Public Accounts Committee on March 20th, 2023

[Gina Wilson]

Maybe I'll turn to Joanne on the particulars of that agreement and next steps.

[Joanne Wilkinson]

Absolutely. We currently have a trilateral memorandum of understanding in B.C., and we're working with the province and with the first nations leadership council, along with their leadership and experts, to move forward in terms of a full trilateral, multilateral agreement. The nations in B.C. are in the process of mandating that work.

Just last week, they mandated the development of a joint discussion paper that will work with some of the pieces that have come through the atmospheric river lessons learned and the work that we've been doing with the First Nations' Emergency Services Society, which runs a whole range of programs from FireSmart to fire awareness campaigns and those types of things. That work brings all of those pieces together so that leadership can have confidence in the project's moving forward and bring all of that together into one multilateral agreement.

Thank you.

[Han Dong, Liberal, Don Valley North, ON]

Is there any timeline on these discussions?

[Joanne Wilkinson]

Certainly, they are ongoing discussions. There is a gathering coming up in British Columbia in May, where the intent will be to present the results of that discussion paperwork and have discussions with leadership—the province will be there as well—to try to bring them towards closure.

I don't think we have a specific target date. We do have the memorandum of understanding that is in place currently, so that continues to exist while we're developing the agreement itself. That will take some time, particularly around the financial component, but there is lots of positive momentum.

[Han Dong, Liberal, Don Valley North, ON]

That's great. I'm a big fan of bringing people together at the same table so that everyone is on the same page.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Thank you, Mr. Dong.

Ms. Sinclair-Desgagné, you may go ahead for six minutes.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Ms. Wilson, I want to bring up something important we discussed the last time we met, back in November. It hasn't been mentioned this time, though. I'm talking about the division of powers between the federal and provincial governments. Last I checked, the federal government still hadn't signed agreements with a number of provinces. Since this is an area of shared jurisdiction and since the provinces provide a lot of emergency management services, where do those yet-to-be-signed agreements stand? Has there been any progress? Is the federal government taking the matter very seriously?

[Gina Wilson]

Absolutely. We are in frequent contact with all the provinces and territories. The negotiations aren't necessarily intensive, but there's a lot of interaction and co‑operation.

I would ask Kenza.

[Kenza El Bied, Director General, Sector Operations Branch, Regional Operations Sector, Department of Indigenous Services]

I'd like to make two things clear, if I may.

As of now, eight agreements have already been signed and are in force. In addition to those bilateral agreements with the provinces, we also have what we call

emergency management plans.

They are plans set by the indigenous nations and regional offices. The agreements and plans are two completely different things.

We are currently in talks to replace the bilateral agreements with multilateral agreements, under which the indigenous nations and partners will have a real say.

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

Thank you.

Have any agreements with the remaining provinces been signed since the Auditor General's report came out in 2022, about a year ago?

[Kenza El Bied]

As I said, we have eight in force.

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

That means five are missing.

[Kenza El Bied]

We are in talks with all the provinces to replace the bilateral agreements with multilateral agreements.

As Ms. Wilkinson mentioned, British Columbia is the only province we have signed a multilateral agreement with. We are actively negotiating, while respecting the wishes of the various indigenous nations. We are working with them to move this work forward. We can't impose our perspective, but we are working with them.

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

What's the holdup with the other five provinces and territories?

[Kenza El Bied]

Here's what's happening.

I was in Edmonton two weeks ago. I met with all of Alberta's indigenous chiefs, and we discussed a multilateral agreement. They were very pleased with the work that had been accomplished and were in favour of the agreement, so we are going to keep moving forward.

We are meeting very actively with our partners in British Columbia, nearly every month. In Ontario's case, the talks are very far along, and we've provided funding to the Anishinabe Cree nation.

We are working on more advanced aspects of the agreement, not waiting until everyone is on board. We are continuing the discussions, we are there for them and we are making progress. We are finding novel ways to sign these agreements. The aim is to have everything in place by 2025, as you can see from the detailed plan.

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

Thank you.

Again, though, here's my question, and it's quite straightforward. What or where is the holdup?

It's well and good to say that the agreements are going to be put in place and that you're in contact with the other parties, but the agreements are necessary for faster emergency response.

[Gina Wilson]

We are always open to discussion. We aren't causing the holdup.

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

That means the holdup is at the provincial level. I do hope that you'll still be able to move the whole process along.

Ms. Wilson, I want to come back to the timetable we discussed in November, if you recall. I noticed that several dates had been added to the action plan, and I thank you for that. I have two specific questions, however.

First, when will the risk analysis we talked about be done? That will give us a real sense of the government's priorities in terms of prevention. Second, will we be able to see the risk analysis?

[Gina Wilson]

We will be ready to implement the new plan in a year.

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

When we speak again on March 20, 2024, then, I'll have the plan in front of me and be able to examine it. Is that right?

[Gina Wilson]

Yes, that's exactly right.

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

Excellent.

As far as the priorities and timetable are concerned, one of the main issues that was raised the last time we met was the whole matter of climate change. How will climate change lead to increasing risks for first nations, and did you include factors that are going to get worse?

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Please keep your answer short.

[Gina Wilson]

The department has a climate change strategy, which addresses that aspect.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Desjarlais, you have the floor for six minutes, please.