Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on March 20th, 2018

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

I didn't talk about them in my notes, but this is actually one of the important discoveries that we made early on. In fact, under Minister Bennett's leadership, it was understood that you have to look at addressing not only the drinking water advisories that are there but all of the others that are about to slip into a long-term drinking water advisory.

Our plan now includes not just the approximately 80 that we are still working on but also another 20 that we are worried will slip into that. We're hoping that “two steps forward and one step back” will start to close over time, but it's absolutely an issue.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Okay. I just wanted to bring that up on the record, that 30 have been added.

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

I'm absolutely happy to acknowledge that.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

I had the opportunity last week to go to nine communities on an eight-day trip to Nunavut. I've talked to Minister Bennett about certain things. One of the things we talked about was Bill C-45, the marijuana cannabis bill.

They really haven't been consulted up there. I know that Natan Obed always has his door open to you, but let me tell you this, because I went into nine schools: they're scared as hell. There are addictions up north that you know about, family violence, and a shortage of homes. They're crowded.

Let me say this: there is not one addiction centre in Nunavut, not one. You send them to Selkirk; you'll send them to Winnipeg; you'll send them to Montreal. You'll send them everywhere but their own land. What are you going to do about that? I heard that. They don't want to leave Nunavut.

Do you see what I'm saying? You're coming with this bill. Everybody is scared up there because they're going to be shipped out. Many of these, all of these, are dry communities, and now you're going to add this marijuana to them but you don't have one addiction centre in Nunavut.

What would you think if you were living there today? If you were at Rankin Inlet today or Chesterfield Inlet today or Baker Lake today and I said to you, “We don't have an addiction centre available. You have to get on the next flight. I don't know when you're coming back, and I don't know where you're going”? What do you say to those people?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

Well, the first thing I would say to those people is to acknowledge the challenges that are involved in delivering health services in a territory like Nunavut, but I would also very happily say to them that our budget of 2018 has $200 million of new money for addictions. This was something—

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

So you're going to have a new centre up there, are you?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

Well, there is work being done on developing work towards a treatment centre in Nunavut, and this is something my officials have been in active discussion with them on—

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Do you know the concerns. Or are we going to ship them off?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

—but you don't always require a physical building for treatment, especially for treatment of substance-use disorders. Often it involves traditional healing practices, for example, learning from elders, and—

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

Yes, but traditional healing doesn't happen in Montreal. It doesn't happen—

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

Absolutely not, and that's why our $200 million will be distributed across the country.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

That's why they want it in Nunavut. You can see what they want there.

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

I agree with you. In fact, some of the very best work that's being done right now around addictions and mental wellness treatment is taking place in the territories using traditional practices. I totally agree with you that, wherever possible, it needs to be delivered close to home.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

I'm very passionate about the education of first nations. I have asked for a study that we can do. In October you were in Manitoba at Brokenhead Ojibway Nation. Instead of $8,000 per student, you've gone to $18,000. We all know graduation rates in the country, especially on reserves, are at 30% at best.

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

Twenty-four percent.

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

According to my quote here, it's 30% in Manitoba. So you've picked winners and losers, because when I get to Saskatchewan, they're asking, “Where's our $18,000 per student on reserve?” You've just given this one a special one, right? You went from $8,000 per student to $18,000. When I go back home, “Where's ours?”

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

I'm very happy to answer that question.

First of all, there are two things you've brought up that I want respond to. One is the Manitoba First Nations School System, that did get additional resources, in part because it's a school system. This is exactly what's going to drive change, not just getting the funding to equity plus, but seeing systems that are designed by, led by, and delivered by first nations for first nations, something they've been asking for for a long time.

The other thing I'm very happy to tell you—and you can report back to people in Saskatchewan—is that with the money, the $2.6 billion that Minister Bennett acquired through budget 2016, we are in the process of ramping up that money across the country so that very soon we will reach a point where the funding for first nations' education in every province of this country is going to be as good as or better than what's happening at the provincial level. That's never happened before.

[The Chair, Liberal, MaryAnn Mihychuk]

Thank you.

Questioning now moves to MP Anandasangaree.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON]

Thanks, Minister Philpott, for being here, and your panel.

I want to just pick up on the same theme that Mr. Waugh was talking about, and that's with respect to self-determination of child and family services. We're looking at a $1.4-billion investment over the next six years. I know one of the things we've grappled with is whether we infuse that money into the existing system or we develop a new system. To me this almost looks like a stopgap, intermediate approach that will allow child and family services to evolve. But how does this fit into our overall framework of self-determination, while at the same time ensuring that some of the social issues we've highlighted over the last few years are addressed in a meaningful way?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

You've raised a really challenging issue, and that's how to improve things as they are, knowing that the entire system needs to change. This could be applied to any one of these particular areas. An example of the kinds of things we're seeing in child and family services is a huge appetite to draw down jurisdiction but be able to then get the support to do it well. I could tell you stories across the country of places, be they in a specific first nations community or sometimes in a broader area, where they have said they would like to run their own child and families services. Instead of that money flowing either to the province or through agencies, are there ways that money can flow to communities to either run their own child and family services or to delegate themselves to a local agency?

As I said, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution across the country that's going make that happen, but we're seeing examples where it's been very successful. Yukon has had amazing success, in part just by changing their policy. One of the things they've done in Yukon, where they have many self-governing first nations, is change the policy to say that the funding support didn't have to go to foster families, it could go to a grandparent, an aunt, or another family member who could care for the child. Just by doing that alone, I believe they dropped their numbers in a dramatic way. I don't want to quote the exact number, because I can't remember it, but they got kids out of foster care and back into their own culture.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON]

Minister, I know earlier last year this committee released a report on suicide. One of the major issues—and it was presented to you in your former ministry as the Minister of Health—was the issue of social determinants of health and how that affects levels of suicide. Can you speak to how this budget and your work develop the issue of social determinants of health, how people's lives are improved, and, ultimately, the theory that will it reduce issues such as suicide?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

I'll try to be really brief.

I think it goes back to what I was speaking to MP Jolibois about. You have to be very sensitive about this. Of course, when people are facing a crisis, they need those mental health workers immediately, and they need mental health workers who understand the culture and can help people in their own culture and community.

But unless you fix the other things, like education and economic and employment opportunities, kids will not have hope. Unless you address the trauma that people have dealt with over many years related to things like the child welfare system that's stolen people from their culture, we will not, ultimately, solve the suicide crisis.

We have to be sensitive to, yes, addressing those critical, acute needs but also say that these kids need to have a decent education that's equivalent to or better than what their provincial counterparts are getting. At the end of the day, they need to know that when they graduate from high school there will be a job waiting for them. We have to deal with those social things. We have to fix the housing or else we'll never solve the suicide crisis.

[The Chair, Liberal, MaryAnn Mihychuk]

The questioning moves to MP Arnold Viersen.

You'll conclude at 25 after.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Thank you, Madam Chair. As well, thank you to the minister for being here.

I guess it doesn't matter. I'll just start my timer this way anyway.

Minister, Loon River First Nation is a first nation in my riding near Peace River, Alberta. They recently wrote to me that they were not applying for the Canada summer student jobs program due to the discriminatory attestation that was on there. Chief Bernadette Sharpe wrote to me and actually said, “We hold to the values taught by our elders, and will not compromise for a few dollars.”

As you know, the Canada summer jobs program provides valuable training for, in this case, first nations youth. On behalf of Loon River First Nation, I'm seeking your explanation as to why first nations in my riding are expected to choose between honouring and respecting traditional values passed on to them by their elders and important funding for their community and youth.

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville, ON]

Thank you for rasing this issue.

We would be happy to work with the community. At this point, I believe the deadline has passed for the applications. It's unfortunate that we couldn't have explained to them a bit more about the attestation so that they would have been comfortable with responding to it. Perhaps there are other ways we can look for any job opportunities that would support the young people in that community.