Public Accounts Committee on April 11th, 2024

[Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

Are you sure that, with those changes, you'll be able to meet your targets by 2030?

[Gina Wilson]

We have a national strategy that is looking at a 10-year work plan at this very moment. It was mentioned by the member earlier. I would work towards and continue to work towards meeting that timeline and that target.

It's going to take more than the money: It's going to take financing tools. It's going to take a lot of work—

[Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, Bloc, Terrebonne, QC]

More than anything, it's a matter of will. The lack of will is precisely why there have been so many scathing reports. It may have been before your time, but government after government showed a clear lack of will to make life better for indigenous peoples.

[Gina Wilson]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Thank you.

Up next is Mr. Desjarlais.

You have 100 seconds, please. That's a minute and 40 seconds.

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Given that Indigenous Services Canada and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation are not on track to close the housing gap by 2030, and considering that first nations are still in deplorable need of health supports as a result of the massive mould epidemic in first nations communities, I will move a motion, which I've sent to the clerk. I move:

That the committee invite the Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, Ms. Patty Hajdu, to appear for no less than two hours on the committee's review of Report 2: Housing in First Nations Communities, from the Auditor General, and that the minister be scheduled to appear within three weeks of this motion.

It has been supplied in both official languages, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Thank you.

It does take a few minutes just to send it around.

Mr. Desjarlais, just read it again, please. Read it slowly so that we can all hear it.

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Sure. I move:

That the committee invite the Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, Ms. Patty Hajdu, to appear for no less than two hours on the committee's review of Report 2: Housing in First Nations Communities, from the Auditor General, and that the minister be scheduled to appear within three weeks of this motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

All right. Let me just check with the clerk. Hold on.

Members, I'll turn to you. It's going to take about two minutes to send. I am happy to start the debate on this, or I could....

Mr. Nater, you have the floor.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

I will simply say that we support this motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

I was hoping for more than two minutes, but okay.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Go ahead, Ms. Shanahan.

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Do we have insight into whether the minister is appearing on INAN?

I fully respect the gravity of this issue, but as we've said before, this committee is about process, accountability and the finances and so on, whereas policy is at INAN.

Chair, would you be aware of that?

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

I believe that Mr. Schmale is. If you would yield to him, I'll hear from him, but I can come back to you.

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Okay. Very good.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

You will not lose your time.

I'm going to go to Mr. Schmale first and then back to Ms. Shanahan. Then I'll go to you, Mr. Desjarlais.

Go ahead, Mr. Schmale.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

To answer Ms. Shanahan's question as one of the vice-chairs of INAN, I know that Ms. Hajdu did appear for a very short session. We got cut off because of votes, I believe, if memory serves, but there were still many unanswered questions that needed investigating, so, as Mr. Nater says, we support the motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

When was that appearance?

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Oh, it was probably.... We're in April. It was in March.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Then, more pertinently, is she not scheduled to appear again?

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

It was four weeks ago.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Yes, it was well over a month ago.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

She's not scheduled to appear again at your committee.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

We apparently have put out two requests, for main estimates and for supplementary (B) estimates, believe it or not, but there is still no response.