Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on Nov. 26th, 2020

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Anyone...?

[National Chief Norman Yakeleya]

Hello...?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Are any of our witnesses ready to answer that question?

Minister Goodon, please go ahead.

[William Goodon]

Thank you very much, and thank you so much for the question.

At the Manitoba Métis Federation, our Métis government was very much involved in discussions. My presentation was mostly about economic responses and what we've had to do to protect our small businesses, our entrepreneurs, and even going down to our musicians, our fishers, the folks who are harvesting on the land and those things that we talked about.

I would say there's been no doubt that the current federal government speaks to us on a government-to-government and nation-to-nation basis, and we very much appreciate that.

I want to add that I spoke about the distinctions-based approach before, and I want to say a big thanks to my colleague from the Métis settlements. I have so much respect for what they do up there, and Herb is a friend. I've spoken to him a few times over the years.

For me, the distinctions-based approach isn't just for the Métis National Council; it's for the Métis nation, and that includes the Métis settlements. Whatever Herb talks about when he's speaking of the needs of his community, that falls right into the distinctions-based area. I know that's a little off track here, but yes, we were consulted.

[Herbert Lehr]

I'm very happy that the Métis nation and MNC have been consulted on these issues. However, as non-affiliates, there has been no discussion with us on this type of stuff, and we have received zero funding, ever, from the Métis National Council or from the Métis Nation of Alberta.

As Métis settlements were very much stand-alone, we kind of feel like the forgotten child, to be honest. We're the one who's left out here.

We're very happy that other Métis people get to move ahead, and that's why we're pushing so hard right now so that we have a direct relationship with the federal government and that we get brought into the fold and into the marriage, if that's what you want to call it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Chief Yakeleya, do you have the question and answer now?

You're still on mute.

[National Chief Norman Yakeleya]

Hello.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Go ahead.

[National Chief Norman Yakeleya]

Can you hear me?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Yes, go ahead.

[National Chief Norman Yakeleya]

Okay. Boy, I'm having fun this afternoon.

I want to apologize. I didn't hear the question. I was on the other official language, French, and I didn't hear the question, but I'm hearing the two other speakers, so I'm not too sure how I respond, Mr. Chair.

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

I will put it to you again.

Did the government consult you about the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Were you consulted by the federal government on the second wave?

I'm not sure if National Chief Yakeleya has his translation channel on, but that was the question.

You have half a minute to answer. Go ahead.

[National Chief Norman Yakeleya]

We had minimal consultation. As you know, the system right now is that it's with the territorial government and the federal government. The Dene Nation hasn't really played a major role unless we use the other national aboriginal organizations to help us.

In regard to the funding, there was very minimal consultation, if any.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thank you very much; and thanks, Madame Bérubé.

We have six minutes now with our final questioner, Rachel Blaney.

Ms. Blaney, go ahead.

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

Thank you, Chair; and thank you to all the witnesses for being here.

Minister Goodon, my first two questions will be to you.

You talked about data and some of the challenges in that regard. We've heard from multiple witnesses that there isn't the ability to gather that information. Can you talk a bit about that and about where the gaps are?

The other thing you talked about was the 5% in procurement. We know it is not even in the 1% realm yet. What we're hearing from government is that the process will happen. What are the gaps on your side?

[William Goodon]

Okay. Remind me again of the first question. I had some good answers, and then—

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

It was about data.

[William Goodon]

Excellent.

President Lehr talked briefly about the Daniels decision. In that decision, the Supreme Court said that the federal government has responsibility for all aboriginal people as described in section 35, including Métis. However, somehow it's taking the Department of Health a little while to figure out that the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch includes only two out of the three aboriginal peoples as described in section 35.

The data that's collected on first nations citizens and on Inuit doesn't reach down to us here at the Métis level. We need to move forward on that relationship and build the capacity that works for Métis governance structures. Whether it's the Manitoba Métis Federation in Manitoba, the Métis settlements in their jurisdiction or the Métis Nation of Alberta in the rest of Alberta, for those types of things there needs to be that government-to-government relationship to build that capacity properly so that we can know who is sick.

In Manitoba we have a particular problem because our premier has decided to not work with the Métis people, so we're shut out on both sides here. Although we have an excellent relationship with the Government of Canada, that doesn't translate at some point all the way down.

That would be my first point.

Remind me again of your second question, because it was an excellent one too.

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

You have a very short amount of time, because I want to get to another question.

It was about that 5% procurement.

[William Goodon]

On the 5% procurement, there are a whole lot of things going on here. Obviously, when it comes to things such as the bandwidth, the Internet connectivity that's happening across the country, we want to be involved in it, because in our communities we need to be fully participating Canadian citizens, and I'm sure President Lehr feels the same way. That's one of the biggest examples I could use.

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

Thank you so much.

President Lehr, I wonder if you could talk a bit about the jurisdictional challenges. You're working with both the provincial and federal governments. How is that going? Where are the things that are blocking you? Are both governments taking their responsibility and their jurisdiction seriously and working with you in a meaningful way?

[Herbert Lehr]

Thank you very much for that question.

I feel like the proverbial football that has been talked about in the Daniels case. We're still being tossed back and forth, and the honour of the Crown creates all these problems under section 91 versus section 92.

Our problem, as the government knows, is that this province is not supportive of UNDRIP. They've come straight out and said they're going to oppose UNDRIP, whereas the federal government wants to move that way. This government that we're currently working with has decided that it no longer wants to fund the Métis settlements. The last bit of money that we have is drying up. We have community members who are thinking, “Do I have to move now, because I won't have water or sewer or anything in this community anymore?”

There's a huge problem with the relationship and with the length of time, and it's exacerbated because of COVID. That's why we had to come through this venue in order to try to move forward. COVID is having an impact on what gets delivered to everybody.

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

With the provincial government making that decision, you're dealing with COVID, but even without COVID, what will be the health impacts on those territories?

[Herbert Lehr]

It's going to be devastating. We have censuses that we do, similar to the Métis nations across Canada. They don't get concise data, because Statistics Canada isn't set up properly to be able to do those proper queries. In our cases, they use the postal codes. Our people get mail in the surrounding towns, so the postal codes make it a skewed information system.

We can't get the data we need, nor do we have the relationship with Alberta Health Services in order to be able to get that type of information.

Our people already have problems, and it's getting exacerbated day by day, because not only do they have that past trauma already from smallpox right down to the Spanish flu, when they burnt homes with the people in them, but they now feel that they have no place to go. Nobody really wants them.

There are changes to the Metis Settlements Act that the minister is trying to push right now that would make it a lot harder and more onerous to live in the community. These are very trying times.