Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on June 10th, 2021

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

I will admit that we need to do a better job of breaking down barriers not only in Nunavut but also in Northwest Territories and Yukon. In NWT, we put together, with the government of NWT, a high-level tiger team with senior deputy ministers from both governments to really take those barriers down.

The funding is there. Why it's not flowing in at as adequate a pace as it should be needs to be addressed, and we're committed to working with all three territorial governments and indigenous governments to do just that.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

I'm happy you mentioned that and that you acknowledged that, Minister, that the funding isn't flowing down to where it needs to go. I think that's very important because you do cite a lot of figures.

As I mentioned, you're always talking about the funding that's going out the door, but we need these units to be built. That's the bottom line.

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

That is always possible. That's my philosophy, that we can always do better. Any government can do better.

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

Yours certainly has to.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thank you very much.

Ms. Zann, go ahead for five minutes, please.

[Lenore Zann, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister Bennett, I have a number of questions I'd like to ask you in a short amount of time.

First of all, I want to say thank you for all of your hard work. I know it's not easy to change everything that has happened overnight.

Here in Nova Scotia, the Sipekne'katik First Nation community has already started to search with an archeological team on the grounds of the former residential school there. We are hoping that no bodies are found, but they believe there were 16 children who died, and they had already started looking last weekend.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has listed these names, and the search will be led by archeologists of St. Mary's and the Mi'kmaq cultural heritage curator, Roger Lewis, who is also a member of Sipekne'katik First Nation. These are the types of things that obviously need to be done in order to find truth and reconciliation with indigenous peoples across Canada.

Given the possibility of police investigations that involve criminal behaviour in some of these situations, what impact do you think police investigations will have on the current and future community-led investigations?

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

Thank you so much for the question.

I think even the way you've asked the question is very important, because what was very clear in call to action 76 was that these processes must be community-led and that the police investigation needs to actually take guidance from the community.

It is important that the protocols be followed and that even if the police have opened a file, it's very clear that any future or further actions need to be taken in consultation with the community. The protocols are very different coast to coast to coast, and it will be important to work with the knowledge keepers and the elders in each community to make sure that this is done in a good way and with respect and with the spirit of those children in mind.

[Lenore Zann, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

I totally agree, and I think the sad part is that many of the stories are anecdotal, people remembering things, people remembering when somebody ran away and then was beaten or disappeared.

It's heartbreaking, and I'm sure you have been going through a lot yourself with all of this latest news. Truth and reconciliation has unearthed so much information and there is just so much more to be addressed, and it is very disturbing for residential school survivors and their families to be retraumatized with all of this news.

Minister, you've said that the $27 million in funding to support communities is flexible, so can you explain exactly what kinds of activities or initiatives would be eligible under this program?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

We have a minute. Go ahead.

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

Thank you for the question.

I did want to share with the committee about this amazing meeting we had last evening with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and Dr. Kona Williams, who is inspiring. She's the only indigenous forensic pathologist in Canada. She really has a lot to share with communities on making sure that everything is done with respect to the communities.

I think the funding is truly flexible, such that it can be for research, engagement, knowledge-gathering, memorialization, commemoration and bringing children home. Some of the children might be at a distance and communities want to bring their children home. The funding will be truly flexible such that communities are able to do what they know they need in order to unlock the healing.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thanks so much, Minister.

Madame Bérubé, you have two and a half minutes.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My question is for Ms. Bennett.

Could you provide us with the answer we received after our discussion about the Kitcisakik community in writing, given that the people there have no water and no electricity? You said earlier that you could perhaps see what you are able to do on that subject.

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

Thank you for that question.

Perhaps the deputy minister, Daniel Quan-Watson, can explain the process.

[Daniel Quan-Watson]

We will be very happy to send you that information in writing. We may share the work with the Department of Indigenous Services, which was also fully involved in this matter. Between the two of us, we will be able to provide you with the information in writing. We undertake to do that.

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

Thank you.

Minister, in Winneway, Chief Steeve Mathias has been negotiating with the federal government for several years to have his community recognized as a reserve within the meaning of the Indian Act. Even though no one here likes that act and it is kind of a perfect example of systematic discrimination, it has to be admitted that such recognition could allow the community to get better funding and to get public utilities. In this case, the problem revolves around the Oblate lands.

Can you tell us where the negotiations with this community are, whether about creating a new reserve or signing an agreement that would allow them to take back their territory?

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

Thank you very much.

It is very important for us, as a government, to speed up the progress toward self-determination. This is very important, and I think that after this meeting, I would like to discuss this community specifically and the facts relating to it.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Ms. Qaqqaq, go ahead for two and a half minutes.

[Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Thank you, Chair. I'm wondering if we should just pause for you to let us know what the next little bit is going to look like with the upcoming vote. I know we're about five minutes from that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

We'll suspend. We'll wait until the vote is conducted and then I think we'll be releasing our witnesses from this panel and going to Minister Miller for the next panel, following the vote.

[Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Can I do the two and a half minutes and then [Technical difficulty—Editor] we'll do?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

You can ask your question now of the ministers here, and then we'll start all over again after the vote.

[Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Okay, great. I'll just start now if that's fine. Thank you, Chair.

I have one question for Minister Vandal. It's a yes or no.

As soon as it's safe to travel and when you are fully vaccinated, do you commit to visiting the Land Guardians in Mittimatalik or Pond Inlet to see the conditions of Baffinland's Mary River Mine?

Yes or no, please.

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

Absolutely, yes. I am fully vaccinated as of eight days ago.

[Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Great, that's fantastic to hear. Thank you, Minister.

Back to Minister Bennett, last week you said that explicit details on the action plan in response to the murdered and missing indigenous women and girls inquiry are still to come. The action plan finally came out and had no tangible action, funding or timelines, and now we are supposed to wait for an implementation plan. Indigenous women and girls are dying while we wait for another plan from you.

I want to touch on and just confirm some of the things that have happened over the last while. In June 2019, the Liberal government gave themselves a timeline of a year to develop a plan of action, so in the minds of Canadians at that time, it would mean an implementation plan was being developed with key stakeholders. I brought this up last summer, and we confirmed that even though there was the 12-month timeline, it still took five months for stakeholders to even get funding to start the work. Once we saw, of course, June 2020, there was an excuse with the COVID delays, so we weren't going to see any movement on the delay that this government had already given itself. Here we are in June 2021, and we still haven't seen action and things come to fruition.

Is that basically what's happened over the last two years or so, Minister Bennett?