Debates of June 11th, 2025

Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates (A), 2025-26

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Conservative, John Nater]

The hon. member.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Chair, is the minister aware of the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women report titled “Responding to the Calls for Justice: Addressing Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls in the Context of Resource Development Projects”, yes or no?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, I am aware that it exists, and I will certainly look at it after this meeting.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Chair, is the minister aware that this report and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls called on the government to hold resource extraction companies accountable for violence against indigenous women and girls occurring around resource extraction projects or in “man camps”, temporary villages that are set up to house workers?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, as I said before, indigenous consultation is at the centre of the one Canadian economy bill. We are committed to indigenous consultation and to working on economic reconciliation with all first nations.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Chair, the minister seems to be totally absent and not to understand the issue of gender-based violence. He has not taken any of those factors into account.

Moving forward, would Bill C-5 put in place measures to hold resource companies accountable in cases where workers perpetrate violence against indigenous women and girls, or is that still off his radar?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, that seems like an issue around law enforcement, which is a very important issue, but it is not part of the main estimates.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Chair, the minister has been very clear that safety for communities where resource extraction occurs is a non-issue.

Is the minister aware that modern land claim agreements provide for environmental assessment and review procedures that require direct indigenous involvement and participation, yes or no?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, as I said, indigenous consultation is at the centre of the one Canadian economy act. We will be consulting with first nations. We take our duties to first nations extremely seriously.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Chair, is the minister aware that Bill C-5 would usurp the authority of modern land claim agreements and legally transfer that authority to ministers in cabinet, without the consent of indigenous signatories?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, I disagree with that assertion. The member will have an opportunity to debate that in the House of Commons.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Chair, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement provides for multiple environmental assessments and review processes. Has the minister received consent from the Grand Council of the Crees and Cree Nation Government in the creation of the bill, yes or no?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, the bill creates the framework; actual projects get consent.

Our government is committed to building projects in an environmentally responsible way in consultation with indigenous peoples—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Conservative, John Nater]

The hon. member.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Chair, any sort of shift within the Constitution, which the bill does, requires consent.

Moving on, does the minister agree that the government must uphold its constitutional obligations set out in treaties, yes or no?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, yes, we do.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Chair, does the minister agree that infringing upon constitutional obligations will result in projects ending up in court rather than resulting in the creation of jobs, yes or no?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, I disagree with the assertion the member is making. The consultation process that we are laying out will lead to the quicker approval of projects, projects that get done on time and on budget—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Conservative, John Nater]

The hon. member.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Chair, the minister clearly does not understand the concept of free, prior and informed consent, meaning that the consultation has to occur prior to decisions being made, including in the development of a bill.

Moving forward, does the minister agree that the ability of the minister and cabinet to throw out the Impact Assessment Act procedure is overreaching at a time when we are seeing an increase in extreme weather events, yes or no?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, I will read the fifth criteria for the hon. member: “Contribute to clean growth and to Canada’s objectives with respect to climate change.”

We will honour our obligations with respect to climate change.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Chair, what is consensus?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Chair, in Saskatoon, the Prime Minister and the premiers all agreed that these would be the five criteria we use.

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Chair, Premier Eby said that there would be no new pipelines through B.C. Does the minister agree with this, yes or no?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Chair, at the first nations meeting 10 days ago, there was consensus to advance projects of national interest. Our government will work with the premiers, indigenous peoples and the private sector to get projects—