Debates of Dec. 1st, 2021

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Madam Speaker, first, I would like to thank the wonderful people of Saskatoon West for once again putting their trust in me to represent them here in Ottawa. Many of those people, by the way, are seniors, and they have spoken to me many times about the difficulties they are facing. Of course, most seniors live on a fixed income, and the government has made it very difficult for them. Inflation is causing all things to go up in price, including food. Beef prices are up by 14%, chicken by 9%.

How does the member explain to the senior constituents in his riding how the government has impacted them, how it is hurting seniors? What are the answers he gives to his seniors when he is trying to answer their difficult questions about the difficulties they are facing in their daily lives?

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Madam Speaker, I have frequent conversations with seniors in my area. We have a very active seniors community and seniors committee, both in the municipality of Newmarket and in Aurora. Those conversations are about the support they were provided with the GST rebates. The challenges we are feeling now are difficult for everyone, particularly those with a fixed income, and not just for seniors. The supports we are providing have gone a long way to helping them through this difficult time.

What lies ahead with the impact of inflation will be considered by the government as it goes forward.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Madam Speaker, please accept my sincere congratulations on your appointment.

In his speech, the member said that he is very close to the people in his riding and that his province is important to him. I would say we have that in common.

What the people in our ridings want is a stronger health care system. I am proud to be a Quebecker. What Quebec wants is federal health transfers that meet our needs.

The throne speech did not even mention health transfers. The federal government is not meeting the health care needs of Quebec and the provinces. We are being forced to make do with less when what the federal government needs to do is reconcile the needs of Quebec and the provinces with its ability to increase health transfers to 35%.

Why was there no mention in the throne speech of increasing federal health transfers to 35%, which is what Ontario and Quebec want and need?

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Madam Speaker, that was an important question. As a member of the board of directors for Southlake Regional Health Centre for nine years, I understand the challenges in meeting the financial obligations of dealing with inflation and particularly in increased patient loads as a result of growing communities. I do understand there is a critical need to look at funding for health care.

I believe the Prime Minister did say that was going to be reviewed in due time, as soon as we deal with what is in front of us right now with regard to COVID, vaccines and making sure that we have a plan that gets the economy back on its feet. Following that, we might be in a better position to review what should be considered going forward.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, I know how sincerely my hon. colleague, the member for Newmarket—Aurora, is concerned about the climate crisis. However, I have to say that when we hear from Liberals that the government understands the science around climate, I am desperately afraid. I am genuinely afraid that the science has been misunderstood.

We have a net-zero climate act that was passed in the 43rd Parliament. The rhetoric is all about net zero by 2050, yet our commitment in the Paris Agreement is to hold to a global average temperature increase of 1.5°C if possible. We will not get to a global average temperature increase of 1.5°C if the target is net zero by 2050. It gets to be too late too fast. We really have to do more in advance of even next year's climate meeting at COP27.

I would ask my hon. colleague if he senses, within the ranks of his colleagues, an understanding that we are now on track for desperately worse and more dangerous climate conditions and potentially the loss of human civilization.

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Madam Speaker, I share the member's concerns. I believe the entire Parliament shares her concerns. I think there is a deep and genuine desire to make sure that we do what is right and make the investments. Indeed, as I mentioned earlier, we have invested in the range of $60 billion already and are focused on exceeding our goals.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to see you back in the chair.

I would like to start by mentioning an unfortunate accident that happened last night in London West involving 11 people, eight of whom were taken to the hospital. This morning we learned that a young girl of only eight years old has lost her life in this tragic accident. I extend my deepest condolences to her family and friends in the London community. I also want to extend well wishes to the injured and their families and thank our first responders for being the first people there to support everyone.

I want to take the time to recognize and appreciate the people of London West, who allowed me to take this seat. I will continue to work hard to serve them.

I also want to thank my son Noah, who will likely be very embarrassed by what I have to say. He is my motivation and inspiration to be the woman I am today. I became a mom when I was 18 years old, and I have been dragging him along in my fight for equity and justice in London. Unknowingly, he has been and continues to be the reason I wake up every day to do this. Noah has remained my biggest supporter, a key volunteer who constantly kept the morale of the campaign office high. Even though he is a bandwagon Lakers fan, he keeps a smile on my face and kept a smile on my face throughout my entire campaign.

I would like to thank my mother for her support while I am here.

Mom, you have always supported me. If you had not chosen to come to Canada from Burundi, who knows where I would be now?

I thank the rest of my family and friends for keeping me sane throughout these past several years of my political life. Their support has been immeasurable.

I thank so much the volunteers who helped me knock on thousands of doors throughout the campaign. I know it was an interesting campaign full of challenges, but also full of friendships.

I also thank my predecessor Kate Young for her tremendous support. Our weekly calls have really helped me and supported me to navigate this space.

We have to recognize that in London this campaign was not perfect. I know that I do not need to remind the House that during his visit to London, the Prime Minister had gravel thrown at him. The fact that a G7 leader had gravel thrown at him is absolutely unacceptable and abhorrent behaviour. This behaviour continues to show the cracks in our system that have been even further amplified over the last two years. London has not had an easy year when it comes to these sorts of displays of hate. When a terrorist attack happened last summer in my riding, we were shocked and dismayed.

The last two years have highlighted systemic racism and acts of discrimination and hate that have long faced Canada, and this is one of the many reasons I first ran for city council. We must remove these barriers, promote equity and access to services, and support one another. I continue to stand in solidarity with the Muslim community in London and say to them that they belong here. I look forward to working with them as we continue to stand against Islamophobia, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Black and indigenous racism and all forms of hate.

Elections are about ensuring that everyone has a say and giving the people a voice, all people. It does not matter where they come from or what they look like; all Canadians have the right to vote for the future they want. I felt that personally when the Burundi community in London and across Canada came out in support of my campaign, a community that, frankly, has been disengaged in politics recently because they felt their voice was not being heard. To have my community stand with me meant the world to me and I thank them for that. I cannot wait to continue working hard to represent the people of London West, and I thank them again for putting their trust in me.

On the throne speech that laid out the future that Canadians want our government to work toward, I will start by saying that we are still in the midst of a pandemic. In Ontario, 10,000 people have died from COVID-19. With a new variant that has been identified across the world and now in Canada, we know that work remains. Our government is prioritizing, above all else, the health and safety of Canadians while we work to get the COVID-19 pandemic under control and ensure that we have an inclusive and resilient recovery.

That is why we are focusing on vaccination. We have mandated vaccination for federal and federally regulated workers, as well as for everyone travelling within Canada. On top of that, our government has secured more vaccines, boosters and doses for kids aged five to 11. I know that means a lot to parents.

We cannot debate science. The only way we will get through this pandemic is by ensuring that all who can get vaccinated do get vaccinated.

Throughout the pandemic, we have witnessed not just the widespread devastation caused by COVID-19, but also the deadly impacts of climate change and the climate crisis that we are currently facing.

Last week, the people of British Columbia dealt with deadly flooding, which has cost lives, displaced families, and disrupted essential imports.

The effects of climate change are real. They are having a greater impact on our society today, which is code red for humanity. We must all act immediately to ensure that future generations, like my son Noah, have a place to live.

Our government is committed to tackling the climate crisis with even bolder climate action than we have been taking about over the past six years. We will move to cap and cut oil and gas sector emissions, while working to accelerate our path to a net-zero electricity future. We will invest more in greener ways of transportation, while increasing the price on pollution and strengthening disaster mitigation. These are much-needed steps and investments in cities, investments that will create more jobs, clean jobs and green jobs.

As we move toward a greener, cleaner and more inclusive future, we can work to ensure that no more lives are lost over these catastrophic and horrifying effects of the climate crisis. As we work to rebuild our economy, we have to focus on a sustainable and inclusive recovery that continues to support everyone who has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, including women, small businesses, racialized communities and seniors, just to name a few.

Supporting Canadians with important access to accessible and affordable early learning and child care programs will ensure that women and parents are not left behind in our economic recovery. As a mom, I know first-hand the importance of giving a child the best possible start. Prioritizing a Canada-wide early learning and child care system will provide every child with access to affordable early learning and child care. It will help more women get back into the workforce and ease financial burdens that are often placed on families with younger children, especially in the most vulnerable communities.

Last, I want to highlight an issue I spoke about in the House last Wednesday: housing. Tackling the rising costs of living includes ensuring that every Canadian, regardless of how much money they make, has access to a safe and affordable place to call home. Ensuring that Canadians have access to affordable housing is vital as we look toward our economic recovery.

Committing to making life more affordable by helping families buy their first home sooner with the rent-to-own program and improving the first-time home buyer incentive will be crucial for young Canadians in London West, like myself, who dream of owning their first home. Building more housing across the country will increase the affordability of housing. What that means is that we have to work with everyone at all levels of government and with stakeholders. To put it in plain language, we need more Canadians in homes and end this chronic homelessness, which the national housing strategy is set up to do.

I know that this is only a small section of what our government has committed to do. I wanted to talk about those things because those were the things I heard about at doors in London West. Those are the reasons why many of us are sitting here. We have been sent to the House to fight for a future for Canadians, not to fight among ourselves. Let us unite together to serve all Canadians in building a stronger, greener and more inclusive Canada.

I look forward to expanding on this important work and working across the aisles to ensure this happens for Canadians.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Madam Speaker, there has been a lot of discussion about child care in the throne speech and in the speeches about the throne speech. Certainly, it is very important. When I was the chair of the status of women committee, we looked at unpaid work, specifically child care, and we certainly need a variety of options for Canadians.

In 2018, the Liberals had committed to create 40,000 child care spaces and, to my knowledge, that never happened.

What is different about this promise this time?

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Madam Speaker, I want to emphasize the fact that we went into an election with a plan to make child care universally accessible and affordable to every family across Canada. In Ontario, we are still waiting. Women are still waiting to hear from their government on how they will be able to get back to work, how they will be able to save more money so they can continue to raise their families. We are talking about what we are doing for Canadians now. We just came out of an election. We are here now to serve Canadians. Let us work together to ensure child care is affordable to all families.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Madam Speaker, I too congratulate you on your appointment.

My colleague spoke about the environment. How does she explain the fact that the Liberal government has spent more on fossil fuels than the previous Conservative government? I think that there is no such thing as clean oil and that we must reduce our dependence on oil.

Furthermore, there has been a lot of talk lately about the 80% refusal rate for French-speaking temporary students from Africa. This seems unacceptable, and I would like to know what my colleague thinks about that.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Madam Speaker, I will begin by saying that climate change is real: We experienced it during the election campaign, when it was really hot, and we saw how urgently we need to act. I have heard a lot of young Canadians say that they want to have a future and live in this country and on this planet. We need to do something today.

Our climate change plan is clear, and that is why the government was re-elected: to continue taking action to address climate change in Canada. It is true that we have a lot of work to do. That is why we are all here. I hope that my colleague will get involved and help us move forward on what we need to do for Canadians.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, it is with particular joy that I welcome the member from London West to this place. We ran into each in the corridors earlier and remembered that I had met her when she was a young climate activist in 2010 at the Cancun Conference of the Parties.

I did not intend to ask her this question, but I intend to answer the question from the hon. member for Sarnia—Lambton, because I am considerably older than the hon. member for London West. I remember that a Liberal minister named Ken Dryden had signed agreements with every single province and territory to deliver universal child care, which had already been funded in the 2005 budget when Ralph Goodale was finance minister. I am afraid I have a terribly good memory. We lost Kyoto, the Kelowna accord and a universal child care plan when a minority government under Paul Martin was defeated by the Bloc, the Conservatives and the New Democrats. I do not blame them for that now.

I know the cause of making a decision that was so desperately devastating to Kyoto, to child care and to Kelowna. The culprit is our voting system. It is first past the post that creates incentives for good parties to do bad things to get the advantage down the road.

I did not ask my hon. colleague a question. I stand here as something of a relic that remembers things, and I am still angry.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Madam Speaker, I did meet my colleague at COP16 in 2010. I was about 10 years younger than I am today. It is really exciting to see that she is still in the House, still doing the work and still fighting for climate change. I look forward to working with her, her team and everyone else to ensure we deliver on what we promised Canadians we would do.

I want note that our children are watching from home, and they know. I have spoken to children who are Grade 5, Grade 4 and Grade 3, and the number one conversation they want to have with me is around climate change. We have to do more. We have to work together and not kill each other's plans to serve Canadians.

Let us remember that Canadians sent us here to work together to serve them.

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time today with the member for Edmonton Griesbach.

I would first like to take a moment to acknowledge that my riding in Nanaimo—Ladysmith is located on the traditional territories of the Stz'uminus, Snuneymuxw, Snaw-Naw-As and the Lyackson First Nations.

As my first speech in the chamber, I would like to give heartfelt thanks to the people of Nanaimo—Ladysmith for putting their trust in me. Serving them as their member of Parliament is a true honour. I want to give special thanks to my friends, dedicated campaign team and volunteers who worked tirelessly to get me here today. They really did. I wanted to also thank my NDP colleagues for their endless support, day after day, and the member for Burnaby South, who I watch inspire new generations to get involved in the political process. I endeavour to do the same.

I would also like to thank my predecessor, Paul Manly, who worked hard to represent Nanaimo—Ladysmith prior to my being elected. I am grateful for MLA and minister of mental health and addictions, Sheila Malcolmson, and my predecessor Jean Crowder, who both paved the way for me to be here today with all members. Most important, I would like to thank my family and especially my two amazing children, Makayla and Wyatt. There are so many more I would like to thank, but with so little time, I will only say that I am here today because of the support of so many, and I want to thank them.

My riding in Nanaimo—Ladysmith is a beautiful island riding located on the west coast of British Columbia. While I am happy to be here today working on behalf of the people of Nanaimo—Ladysmith, the difficulties being faced by my constituents, as for too many Canadians, are immense. There are many critical issues with which Nanaimo—Ladysmith is dealing. With the time I have, I will focus on just a few of these, but over the coming weeks and months, as we are here together, I hope to talk about and act on the many important issues impacting the constituents of Nanaimo—Ladysmith.

People in Nanaimo—Ladysmith are struggling to find a place to call home. I am hearing from young families that have little hope of ever purchasing their first home, hard-working members of my riding who have lost their homes as a result of job insecurity and seniors, living off low income, struggling to pay rent. I see first-hand the impacts of unaffordable and inaccessible housing in my riding. I am often asked by my constituents, “When did we forget that housing is a basic human right, not a financial commodity for investors.”

I think of a constituent in my riding who talked to me about her recent renoviction from her home. She was left with two options: rent at double the price or become homeless. This constituent's income remained fixed, while her rent doubled, and she is not alone. Constituents in my riding are asking when the government will live up to its promises to provide safe and truly affordable housing to Canadians in the communities where they live and work.

I hear daily in my riding stories of people unable to make ends meet as a result of the cost of living and housing. Nobody should have to choose between having food in their fridge or a roof over their heads.

As the costs of housing continue to increase, so does the number of people in my riding experiencing homelessness. In Nanaimo's 2020 point-in-time count, for example, that was completed prior to the COVID lockdown, homelessness had increased almost 150% in the previous four years, and the COVID pandemic has just made this situation worse. Almost one-third of the unhoused population counted identified as being first nations, Métis or of indigenous ancestry. Now more than ever, we need to work alongside indigenous communities to develop housing for indigenous people and with indigenous people.

We know the overrepresentation of indigenous people among Nanaimo—Ladysmith's unhoused population is the result of over 150 years of systemic racism. The ongoing discovery of unmarked graves of indigenous children is but one example of the attempted genocide of indigenous peoples. Unfortunately, acts of racism continue today. Just one example in my riding of Nanaimo—Ladysmith is the continued overrepresentation of indigenous youth and children in the foster care system. A history of stripping indigenous people of their land, culture, language and community has taken its toll, and such racist acts continue today.

Thankfully, there are organizations in my riding doing great work. For example, Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre in my riding is one of them. It has been providing essential services to urban indigenous people for over 50 years, picking up the pieces as a result of federal inaction for too long. The calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission need to be more than just words on paper. Despite the promises made to indigenous people, the government is still taking indigenous children to court and failing to ensure indigenous communities have access to safe drinking water. It has yet to implement the calls for justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

People in Nanaimo—Ladysmith are seeing first-hand the impacts of the climate crisis. Through the summer, British Columbians faced some of the worst drought conditions and hottest days ever recorded in the province's history. From one extreme to the next, British Columbia is now experiencing some of the worst flooding ever seen. Those most impacted by flooding in Nanaimo—Ladysmith are the indigenous nations. The challenges already faced by the first nations in my riding have only been compounded by the rising waters. Homes that were already insufficient in number and in much need of repair now also have significant flood damages.

Inadequate and delayed supports are not what these nations or other British Columbians impacted by the floods need from the government. I am hearing loud and clear from the constituents of Nanaimo—Ladysmith that if we are going to protect the planet, not just for people today but for the next generation, we must act now. We need to do whatever it takes to limit the impacts of the climate crisis, to build more resilient communities and to transition to a clean energy future where workers are not left behind.

We know the Liberal government spends over $4.8 billion each year on subsidies to fossil fuel companies. We need to end these subsidies now, and instead invest these billions in just, sustainable, renewable energy sources. We must have the courage to act today to fight the climate crisis. We need our actions to match the scale and urgency of this crisis. Too many young people, including my own children, tell me that they are fearful for their futures. We need to do better; all our futures depend on it.

While constituents in Nanaimo—Ladysmith feel the impacts of the climate crisis and a housing crisis, my riding is also suffering through an opioid crisis. Too many family members, friends and neighbours have tragically lost their lives in the opioid crisis. How many more lives need to be lost before we start taking this opioid crisis seriously? Not only was there no mention of the opioid crisis in the throne speech, but ongoing inaction has resulted in over 1,500 deaths in British Columbia and 39 in Nanaimo alone. Constituents in Nanaimo—Ladysmith want and deserve action on the opioid crisis now.

As a coastal member of Parliament and my party's critic for fisheries and oceans, I am deeply concerned about the wild salmon population and the effect the recent flooding has had on it. The Liberals' speech failed to promise the critical investment and awareness that is desperately needed to save this species, which is in critical shape. I will continue to push the government for this help, and will work with first nations communities, provinces and territories to address this crisis.

Again, while this is by no means an exhaustive list of the issues I have heard on the doorsteps in Nanaimo—Ladysmith, I am committed to working as hard as I can for the people in my communities across Nanaimo—Ladysmith and all communities across Canada. This Parliament should be larger than the sum of its parts, and I want to see us act like it. We are facing such critical challenges and need to work together to overcome them.

[Ken Hardie, Liberal, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Madam Speaker, it is excellent to see you in the chair again.

We have been hearing an awful lot about housing prices and the impacts of various things on housing prices, especially in Vancouver and Toronto. Has the member given any thought to the impact of foreign money coming into the country illegally, perhaps through criminal organizations, that is basically distorting the housing market in metro Vancouver and in other places across Canada?

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Madam Speaker, we know that we need to be addressing the price of housing. I speak to constituents day after day, and too many are unable to afford the housing prices and to be able to make ends meet. It is not just about purchasing a home but also renting a home. The options are few and far between. There are so many things that we could be doing, including co-operatives and various styles of housing to make housing available for all. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to move in this direction.

We need to have a strong plan in place. One thing missing from the throne speech was a plan for indigenous people, by indigenous people to develop an indigenous housing strategy. We are seeing so many indigenous people who are unable to access the homes that they deserve and need.

I thank the member for the question, and I hope we get a chance to work together to solve the problem of housing.

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Madam Speaker, I congratulate you on your appointment. It is great to see you in the chair.

Congratulations to the member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith. It is fantastic to hear her comments about working together.

My question relates to housing, which is a big problem in the Bay of Quinte and, of course, the whole country. It is a problem in every single one of our municipalities and every single one of our regions.

On the topic of working together, would the member agree with our plan and working with the Conservatives? The message is that it is a problem of supply right now; it is the biggest problem. We cannot have more cheap cash. We need to make sure that we are working with municipalities, provinces and across all of our regions to ensure that we have more supply built as fast as possible in order to fix this problem once and for all.

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Madam Speaker, my mind immediately goes to what I am hearing from constituents, which is that we need to be focusing on the affordability of housing and not just keep building houses for the ultrarich who can afford them when we do not have housing options for others.

There are so many who are being left behind. If we continue to supply these houses for only the ultrarich, then we are seeing that those on lower incomes, those looking for co-operative housing options and those looking for rental options are not getting the housing that they need and deserve.

The plan being put forward by the Conservatives, unfortunately, misses the mark as far the need for housing is concerned. If we are going to be fighting to increase housing for people at all different levels of income, we can continue the conversation, but we do not need more houses for the ultrarich. The ultrarich are already housed.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Madam Speaker, I commend my NDP colleague who did a great job on her inaugural speech.

The throne speech was rather vague about what the government is actually proposing to do on the indigenous file, despite the minister’s claims. For example, it did not set out any proposed investments for first nations housing in Quebec.

My colleague will learn that the Bloc Québécois is not necessarily the troublemaker that it is made out to be. The Bloc Québécois is a party that likes to work co-operatively. We have many worthwhile proposals, which include ways to solve the housing shortage, particularly in first nations communities.

We also propose to work with business owners to bring more indigenous workers into the labour force as a way to help address the labour shortage and create wealth in communities.

I would like to hear my colleague’s thoughts on this Bloc Québécois proposal.

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the acknowledgement of the lack of commitment to follow through with our promises made to indigenous people. I surely hope that we can work together to develop better solutions for our indigenous communities.

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Madam Speaker, I first want to thank my constituents in Edmonton Griesbach. I am truly honoured and so proud to have the opportunity to serve Edmonton Griesbach in this 44th Canadian Parliament and to represent the many communities that make our district great. I will never take this opportunity for granted.

I also want to acknowledge that we are gathered here on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin people. I want to especially thank Shannon Chief of the Algonquin nation who welcomed me during the swearing-in ceremony. It meant a tremendous amount to me to have that relationship with the Algonquin people.

I am honoured to be the first openly two-spirit member of Parliament elected to this chamber. As a young indigenous queer person, I know that representation matters. Since being elected, I have received countless messages from young, indigenous and queer folks in my riding and beyond. Many shared touching stories about their lives and how important seeing my election was for them, to finally see themselves in government and to finally see themselves represented in this body.

I am honoured they shared their stories with me and I hope to bring their voices and perspectives to this chamber, because the truth is that someone like myself is not expected to be here. The fact that the residents of Edmonton Griesbach chose a queer brown kid from their streets to send me here still surprises me today. The fact that I survived and am here is a surprise at all in Canada. I am a kid who grew up in the Fishing Lake Métis Settlement, often one of the most forgotten and underserved communities in our country. I am here because of the strength of that community and the proud people who make that community great. I am proud to be bringing their stories here today.

I am also in the chamber as an intergenerational survivor of the horrific residential school system and Canada's sixties scoop policy. To my kokum, my uncles, all the survivors and the many lost children, we remember them. I am here because of my birth mother Brenda, herself a victim of the sixties scoop, made the brave decision to call for support, saving me from the child welfare system, allowing me to grow up in my community with my culture, language, people, but, most importantly, my family, something indigenous people have been deprived of in this country. Not always having much, we always had each other, a gift that so many still today take for granted.

[Member spoke in Cree as follows:]

Kinanaskomtinawaw Packchi-wanis.

[English]

As indigenous people, we need to expect better from our government and our leaders. We must ensure change is made. We must ensure we never allow these kinds of injustices to happen again. I hope my presence in this chamber can help bring us closer on our journey toward reconciliation, though I fear this throne speech does little toward that goal. For a government of over six years that says good words, but does not deliver on those words, that does not show up when it matters, this only breeds cynicism, not reconciliation. This needs to change if we hope to move forward as a country.

Nor does this throne speech do much to support those in my home district of Edmonton Griesbach. It will do little to make the lives better on the ground in my communities. We are a district made up of strong, vibrant communities, a working-class district, a diverse district with one of the largest urban indigenous populations in Canada and home to some of the largest populations of new Canadians, but also a district with struggles. It has seen some of the highest child poverty rates in the country and is home to many of the unhoused in Edmonton, a number growing steadily. In many ways, we are a district in crisis: a housing crisis, an opioid crisis, a district seeing an alarming increase in hate crimes, especially towards hijab-wearing Muslim women, a district still feeling the impacts of the ongoing pandemic.

These are some of the concerns I hear on the doorsteps again and again, yet this throne speech does little to address these issues. On housing there has been much talk by the government, but action is needed. Unhoused populations in Edmonton have doubled. Unhoused residents in my community are struggling, just as they were before, and even more now. The throne speech makes no commitment on “for indigenous, by indigenous” housing, something the Liberals have promised for generations now. I was born in the 1990s and this was promised before then.

It is not solving the housing crisis we face in Edmonton Griesbach or across the country. Winter is here. It is cold, and we must do more now.

There was no mention of the long-promised pharmacare or of dental care. Over and over on the doorsteps, I heard stories of those who could not afford their medication or who had to choose between food, housing and other needs just to pay their medical bills. Pharmacare is so desperately needed. It would change lives, and it would save lives. We know this. The government knows this. The government's own report shows this.

Canadians support pharmacare. They need it, which is why the Liberals have campaigned on the issue time and again. The fact that we see no action to implement pharmacare, and no mention of it in the throne speech, is simply unacceptable. It is offensive to my constituents who deserve better. The government must do better.

Climate action, good jobs and a just transition for workers are other critical issues ignored by the throne speech. Many in my district are still struggling to find employment. Those who rely on existing employment insurance are frustrated because the throne speech does nothing to help them. Many are worried about what the future might bring as the world continues to transition away from non-renewable resources. They have worked hard. I know that. I am a former oil and gas worker. They want to see a future that is possible for them and one that they are included in. They want to know that there will be good jobs in Alberta and in Edmonton for many years ahead.

The Liberals campaigned on a just transition for workers. They promised to involve them in creating plans, because there can be no justice without involving those impacted by this transition. There can be no successful climate action without involving workers, yet this throne speech does nothing to ensure good jobs or a just transition for workers in my constituency. Again, nice words are not enough. We need to see action. We need to create good jobs.

In addition, this speech does not recognize the long-standing blood donation ban that has stopped countless queer folks, including myself, from giving blood. This is something the Liberals made promises on, campaigned on and even raised money on, but we continue to wait for action.

Overall, this throne speech does little and says little. At a mere 24 pages, it is one of the shortest in recent history. There is no mention of the issues that matter most to the people I represent in Edmonton Griesbach. After decades of broken promises, including on affordable child care, I was pleased to finally see this happening in the throne speech; however, much work remains to have this be fully realized. It would do little to make life better for those I represent. People in my district feel left behind.

It makes one wonder why we had an election at all, if the government was going to come back with so little. However, I am here to do a job. I am here to represent my constituents in Edmonton Griesbach and bring their voices to Parliament, and I am proud to be their voice. I will continue to push the government to keep its promises, and I will continue to push it to do better. It is what my constituents expect, and it is what Canadians deserve.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, many believe that in order to achieve the type of pharmacare that Canadians want, we have to have the provinces on board with it. I am sure the member can appreciate why that is the case, given the jurisdiction and the importance of the issue.

In the September 2020 throne speech, there was a commitment by the federal government to partner with willing provinces. The will is there to move forward. We saw the will to move forward with child care and the take-up. As a result, Canadians are benefiting. The national government provides the leadership and hopefully provinces will come onside to recognize that and work together.

Could the member provide his thoughts on whether he believes it is important that we work with provincial jurisdictions to make some of these possibilities turn into realities?

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Madam Speaker, it is possible. We have seen governments work across many jurisdictions, including my jurisdiction in Alberta, to bring in something like child care. The very ideologically opposed parties that are represented in this government have actually been able to make a deal on this. I am encouraged by the government's ability to make that happen, but it was long overdue.

Many families lost decades' worth of funding, preventing their children who are now grown from having that opportunity. I simply want to make sure that the government acts quickly so that we do not repeat the mistakes we made in implementing such a delayed child care program. We need to act now on pharmacare. It is a matter of life and death for some people. Coming from a place that works with many reserves, for example, we see the rights to drug coverage for them not going far enough. We need to see some tangible commitments and action on introducing pharmacare and I think there is—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I do have to allow for other questions.

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Sarnia—Lambton.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Madam Speaker, because he is an indigenous person, I am interested in the member's opinion on something. I have been sitting here since 2015, listening to the government talk about the most important relationship being the nation-to-nation relationship, and how it was going to get rid of boil water advisories and do a murdered and missing aboriginal women thing. The reality is now that Liberals just want to consult for boil water advisories, and there is no action on the murdered and missing aboriginal women.

There has been very slow progress on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations, and then the Prime Minister went off to Tofino on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. I am disappointed and I feel it has hurt our ability to work toward reconciliation with first nations people. Could the member comment on behalf of his constituents?