Kwe kwe. Ullukkut. Tansi. Hello. Bonjour.
Let me begin by acknowledging that we are on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
Mr. Chair, I am happy to be back here at this committee to answer your questions on topics important to indigenous peoples.
I think it is critical that we acknowledge the long history of colonial systems that have kept indigenous people and communities from fully participating in Canadian society. I have made it a priority to work in partnership with indigenous communities to dismantle these barriers and to move forward in a way that is rooted in self-determination.
We are here to support indigenous communities as they shape their own paths to self-determination, which is in line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Mr. Chair, identity and indigeneity are deeply personal and complex.
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples says, “Indigenous peoples have the right to determine their own identity or membership in accordance with their customs...traditions [and practices].”
Our job is to support communities to do this work. Last week at the Assembly of First Nations special chiefs assembly and in some meetings I attended, this very topic came up.
Indigenous peoples know who their citizens are, and we should be allowing them to decide that. It is time to give power back to indigenous peoples, where it belongs.
Indigenous procurement is central to advancing economic reconciliation and ensuring fair opportunities for all. This strategy has been essential to supporting indigenous entrepreneurs and creating jobs at indigenous-led businesses, but we are also transforming the procurement strategy by improving policies, safeguards and processes.
Indigenous people have told us what will work and what does not, and we are listening. We must make the necessary changes in order to do better. We're working with partners to hand over the responsibility of defining and verifying indigenous businesses to the communities themselves.
Under the previous administration, before we formed government, indigenous businesses received only 1% of federal contracts. Once we formed government, engagements with indigenous partners have led our government to implement a mandatory requirement for federal departments and agencies to ensure that a minimum of 5% of the total value of contracts is held by indigenous businesses.
Since that 5% target was implemented, the value of contracts going to indigenous businesses increased by $1.5 billion. That is $1.5 billion going to indigenous people and communities, and that leads to better success for indigenous people as a whole.
Recently we have seen reports of this strategy being taken advantage of. This is why Indigenous Services Canada is mandated to verify the eligibility of businesses receiving contracts under the procurement strategy for indigenous businesses. These audits led to over 1,100 indigenous businesses being removed from the indigenous business directory. We're taking direct action to hold programs accountable and prevent misuse.
For too long, previous governments neglected indigenous peoples. Since 2015, we have been reversing this trend.
One key highlight is the new first nations-led national land registry. This registry is key to unlocking economic opportunities. We have worked in partnership with the First Nations Lands Advisory Board and the Land Title and Survey Authority of B.C. to develop this registry. This will allow first nations to register interests on their land at the speed of business and improve economic opportunities for all.
In the last budget, we advanced the indigenous loan guarantee program to facilitate equity ownership of major projects. This program is determined to ensure that indigenous communities can share in the benefits of major projects in their territories, and on their own terms. The indigenous loan guarantee will help indigenous people share the benefits of major natural resource projects while also generating wealth for communities and support for indigenous-led solutions.
Another key part of advancing economic reconciliation is providing compensation for lost land and other wrongs through the specific claims process.
We have accelerated specific claims resolutions. Working in partnership with first nations from January 1, 2016, to November 30, 2024, 321 claims have been resolved, for a total compensation of $12.6 billion.
I want to talk about two concrete examples. In June, on National Indigenous Peoples Day, I was able to join my colleague Jaime Battiste in the community of the We'koqma'q First Nation to announce the $125-million proposed settlement agreement. I got to meet with the chief and council, along with community members of all ages, to see what this settlement means to them and what it will do.
In October, I travelled to Treaty No. 5, 6, and 10 territories to announce the settling of nine claims worth almost $1.4 billion. These settlements happened under the strategy for expediting resolution of agricultural benefits. This expedited strategy ensures that claims are resolved quickly and gets compensation to first nations faster.
As you can see, Mr. Chair, we are making progress. Over the past five years, we have settled an average of $1.7 billion in claims per year with first nations across Canada, which resulted in nearly 7,000 jobs. This is a significant boost to the first nations-led economy, and it is having a positive impact, a tangible economic impact on communities, not just for today but for generations to come.
Mr. Chair, as a government, we must never tell communities what to do or who they are. I know that committee members and indigenous people have raised concerns about procurement and the indigenous business directory. As this work is led by Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, who I know appeared just before us, I will let my colleagues' words speak more of it. Our role is to support and follow the lead of indigenous peoples as they walk their path of self-determination and prosperity.
I do want to have one reflection before I close.
Mr. Chair, I've spent my entire life on the issue of representation and why representation matters at every level, not just in the elected sense but also in business and in community. At every table, there is a need for representation, particularly for those who have been under-represented. In this particular case, indigenous people are severely under-represented in many areas of our society, but particularly in the area of business and the economy. The indigenous procurement strategy was meant to ensure that at the very minimum, the federal role towards economic reconciliation ensures that representation continues.
I'm glad to speak about this. I think this is an issue that is of critical importance to all of us, and at the very minimum, we can agree that we should be doing more, perhaps in a more enlightened way.
I look forward to the questions and comments from my colleagues here.