Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thanks to the officials for taking time away from their busy jobs to be with me today. I thought it would be good to have the team with us so that they can answer to the level of detail that I think this committee deserves.
It's truly a joy to be with you here on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
I'd like to turn to the progress that our Liberal government has made towards reconciliation over the past eight years.
Prior to our government's election in 2015, the Conservatives had cut funding and refused to meet with indigenous chiefs.
Under Justin Trudeau, our government has made reconciliation a priority these past eight years.
That begins with water.
As you know, the previous Conservative government ignored the needs of first nations communities for clean water, and as a result, when we were elected, 105 long-term boil water advisories were in place. However, today, after working with communities and increasing investments by over 150%, the vast majority of first nations have clean drinking water they can trust.
We still have 4% of communities who live with a long-term advisory, but there is a plan under way for each of them, and Canadians can follow along online in terms of the status of the advisories for those communities.
As we know, we do need to be focused on sustained, equitable support for water systems, because if we don't have ongoing investments, not just in the equipment that serves first nations people but in the training for the maintenance, all of that progress could vanish. Reconciliation is not a destination but a journey, and it requires a long-term commitment, regardless of which party is leading the country.
That's why Bill C-61, the first nations clean water act, is so important to partners. This piece of legislation was developed through historic participation with first nations, and it restores the rights of first nations to manage their own water systems.
For the very first time in our history, it holds the federal government accountable for equitable funding for water systems in first nations. In fact, it installs an ability for first nations to work with the Government of Canada to determine levels of funding that will ensure clean water for generations to come.
The AFN is calling on Parliament to pass that bill, because as Chief Erica Beaudin of Cowessess First Nation said, “indigenous people, indigenous children deserve to be conceived, born and die [with] clean water [access]”.
It was therefore distressing for partners who were in the audience that day to see, on the first day of debate, a Conservative member of Parliament choose instead to repeat very tired stereotypes, ignoring the discriminatory funding as a cause of that lack of water. Many first nations people were deeply hurt by those comments, and many are still waiting for a sincere apology.
Indigenous peoples are also leading change in the housing sector. I recently celebrated the construction of new homes in the Liard First Nation with Chief Charlie. He told me that housing was essential to people's health and well-being. You know as well as I do that we still have a long way to go.
The report from the Auditor General yesterday shows that decades of colonialism and underinvestment have had significant and deep impacts on indigenous communities, and it's why our Liberal government has increased spending on housing for indigenous people by over 1,100%.
For the first time in recent history, the proportion of people living in overcrowded homes has stabilized and is starting to decrease. It's a huge contrast to the approach of the previous government, which resulted in only 99 houses built in first nations for a cost of $300 million.
In contrast, since 2015, over 34,000 homes have been built or renovated in first nations, with 22,000 already completed. This is fundamental because, as all of you know, better housing means that more people can reach their true potential.
Mr. Chair, I've said it already: Reconciliation is not a destination; it's a relationship, and respect is at the foundation of every good relationship. We must work directly with communities to address their needs, tackle the systemic issues they are facing and transfer the service delivery back under their control.
I know that this is an uncomfortable approach for those who are more comfortable with the paternalism of the past, but paternalism has not resulted in healthy communities and people. This government is working to live up to the promise of a Canada where everyone can truly reach their full potential, and we can only do that in partnership with indigenous peoples.
Meegwetch.Qujannamiik.Marsii. Thank you.