Evidence of meeting #110 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was vote.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
Would you say that Charmaine's actions have not been helpful?
Liberal
Jane Philpott Liberal Markham—Stouffville, ON
As I say, if you want to have a specific conversation about this, I think it would be wise for you to come and approach me when I am in the House—almost every sitting day—to be able to discuss this, and not simply use it as a political tool when I appear before a committee to discuss your particular approach to financial capacity building.
Conservative
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
Minister, the point is that the financial transparency act is something that the government must enforce.
Conservative
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
If they do not want to enforce it, they ought to be repealing it.
Will you be repealing the financial transparency act?
Chief Finances, Results and Delivery Officer, Indigenous Services and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Thank you very much for the question.
As you may know, the government has been embarking on a new fiscal relationship—
Conservative
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
Yes or no? Will you be repealing the financial transparency act?
Chief Finances, Results and Delivery Officer, Indigenous Services and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
—with first nations under the Indian Act.
Conservative
Chief Finances, Results and Delivery Officer, Indigenous Services and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
We have been increasing the financial standards of first nations across the country, and with first nations such as Onion Lake.
Chief Finances, Results and Delivery Officer, Indigenous Services and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Onion Lake is now going through an accreditation process with the First Nations Financial Management Board.
Liberal
NDP
Georgina Jolibois NDP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Thank you very much.
Today I found the auditor's report really disturbing, as a first nation and as an MP who is responsible for two-thirds of the population who are first nations and Métis.
One of things it said was, “The Department did not have a comprehensive picture of the well-being of on-reserve First Nations people compared with other Canadians.” There is a question attached to this.
Every month, individual first nations who live on the reserve—only on reserve and not off reserve—receive an allowance. You mentioned earlier about the transferring of diesel to hydroelectricity. There is a concern among these families about what they are getting per month, with an increased hydro bill. It will be an increased hydro bill, because when we get minus-40 weather across the constituency, you crank up the heat. It eats up all of the allowances that the families will get.
Will this per-month allowance increase per family to accommodate the increased power bills, the hydro bills that will happen when the transfer occurs?
Liberal
Jane Philpott Liberal Markham—Stouffville, ON
Maybe I can speak in broad terms to the benefits of changing to clean hydroelectric power rather than diesel, first of all, and then I can ask—
NDP
Georgina Jolibois NDP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
I'm not asking for that. I'm asking for the financial cost.
You can explain those to me, and I can understand that, but for the Charmaines and the individual band members who rely only on whatever amount they get per month, for food, to pay their hydro bill, to pay for children's clothes to go to school, and the list goes on, that's what I'm specifically looking for.
The first nation individuals will be looking for that answer.
Liberal
Jane Philpott Liberal Markham—Stouffville, ON
I believe that you're talking about income assistance.
Liberal
Jane Philpott Liberal Markham—Stouffville, ON
This is something that we are certainly looking at and have already made improvements. We are continuing to improve, but the point is that the long-term—
NDP
Liberal
Jane Philpott Liberal Markham—Stouffville, ON
It is under review at the moment.
There have already been investments in budget 2018 for income assistance, and we will continue to improve that.
NDP
Georgina Jolibois NDP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
The answer for now is really that in the next six months, they're not going to receive an increase in their income allowance per month.
Liberal
Jane Philpott Liberal Markham—Stouffville, ON
If I may, I don't think those particular communities are changing to hydroelectric power immediately.
NDP
Georgina Jolibois NDP Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Many of those reserves already have—the ones I'm familiar with—and they are struggling with having a $1,500 power bill. Some have up to an $1,800 power bill and cannot afford it.
Again, how can we improve the well-being of our first nations—?
