Mr. Speaker, I am going to share my time with another hon. member.
It is a real honour for me to represent the people of Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, who voted overwhelmingly for change on October 19.
Saint Boniface—Saint Vital is the birthplace and the resting place of the father of Manitoba and leader of the Métis Nation, Louis Riel. Mr. Riel is very well known, but aside from the leader himself, there are literally thousands of other, lesser-known and some completely unknown Métis who were born, raised, lived, worked, and today are buried in the cemeteries along the Red River in Saint Boniface—Saint Vital.
Today, I am proud to say that there are many citizens, young and old alike, who are reclaiming their Métis identity that has been historically oppressed and taken away by the powers that were in Manitoba of that era.
Saint Boniface—Saint Vital is also a franco-Métis community, and without a doubt the most vibrant one in all of western Canada. Institutions like the Université de Saint-Boniface, the Centre culturel franco-manitobain, the Cercle Molière, the Maison Gabrielle-Roy, Riel House, the Saint-Boniface Museum, and the Union nationale métisse, among many others, help ensure that residents can remain proud and retain their language for years to come.
Saint Boniface—Saint Vital is also one of the most diverse communities in the city of Winnipeg. We have some of the oldest, most historic communities in the city. We have some communities that are facing some real poverty challenges, as well as some of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the entire city.
Immigration has been a positive force in my constituency. There are many communities and neighbourhoods that boast a wide variety of new Canadians, including many of East Indian and Sikh descent, and many eastern Europeans.
More and more French-speaking Africans are living in Saint-Boniface because they want to study at the Université de Saint-Boniface. This is great news, and I hope this will continue for a long time.
All of this to say that the citizens of Saint Boniface—Saint Vital voted overwhelmingly to rebuild our cities through Canada's largest ever infrastructure program that is reflected in the throne speech. The citizens of my area voted overwhelmingly for a renewed middle class who will benefit from a middle-income tax cut as reflected in the throne speech. The citizens of my constituency voted for an enhanced, more generous and tax-free Canada child benefit that will raise over 300,000 children out of poverty. The citizens of my constituency voted for a Canada that recognizes that climate change is real and needs to be addressed in an intelligent, comprehensive fashion so that our future citizens, our sons, daughters and grandchildren, do not bear the brunt of the short-sighted, myopic policy of today.
As a former city councillor for many years, I can tell members that our cities from coast to coast are in desperate need of funding for the most basic of infrastructure. Regional roads, residential streets, sidewalks, back lanes, bridges, underground infrastructure, community centres and more all need the investment of the federal government.
I will give members a real-time city of Winnipeg example.
The city currently spends over $1 billion a year on infrastructure, underground and above ground, which is not nearly enough. A report, several years old now, said that the city should actually be spending an extra $400 million annually just to maintain the infrastructure at its current level. I repeat that this would not improve the infrastructure, but it would prevent further decay.
The time is right for federal investment in Canada's infrastructure and I am proud that the throne speech speaks about getting the ball rolling. We will create thousands of jobs across Canada in the construction sector of this great country, and with interest rates at historic low levels, there has never been a better time than now to borrow to invest in publicly owned infrastructure.
The citizens of my constituency also voted for leadership in developing and improving the relationship with our Métis, first nation, and Inuit citizens. Whether we recognize it or not, there are too many indigenous citizens represented in poverty statistics, on unemployment lines, on welfare rolls, in hospitals, in child welfare rolls. We need to turn that around. Canada needs to work with indigenous communities and indigenous leadership to improve indigenous health care, indigenous education, and indigenous employment.
The city I represent is the indigenous capital of Canada. We have more Métis, first nation, and Inuit people in Winnipeg today than Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon Territory combined. The fastest growing populations in Winnipeg today are young Métis, first nation, and Inuit people. Canada needs to partner on a nation-to-nation basis to create opportunities for those young indigenous populations. The throne speech lays out the framework for addressing these challenges.
The citizens of Saint Boniface—Saint Vital voted for the Government of Canada to finally put forth a critical path to resolve the Manitoba Métis land claims issue of 1870 as per the decision of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decision was clear and unambiguous. The court ruled that the Government of Canada at the time acted inconsistently with the honour of the crown when it bungled land distribution to Métis families as negotiated by the provisional government as Manitoba entered Confederation. Thanks to strong leadership and 30 years of challenge by the Manitoba Métis Federation, we now have a clear legal ruling and finally have a federal government that promises to make good on the Supreme Court decision. I am proud to stand as a member of that government.
The citizens of Saint Boniface—Saint Vital also voted for justice for the Métis people of Manitoba and Canada and for a federal government that will follow a critical path to resolve the land claims of 1870 as per the 2013 Supreme Court decision. Employment is a major issue for our Métis youth, and our people demand better of the federal government.
The throne speech laid out a positive and encouraging plan and highlighted many of the elements I spoke about. I am proud to support these important initiatives. My constituents are pleased that our great country is finally moving toward a positive plan that will create jobs, rebuild our cities and communities, and fight poverty and climate change.
The throne speech of 2015 lays out a positive, hopeful agenda. It outlines actions on many of the initiatives I have identified.
I am proud to support these important initiatives, and the people I represent are proud of our great country finally moving in a positive direction that creates jobs, rebuilds cities, addresses poverty, addresses indigenous issues as well as climate change.
As a final clarification, I am sharing my time with the member for Steveston—Richmond East.