Debates of Dec. 7th, 2021

Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, of course we will always be there to help vulnerable Palestinians. We would rather see them sitting in classrooms in schools that are funded by United Nations organizations than in the streets fighting. That is exactly why we want to make sure we continue to support UNRWA.

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Madam Chair, the minister surely must be aware of what she is saying, because the school materials are teaching these young, vulnerable Palestinian children how to hate Jews.

Will Canada stop providing dollars to UNRWA, given that these materials literally teach young Palestinian children to be anti-Semites?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, my colleague must rest assured that we will always be there to denounce any form of anti-Semitism. Of course, we expect neutrality from UNRWA when it comes to the education and schooling material offered to vulnerable kids in Palestine.

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Madam Chair, it is clear that the minister is not getting neutrality. In fact, I wish the government would do what the EU is doing and put its money where its mouth is.

In September, because of these very concerns about the school materials, the European Union made its UNRWA funding conditional on immediate changes to the Palestinian school curriculum to promote coexistence with Israel. If such changes are not made by early 2022, EU funds will go to NGOs that promote coexistence. Canada could have been a leader on this.

Will the minister's government follow the European Union's lead?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, my colleague referred to neutrality because I referred to neutrality earlier. I want to reassure him, because our funding allowed UNRWA to have a neutrality coordinator, who leads initiatives, responds to allegations and upholds UNRWA's neutrality. Of course, our funding, which is relevant and necessary, must be conditional on neutrality principles, and that is how we are upholding them.

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Madam Chair, I hate to inform the minister again, but it is not happening. She should follow up with her contacts and make sure it is.

I want to ask about the appointment of the honourable Irwin Cotler as Canada’s special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combatting anti-Semitism.

What specific government resources have been allocated to the envoy to ensure that he can fulfill his mandate, which was recently renewed?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, I am glad my colleague is raising the incredible work of my personal friend, Irwin Cotler, who is a proud Montrealer and very strong advocate against any form of anti-Semitism. He is a bridge-builder between the Jewish community and many other communities. I had the chance to have a good chat with him two weeks ago. He came to my office. Obviously, we will support him in all his endeavours.

[Marty Morantz, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB]

Madam Chair, he is an excellent appointment, but the minister did not answer the question. Has the envoy received any resources, funds, offices or support staff from the Government of Canada?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, he does and will continue to do so. Meanwhile, following the meeting we had at GAC, he also had the chance to meet with another of his great friends, Prime Minister Trudeau, who again restated the importance of Irwin Cotler's work as a peace-builder.

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I want to remind the hon. member that she is not to mention the first or last names of individuals who sit in this House.

Debate, the hon. Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Madam Chair, hello, kwe, tansi, unusakut.

I want to start this speech by acknowledging that we are here today on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people. I am pleased to be here with my colleagues today to discuss the 2021-22 supplementary estimates (B) for the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.

Joining me today from the department is my deputy minister, Daniel Quan-Watson. He is not in the House with deputy Lucas, but he is here, in any event, in the corridors, passing me messages furiously as the case may be.

Having spent two years as Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, where we as a cabinet faced daily what is, let us hope, a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, I look forward to continuing this work as Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. This department is at the forefront of Canada's efforts to re-establish a nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown and government-to-government relationship between Canada, first nations, Inuit and Métis.

We are also changing the way we work within the department in partnership with indigenous peoples, in order to better support communities across the country as they assert their right to self-determination. This work is critical to building a new type of relationship with indigenous peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership.

The 2021-22 supplementary estimates (B) include investments of over one billion dollars toward key initiatives that are priorities for our government. Of that amount, $973.9 million is for Crown-Indigenous relations and $57.5 million is attributed to Northern Affairs. The majority of these funds for Crown-Indigenous relations will be used to settle claims and litigation, to support infrastructure projects in indigenous communities, and to implement the federal pathway to address missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. We have made these areas a priority and have dedicated substantial resources to supporting them.

Resolving and settling claims that involve historic grievances of wrongs committed by the Crown is at the heart of our mandate, and as a department it is our goal to do so in a respectful manner and in equal partnership across the negotiating table. These claims need to be addressed for us to move forward together. They can often relate to lands that were appropriated by settlers and that hold sacred meaning for indigenous communities. Returning land is essential for communities to make their own plans according to their priorities.

Settling litigation outside the courts, especially class actions related to historic harms committed against indigenous children, is essential to address the legacy of colonial policies and the ongoing unwritten chapter in taking meaningful steps toward reconciliation with those who continue to feel the impacts.

Too many indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people are still being harmed today, and we must continue to do everything we can to stop that now. We are accelerating the work with indigenous partners in provinces and territories to address this national tragedy. The federal pathway is our government's response to the final report of the national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. It is also part of a national action plan launched this year with partners to address this important issue.

The federal pathway is key to restoring a sense of justice for those who have been lost and have gone missing, for those who have survived, and for families and healing for communities. Our government will continue to work with partners on our collective way forward to address the root causes of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. This includes strengthening relationships with indigenous partners and provincial and territorial governments to bring accountability to this work and accountability for the Government of Canada to uphold this role in Canadian society.

More especially in regard to the claims, the $412.2 million that is already allocated to the specific claims settlement fund will be reprofiled in 2022-23. This will ensure that these funds continue to be available for the payment of compensation to first nations under specific claims settlements while concluding the outstanding legal obligations of the federal government.

As the pace of negotiations is directly defined by the priorities of each community and group, it is difficult to predict exactly when they will be completed, but it is the need of this government to accelerate things.

The fund was specifically set up with the flexibility to adapt to the evolving time frames of negotiations so that money not spent in a particular year can be moved to a future year, as needed.

The supplementary estimates (B) also provide $211.2 million to support the Gottfriedson day scholar settlement. Through this settlement, Canada will provide $10,000 to each eligible survivor class member for the experience of attending a residential school during the day. This settlement includes a $50-million fund to the day school revitalization society, which will be a survivor-led organization focusing on healing, wellness, education, language, culture and commemoration activities. Funding sought will include administration and legal costs, obviously for the settlement.

The supplementary estimates (B) also include $3 million to support the government's ongoing commitment to resolving indigenous childhood claims litigation outside of the courts. The estimates this year provide $231.4 million of new funding for the distinctions-based indigenous community infrastructure fund announced in budget 2021. The goal of this fund is to contribute to the closing of the infrastructure gap in indigenous communities by 2030, along with other ministries tasked with closing that gap.

This funding also aims to advance self-determination and self-governance, create good jobs and build healthier, safer and more prosperous indigenous communities. It will support the essential indigenous-led infrastructure and development needs specifically of Inuit, Métis, self-governing and modern treaty nations and northern indigenous communities.

I am thankful for the opportunity to share the important work that Crown-Indigenous Relations carries out. What we are doing is important for so many indigenous communities across this country, from addressing the root causes of violence against indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people to settling land claims and closing infrastructure gaps. These activities will build stronger, safer and healthier indigenous communities from coast to coast to coast.

I look forward to answering any questions the House may have.

Meegwetch. Nakurmiik. Marsi cho.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Madam Chair, I would like to thank the minister for all he has been doing over the last two years. I know it has been a very trying two years.

He elaborated a bit on some of the investments in the supplementary estimates (B), and I want to give him an opportunity to elaborate a little more on some of the requirements and needs of indigenous communities in terms of mental health supports, given what we have seen over the past couple of years. Can he forecast what we will need this next fiscal year in terms of supporting indigenous, Métis and Inuit communities?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Madam Chair, I would first like to thank the member for her question.

Of course, the impact of mental health issues is doubly harmful because of the pandemic. The opioid crisis has hit hard across the country, especially in western Canada on the west Coast. Unfortunately, mental health is something we are not very comfortable talking about as individuals and as a government.

Fortunately, budget 2021 allocated $500 million to address this issue. Of course, two of the most serious consequences of mental health issues are suicide and the opioid crisis. This can be seen everywhere. This has been particularly true during the pandemic, and the funds we invested in community support will be renewed year after year to—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Order. The hon. member for Whitby.

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

Madam Chair, indigenous communities have long asked for restitution of land and recognition of rights in Canada. After being sworn in, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations stated, “It's time to give land back.” Dispossession by settlers contributes to economic inequality and racial discrimination against indigenous peoples.

Could the minister update the House on work to return stolen land to indigenous communities, including settling land claims and implementing self-government agreements?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Madam Chair, as the member can appreciate, this is not a question that can be answered in a very easy 30 seconds. Clearly, in the work we look at, we state that the relationship is defined by land, has been broken by land and is restituted by land. However, it is not easy to fix from the sole perspective of the federal government. It involves individuals, municipalities and provinces, especially divisions between provincial Crown land and federal Crown land.

Clearly there is work to be done squarely within this department to be a little more creative in how we settle claims. In some cases, where lands cannot be restituted, funds have to be given and appropriated in the proper fashion to communities. That has to be accelerated, and clearly the additional work for reserves has to be done in a better way. This is something we are working on—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Whitby.

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

Madam Chair, I want to thank the minister for his leadership and commitment to giving stolen lands back. The commitment our government made to lift all long-term drinking water advisories and ensure clean water for first nations on reserve is one of the most important promises we have made. We have made substantial progress, but there is still lots of work to do.

The most recent PBO report stated that the government has set aside enough funding to meet the expected capital costs to build water and waste-water systems over the next five years. Could you please provide an update on the state of this funding and current drinking water advisories across Canada?

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I will not do that, but I will ask the minister to do it.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Madam Chair, I am quite happy to announce that I was recently made aware of the lifting of a long-term water advisory in Whitedog First Nation, or Wabaseemoong. That brings us up to about 120. Let us recall that there were a little over 100 in place when we came into power in 2015. We need to stay steadfast in remedying this, and we have made the investments.

We have also settled a historic piece of litigation that provides for restitution and money to the communities that have suffered from not having clean water, and have forward investments of several billions of dollars to have a document that can be brought before the courts that is enforceable. We expect that to be settled quite quickly. It will ensure that not only the investments we have made as the government as a policy measure are there, but the commitments we made to first nations are there for the future regardless of government.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Chair, previously I talked about the importance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the 94 calls to action. I remember when the minister was sitting right beside me, he was one of the first, if not the first, minister to speak Ojibway inside the House of Commons.

I know the preservation of indigenous languages is important to him. I am wondering if he could provide his thoughts with regard to indigenous languages and how important it is that the government supports them.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Madam Chair, the name for Ojibway in Mohawk is [Member spoke in Mohawk], and that was the language I was speaking at the time. It was a 30-second speech to the House. Obviously this is not my language. It is something I have had a lot of support in learning. It has very little to do with me and is really about assisting communities in regaining their identities, which governments such as ours have been instrumental in stripping from them through, for example, residential schools.

As a Quebecker, obviously I know that language is at the heart of identity, and for indigenous communities this is equally so if not more so, given the precarious state of the languages across the country. There are over 90 dialects and languages, if we rely on the census.

This is something we have to keep investing in. We have made historic investments, but it requires investments across Canada from the provinces and territories as well so that we can work with communities to regain identity and culture, which are so important for reconciliation.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Chair, we passed legislation to have a statutory holiday at the end of September, and I believe the Province of Manitoba is now looking at doing something of a similar nature, recognizing the same date.

I am wondering if my colleague could provide his thoughts with regard to the important role Ottawa plays in providing leadership. Things like passing legislation to enact a statutory holiday are a positive step toward reconciliation.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Madam Chair, indeed that is an important day for us to reflect on the legacy, particularly these days, of residential schools. It is a day for all of us to focus on. We would encourage the provinces and territories to adopt that day as well. This is a moment for all Canadians to reflect, not just indigenous people, and to let the voices of indigenous people speak and resonate throughout the day and obviously the rest of the year. This year our focus has been on allowing a space for indigenous voices to be heard, and we should continue to do so in the coming years.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Madam Chair, I would like to inform you that I intend to use all my time to debate with the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the minister and her cabinet colleagues for participating in this exercise, which is fundamental to the system of responsible government that was hard-won by the Patriotes of Lower Canada and the Reformers of Upper Canada. I thank her very much for participating in this fundamental exercise of accountability.

In the supplementary estimates (B), we see that $375 million will be allocated to developing countries to make it easier for them to access COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tools. How will that $375 million that we heard about a few months ago be distributed? Will it be by means of direct transfers to certain countries and, if so, to which ones? Will this happen through COVAX or the ACT- Accelerator initiative?