Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government's neglect of aboriginal people is an outrage. Communities in my riding and across the country live in third world poverty. There are no jobs. They are not able to buy healthy food for their families. They have poor housing and overcrowded conditions. Some do not even have clean drinking water.
In the Shamattawa First Nation, four out of five young people are addicted to solvents. The Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development sent me a letter saying that Shamattawa is a high priority community. The chief and the council have been asking the government for a healing centre for addicts in the community.
All they have received from the Liberal government is token gestures like a few thousand dollars for a rec centre. If this is the Liberal government's idea of a high priority community, I would hate to see the low priority community.
The Liberal government always points to the gathering strength program and the aboriginal healing fund like they will solve everything. But I am hearing from my constituents about healing fund applications being denied.
The Liberal government's programs for aboriginal people are a sham. They do not go nearly far enough. It is time for the government—