Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on March 20th, 2024

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

The PBO has actually come out and said that it's not true. You sat in the House, as I did today, to hear our leader explain exactly why it's not true, and it's not true.

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

I have a question for you.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

We are out of time.

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

If that's not true, why in 2021 did you run on a price on pollution?

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

That's the end of our five minutes there.

We're going to stop there and go next to Mr. McLeod.

[Michael McLeod, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to both ministers for joining us here today.

My question is for Minister Vandal.

Last summer was a very challenging time for us in the Northwest Territories. It was the worst wildfire season we've ever seen in our history. It was the worst one on record, for sure. Three of our largest communities were evacuated. In fact, 70% of the territory's population were evacuated. That meant there were huge costs incurred by the government and also by businesses. Many businesses had to close for a fairly long period of time.

I want to ask if you could expand on the supports the federal government has put in place to help the Northwest Territories recover.

I also want to say thank you for making yourself very available over the summer and responding, especially to me, whenever I picked up the phone. That was very much appreciated.

For my second question, we know and we're already hearing that this coming summer may be even worse than last summer. We're experiencing drought conditions already. We had very little snowfall on the southern part of the territories. The Government of Northwest Territories is already predicting a very bad fire season.

Can you talk a little bit about what the government's doing to help the territories recover and what we're doing to try to prepare for this coming fire season?

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

Thank you so much for that important question.

Last year I was in Inuvik with the Premier of Yukon and the Premier of Northwest Territories. That was just at the beginning of the wildfires. They had already started, but was just near the beginning. I tell you, the smoke was so thick that we had to get out of Inuvik much earlier than planned. That was just the beginning. Things got significantly worse than that, so I really felt for the people—the older people, the elders, the youth and the people in hospitals who had to be moved.

I thank you for your advocacy and your help. We were on the phone many times—not just me, but many other ministers. Our government stepped up right away to help residents evacuate and then return home. We provided, across Canada, $300 million to help provinces and territories increase firefighting resources, of which $28 million was specifically to support the Northwest Territories' wildfire response.

I did visit some of the folks from Northwest Territories in Edmonton. It was good to touch base with them and talk to them, with the Premier of NWT.

Eventually, when they opened up, CanNor was there with a significant amount of funding for businesses to open up again and to recoup some of their losses.

From speaking with Minister Sajjan, who played a very important role, I know that they've trained a significant number of Northwest Territories firefighters to prepare for next year. We hope that next year is not as bad as last year.

It all comes down to the need for a credible climate plan. The price on pollution that we are implementing is a significant part of that credible climate plan. There are many other initiatives that are included, like climate adaptation. There are a lot of initiatives included in that, but that's something that our government is addressing head-on. That's something that the party on the other side of the lobby really has no plan for.

That's something that we're going to keep moving on. We're going to work co-operatively with the territorial government, with first nations and with the indigenous nations that live there. We're going to have their backs in the upcoming year.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

We're now at the end of our time.

We'll move along to Mr. Lemire, who will have two and a half minutes.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister Anandasangaree, I have two short questions for you, and I would appreciate it if you would keep your answers short.

I want to talk about the lack of first nations policing legislation and the need to recognize first nations policing as an essential service. A legislative framework was promised that would make equitable funding and resources available for first nations policing, ensuring that police services receive the funding, resources, infrastructure and personnel that they can't always get.

When will we see a bill to support this essential service?

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

Mr. LeBlanc has tried to co-develop quite a lot of things on first nations policing. I believe his department is undertaking consultations on how to move forward.

In terms of timelines, I can't give you any. It is something that you should put to Mr. LeBlanc, but it is very much a part of his mandate to be able to develop and to ensure that there is first nations-led policing within communities.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Your answers highlight the importance of consulting first nations. I want to talk about an issue affecting a community I represent. People from all the communities I represent attended a rally on Parliament Hill to protest the planned nuclear waste disposal facility in Chalk River. As you know, a court challenge is being launched to halt construction of the facility.

Do you think the stakeholders were properly consulted, especially in this time of truth and reconciliation?

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

As for the decision on Chalk River that is before the courts, I won't be able to comment specifically on that process itself.

I do want to acknowledge the concerns I've heard, particularly from members of your community. I was able to meet with the chief of Kebaowek First Nation yesterday, and I will continue to engage with him and others. The concern with respect to process is something that we can address on a going-forward basis.

With respect to the decision and the pending legal challenges, I think it's probably best that I don't comment on that.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Meegwetch.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Thank you. We're out of time.

Ms. Ashton, you have the last two and a half minutes. Whenever you're ready, the floor is yours.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Thank you very much.

My questions are to Minister Vandal.

First of all, as you are aware, the Sayisi Dene and Denesuline first nations at Tadoule Lake and Lac Brochet have outstanding issues relating to the Nunavut devolution agreement, despite their attempts to resolve them with you and your department prior to the signing that did not take place.

Are you still intending to work with these two first nations to resolve the issues that they have raised?

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

Absolutely. I met with both first nations several weeks before we signed the Nunavut devolution agreement. I committed to them that they will be treated fairly all the way through the process and that nothing in the Nunavut devolution agreement deviates or takes away from their section 35 rights.

The Government of Canada will continue to negotiate in good faith with both first nations, which is really not my ministerial responsibility but Mr. Anandasangaree's.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

I know that both first nations are disappointed that the unresolved issues were not resolved prior to the signing, and they are very much looking forward to resolving the outstanding issues as soon as possible.

To the point not just around Nutrition North but more broadly about affordability, as you know, many first nations here in northern Manitoba face a high cost of living because they depend on the ice roads, and the ice roads are increasingly unreliable as a result of climate change.

I raised this question to Minister Hajdu, but it is intimately related to the question of subsidizing Nutrition North and to food security, particularly here in northern Manitoba: As the minister responsible for Nutrition North, do you support the calls of first nations on the east side of Lake Winnipeg, as well as further north, who have been clear about this? They want a reinstatement of the east side road initiative, and they are calling on the federal government to invest in all-weather road infrastructure, an airport for Wasagamack First Nation and investment in the stretch between St. Theresa Point and Berens River, as well as the northern leg between Oxford House and Garden Hill.

These are all first nations that depend on Nutrition North and subsidies and these are all first nations that are facing an extremely high cost of living, and an all-weather road in the age of climate change would make a real difference.

Do you support these first nations' calls for federal investment in all-weather road infrastructure?

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

I'll just say that a brief answer would be appreciated. We are at the end of the two and a half minutes, but Minister, please respond.

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

Absolutely I do. Climate change is real. Winter roads are going to become rarer as time passes. That means the federal government and the provincial governments are going to have to work together to make sure that all-weather roads are constructed in the north.

[The Chair, Liberal, John Aldag]

Thank you.

Colleagues, that brings us to the end of the resources and the time that we have available today.

We do have invitations out for all three ministers to come back to speak with us about the main estimates, as well as for the supplementary estimates (B), which we've been trying to land since before Christmas.

I hope to see all of you again soon, but for tonight, we are adjourned.