal community of La Loche. Further, a few years ago there was also a joint effort between the Lac La Ronge Indian Band and the town of La Ronge for much-needed infrastructure, especially for water.
I'm just hoping you can add some clarification with regard to which water systems on reserve the government has actually helped build most recently.
Conservative
Conservative
Rob Clarke Conservative Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Yes, water and waste water--what type of infrastructure or what new projects have recently taken place or been undertaken?
Conservative
John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC
Thank you for that.
I'd like to start off by saying that the technology dealing with water and waste water is accelerating at a rate that is very helpful in terms of affordability going forward. The old systems were very expensive, and we all know we're facing a significant challenge even though we've invested huge moneys since forming government.
The economic action plan, on top of our core funding, provided $187 million over two years to support the construction of 23 water and waste-water projects benefiting 44,000 first nation residents. We addressed 15 water treatment systems with both a high design risk and a high overall risk in the national assessment, and we have work under way on 47 other such systems. That survey and assessment allowed us to set priorities.
I have been to some of those plants, and it's most amazing. The main thing is that when we invest in the technology, when we invest in the system, we have to make sure that we have an operator, that the operator has the certification that's required, and that the operator then isn't stolen by another jurisdiction. These people are very much in demand, and that's become a very big challenge. We have an operator training program in place.
This whole area is a great focus for us as well.
Conservative
Rob Clarke Conservative Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
It's my understanding that our annual budget just for water and waste water is $197 million. During the 2010 budget, the first nations waste-water and water action plan, by providing over $330 million, and then, just during Canada's economic action plan, providing an additional amount of money of almost $187 million....
Now, what action is being taken to improve water and waste-water services on the reserve?