Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Oct. 27th, 2020

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

That's an excellent question.

The reason I raised the alarm with respect to the number of active cases is that we have seen a resurgence in indigenous communities, and it's following in lockstep with the second wave that's happening all over Canada. What we have seen is a drop in vigilance. It's understandable, as economies open up and as we take a more surgical approach to how we deal with COVID. We've learned about how this virus acts and reacts, but we don't know everything yet.

What we do know is that when we trust indigenous communities, trust in their decision-making and accompany them every step of the way, the things they do.... The indigenous communities take pandemics very seriously. They've been through many of them, with fewer advantages than we all take for granted in non-indigenous communities. That has worked. There is basic “shutting down” of communities, taking the public health authority, lifting up the doctors and nurses in the community and letting them dictate public policy, which is so key—as we've done at the federal level—to making sure people comply. It's showing leadership.

Across the board, this has shown incredible results, including in nations with alarming spread at the onset, where communities have stepped up. Basic hygiene messages have been enforced and reinforced, as well as testing, tracking and isolating, even in conditions that would be unacceptable in non-indigenous communities, in situations of overcrowding, which we all know well as a committee, including in jurisdictional challenges like La Loche.

We do know, however, that we have seen alarming spread where people let their guard down, at emotional events like weddings, funerals and religious ceremonies. The key here is not to judge, to ensure we are getting all the information we can, to work in lockstep with communities and make sure that crucial aspect of tracking and isolating is done without judgment and effectively, so as to isolate, separate and eventually completely stamp out COVID. This works. It is proven to work, and indigenous communities have shown the way. That leadership is incredible and key in ensuring that this has been stamped out. It causes a lot of fear and apprehension.

Also, as I mentioned in the French portion of my remarks, the hidden face of this pandemic is the mental health crisis, the worst iterations of which are the opioid use and abuse, suicide and ideation. These are all big challenges we will face going forward, and indeed we won't know the effects for some time to come. It's why we will keep mobilizing targeted envelopes and trusting communities to do what they know best to protect their people.

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Thank you.

What time do I have, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

You have 30 seconds.

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

I'd like you to comment a little on the education funding that was rolled out in the fall, how it has been received as it rolled out, and whether the first nations communities that are under sectoral self-government authorities, like MK, are getting that as well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

You have just five seconds. I'm sorry.

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

It's okay.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

It doesn't paint the complete portrait of indigenous education in Canada. Obviously, there's some interweaving with the provinces and territories. However, the announcement that the Prime Minister made was targeted specifically to institutions on reserve, with some exceptions.

Again, I want to make this point, that ISC stands ready to help kids in indigenous communities with their needs, as we trace the course of the pandemic. Feel free to reach out.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thank you, Minister.

Madame Bérubé, you have six minutes.

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I am on the traditional territory of the Algonquin, Anishnabe and Cree.

Minister Vandal, in your speech you said that last April you provided the territories with over $130 million in funding to address immediate health, economic and transportation priorities related to COVID-19. However, there have been restrictions. Mandatory travel and quarantines have forced many northern air carriers to reduce or even discontinue their services, leaving them with little or no revenue to cover their significant operating expenses.

What steps, if any, does the government plan to take to assist northern carriers now that the three-month emergency funding period is over?

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

You need to unmute, Minister.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

I'm sorry, Madam Chair.

That is a very good question. In April, we announced at least $130 million for the north and the territories. That included $17 million for air services. We knew it was a good start, but we knew it wasn't enough. So, together with Minister Garneau's office, we announced an additional $75 million to support the air industry through the end of this year. This includes all airlines serving northern Ontario, northern Manitoba and northern Saskatchewan. I believe it includes northern Quebec as well, but I'm not sure.

At the end of the year, we will do an assessment, and if necessary, we will make an additional $75 million available for the next six months. That will take us to the end of June. Again, at that time, we will do an assessment to see where we are on COVID-19, and I believe there will be additional funding for another six months if it is needed.

This initiative is sponsored by Minister Garneau. I am working closely with him. It's very important because it allows us to ensure that supply chains are not broken and that people have access to medicine and food. If there is a disruption in the supply chains, we know it will be difficult to restore them. So we are working closely with industry, communities, provinces and territories.

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

This has an impact on the reduction in air transportation services and the cost of food and other essential goods. It is well known that costs in the north are constantly rising.

What can you do about it?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

That's the main reason we support the airline industry. We want to prevent supply chains from collapsing. We want to make sure they're strong to maintain essential services.

We also have programs, such as nutrition north Canada, that aim to support food security in isolated communities through grants. It's a popular program with isolated communities, and we want to continue to support that. In April, we enhanced the nutrition north Canada program with an additional $25 million.

We also created the harvesters support grant to ensure that Inuit and indigenous nations can continue to hunt for their traditional food. We are working closely with communities and the public service on this.

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Thank you, Minister.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

You have one minute.

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

My next question is for Minister Miller.

Minister, earlier you talked about health care providers in indigenous communities, outreach, prevention, and quality of treatment.

Have you heard about what has happened in Quebec's Far North and elsewhere in Canada?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Are you referring to Nunavik?

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Yes.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

I would ask Ms. Valerie Gideon to answer the question, if possible.

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

We just have 10 seconds. Please go as quickly as you can.

[Valerie Gideon, Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Indigenous Services]

As far as Nunavik is concerned, we are in regular contact with its representatives through the Inuit Public Health Task Group. If they have needs, we are able to meet them. At the beginning of the pandemic, we sent personal protective equipment to Nunavik, for example, when the need arose. We continue to respond to their requests.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Perhaps we can pick up on that later in our questioning.

Right now I have six minutes with Ms. Blaney.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Thank you, Chair.

I want to thank all the ministers and staff who are here with us today to answer these very important questions.

One of the chiefs in my riding recently said to me, “It is only our communities that are having incremental justice, a little bit at a time, a spoon at a time, but never the full meal that we need to step ahead.” I want to start with that and say that I think in the history of this country this has been the story of our country, and it continues to be the story of our country today: incremental justice and incremental human rights.

My first question is about housing. We know that a lot of northern and indigenous communities have housing conditions that are atrocious and there is overcrowding. This of course was an issue long before the pandemic became an issue, but now that we've added the pandemic to this, we know that people are in situations where they cannot self-isolate if they come down with COVID-19 symptoms or are exposed to someone who has tested positive.

The government's response was tents and some other temporary structures. I see some action that has happened, but I'm just wondering, when are these communities going to finally see the necessary investments for a permanent housing solution?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

I suspect the question is for me.