Evidence of meeting #136 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was procurement.
A video is available from Parliament.
Bloc
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC
What legitimacy does the Métis National Council have to operate at this time?
Liberal
Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON
The Métis National Council, as I've said, has existed for many years—in fact, for decades. It continues to be recognized as a national indigenous organization. When we set up the council—
Liberal
Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON
It's not a rights holder, and I want to make that distinction. However, it comprises many rights holders—not all, exclusively, but there are still a number of rights holders who are part of the Métis National Council.
As I indicated, we will be having conversations. I look forward to the conversation with them. I think it's premature to come to any conclusions on its future. I do think there's certainly a long history that warrants greater study and reflections on the work that the Métis National Council does.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Patrick Weiler
Thank you very much, Mr. Lemire.
Next we'll go to Ms. Idlout for six minutes.
NDP
Lori Idlout NDP Nunavut, NU
Qujannamiik, Iksivautaq.
My first couple of questions will be to Minister Anandasangaree regarding the indigenous loan guarantee program that was announced in budget 2024.
In a recent meeting with the First Nations Finance Authority members, they emphasized the importance of amending the First Nations Fiscal Management Act to allow for special purpose vehicles. Given the potential announcement regarding the indigenous loan guarantee program, wouldn't it be prudent to have these amendments in place to align with that announcement?
Liberal
Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON
Thank you, Ms. Idlout.
I believe I have answered this question in the past, and I think we're probably in the same place. It is certainly a conversation we've had with the finance authority, and I believe I have another meeting scheduled with them this week. There needs to be a greater conversation, including with finance, in terms of what additional vehicles can be utilized towards raising funds.
I do think as part of economic reconciliation, that is a critical component of what we need to do. It may be premature, as we roll out the loan guarantee program, for us to do this at the same time, because I don't believe the background work has been completed at this moment.
NDP
Lori Idlout NDP Nunavut, NU
Thank you.
My understanding is that the proposed amendments wouldn't cost the government anything and would enable first nation communities to act with agility in business. Whatever guidance you can do for that future work would be very much appreciated.
I'm going to turn now to Minister Petitpas Taylor.
I'm going to read from an article regarding what the Minister of Family Services in Nunavut, Margaret Nakashuk, said. It says that the “federal funding cuts are impacting her department's ability to expand job training programs in Nunavut”.
I'm going to read what she said: “I planned to rise today to highlight the work Family Services is doing to train Nunavummiut for job readiness using federal government funds from the Targeted Labour Market Transfer Agreement, but I am unable to do that because the Government of Canada cut $625 million [from] the labour market transfers in budget 2024.”
Minister, you'll recall that I had written to you regarding the cuts, and I understand that you're still new to this portfolio. I was quite disappointed with the response that you gave me regarding the cuts. The federal government cut $625 million from the labour market transfers in 2024. Cutting this funding significantly impacts Inuit and young people in my riding. It is a loss of $890,000 in training dollars in Nunavut.
Indeed, it was the Redfish Arts Society, which is a program that helps youth at risk to be diverted out of the criminal justice system to learn their language and their culture and new skills.
Minister, could you please explain to my community how the federal government's cuts to the labour market transfer agreement funding does not perpetuate unemployment, underemployment and cycles of poverty, and does not limit the progress of Nunavummiut towards a more equitable and prosperous society?
Liberal
Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
Thank you so much for that question.
Before I answer, I also want to acknowledge that you're not able to speak in your mother tongue. Being a francophone, I can appreciate that it's a challenge. I'm certainly hoping that this will be rectified for future committee appearances.
With respect to your question, with respect to the labour market agreements and the transfers that were made, the federal government had provided some top-ups back in 2017. From there, during the pandemic, we decided to keep on allowing the top-ups to continue. It was always made very clear that it was a top-up and that it would eventually go back to the original funding. It is my understanding that...or not just my understanding; I've spoken to many of the provincial ministers. I can appreciate that, for them, they wanted the monies to continue, but those monies were specifically put in place in order to ensure that equity-deserving groups were going to have more opportunities.
Again, if provinces and territories choose that they want to continue with the funds, if they want to further invest money, they absolutely can, but the federal government indicated at the time that it would be a temporary top-up only. It wasn't part of the ongoing funding.
NDP
Lori Idlout NDP Nunavut, NU
Just as a follow-up to that, I'm not sure you understood clearly what the Minister of Family Services in Nunavut has said and how detrimental it is to Nunavut. This program is supposed to help make sure that those who are underemployed or who have more unemployment.... They're still very much needing this kind of funding, even such a small amount as $890,000.
I understand what you tried to explain, that it's supposed to be a top-up, but understanding that it has not done enough to meet the needs of Nunavummiut, can there not be a reconsideration to make sure that Nunavut's portion is added so that we can see this program having the positive impacts it needs to have?
Liberal
Liberal
Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
[Technical difficulty—Editor] funding that's sunset. That is not just for the territory. It's for all provinces and territories.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Patrick Weiler
Thank you very much, Ms. Idlout.
That concludes our first round of questioning.
Moving into the second round, we will start with Mr. Genuis for five minutes.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
[Technical difficulty—Editor] Minister Anandasangaree, it's good to see you here.
You made a couple of statements about indigenous identity in your opening. You said that indigeneity is “personal and complex”. You also said that indigenous identity is defined by “the communities themselves”.
I would just observe that these statements are somewhat contradictory. Either indigeneity is personal—that is, it's up to the individual to define whether or not they're indigenous—or it is defined by the community. If it's defined by the community, then an individual ought not to just say they're indigenous on their own, but if it's personal and complex, then that opens up more space for self-identification on varying grounds.
I wonder if you can reconcile that contradiction for us. Do you think indigenous identity is more defined by the individual, who decides how they want to identify, or is more defined by the community, which says yes or no to a person being indigenous?
Liberal
Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON
Thank you, Mr. Genuis. It's good to see you again. It's good to be in a committee room with you.
Look, I don't think they're mutually incompatible. In a sense of collective identity, when we talk about collectivities, I do believe communities should be defining what that collectivity looks like and is, and the historical formation of that collectivity over generations, or in some cases millennia.
The distinction sometimes does come to the individual. For example, if you speak to Mohawks in Ontario, they will fiercely say that on issues around identity, it is strictly up to the individual nation to define what citizenship looks like. It is not up to the federal government, in this case, to be—
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
They're saying it's up to the nation, right?
Liberal
Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON
Perhaps I can finish. I think you asked a very critical question, and I do want to give you a complete answer.
Conservative
Liberal
Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON
I do think, in that case, that it is the collectivity that defines who their citizens are. That's the way it should be.
With respect to the individual, in a historical situation of the issues around residential schools or around child welfare systems, where someone's identity has, for myriad reasons, been compounded by the fact that they may not be living with their biological parents or not living in a community where they would have been born and where they could trace a long lineage, I do think it's legitimate for an individual to be contemplating and trying to understand what that identity looks like—
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Okay, I have limited time. I think I understand where you're going with this.
In those cases, you have an individual who's seeking information about their own history and heritage that they've been separated from. It's still the community that defines that identity. It's just that an individual has been separated from that community.
This question is at the heart of a lot of this issue, because now a lot of people who don't have connections to any kind of community are popping up and trying to take advantage of government programs. I was struck by your comment that the Randy Boissonnault case is complex. I don't think it's complex at all. I think it's very simple.
What do you think is complex on these identity issues about Randy Boissonnault's previous claims around indigenous identity? What's complex there?
Liberal
Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON
To me, first and foremost, one of the things that I've contemplated on this issue is that he was adopted. He was not from his biological family unit—
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
I'll just say on that, quickly, that he claimed to be a non-status adopted Cree. Ms. Idlout asked him what Cree nation it was, and he couldn't answer that question. His family's not Cree; his family is Métis. The rules around membership in the Métis community are very clear, and they don't apply to him, so it's not actually complex—
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
I just don't.... Why do you think it's complex?
