Mr. Speaker, I would like to start my maiden speech by thanking my family, my wonderful team in Winnipeg Centre, my campaign team and, of course, the wonderful constituents of Winnipeg Centre, who have blessed me with the honour of serving them in the House.
Today I am here to make some remarks about the throne speech, a throne speech that builds the economy on the backs of people while lining the pockets of corporations, lining the pockets of developers, and cutting departments and services for communities most in need. We know that the Liberals are close allies with big corporations, and we are seeing that in real time. They plan to cut public spending: day-to-day government spending and the government's operating budget. Yes, it has been growing by 9% every year, and I know that the government is planning to introduce measures to bring it below 2%.
I am not saying that we do not need to cut government waste, particularly the amount of waste by the Liberals' high-paid consultant class, so if those are the cuts the current Prime Minister is talking about, I am 100% in favour. However, who is going to fall victim to the cuts, especially because Canada has made a promise to increase military spending to 2%? Where is that money going to come from?
Certainly the Prime Minister has not indicated that the money is going to come from taxing big corporations or putting in place an excess profits tax to make up for the economic deficit. Therefore my question becomes this: Where is he going to cut? The Prime Minister, in fact up until yesterday, after he was forced through a motion, refused to provide a budget prior to rising in the spring.
That has forced some of us, including me, to make sense of it just based on observation, and this is what I have observed: Youth, seniors, women and gender equality, labour, mental health and addictions, disability, and diversity and equity are positions all cut from the Prime Minister's cabinet. There is only a Secretary of State for Seniors, and not one minister, to represent a large aging population. It is only a secretary of state, who is not privy to sitting at the cabinet table, and we know that the economic gap for seniors is in fact widening.
This is particularly true for members of the disability community, a ministry that the government has cut, where it has failed. Time and time again, the Liberal government has failed to provide a benefit that would allow the disability community to live in dignity. Let us not forget the Prime Minister's initial cutting of the minister of women and gender equality position in the middle of a crisis of gender-based violence that some cities have called an epidemic. Only after over 400 women's organizations came forward with complaints did the Prime Minister choose to reinstate the Minister for Women and Gender Equality, which she has the onus to share as the Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism.
It is not a priority for the current government, when gender equality is under attack.
Let us not forget the fact that the Prime Minister cut the minister of labour position at a time when things are becoming harder and harder for workers, including workers at Canada Post. I was very honoured to attend their rally on Saturday to fight and to put pressure on the government to hold up, lift up, their rights as workers and lift up their rights of unions. Let us hope the Liberal government is not again trying to push in backdoor, back-to-work legislation, taking away the right to strike. Collective bargaining and the rights of unions and union workers are clearly not a priority for the government.
The only thing the government has in fact been clear on is nation-building projects that will be built on the back, and off the lands, territories and resources, of indigenous people. It is looking at quickening the process, looking at getting rid of environmental assessments. The Prime Minister has stated that he will uphold Canada's world-leading environmental standards and constitutional obligations; he has said that even though he plans to fast-track and get rid of environmental assessments at a time when places in Manitoba and places in Saskatchewan are burning to the ground. Places in B.C., like Lytton, were burned to the ground.
Even though he mentions consultations with indigenous peoples, the Prime Minister gives no details on how the government will do those. With the experiences we know, as first nations, with the government, we know this is another empty gesture from the Liberals. In fact, FSIN chief, Bobby Cameron, said, “The Prime Minister and Premiers [at the latest meetings] will be making decisions about our traditional territory without our voices at the table despite the fact Saskatchewan is First Nation ancestral and traditional lands. This continues the colonial pattern of excluding First Nations from decisions that directly affect our people and our lands.”
AFN chief, Cindy Woodhouse, said, in regard to the fast-tracking of national projects, that it “suggests a serious threat to First Nations exercise of Treaty rights, inherent rights, title and jurisdiction.” She said, “‘free, prior and informed consent’ must be obtained before any major infrastructure and energy projects move ahead.”
Let us not forget that in the province of Quebec with the James Bay Cree, the federal government is also bound to uphold treaties that have been made, agreements that have been made, with the James Bay Cree to uphold their rights to proper consultation.
The Prime Minister is fast-tracking projects, with no environmental plan, leaving people who were already falling between the cracks without a voice in his government. I am glad we were able to push the government to put forward at least a budget, because I am ready, along with my NDP colleagues, to hold the government to account on its failure to women and gender-diverse people, workers, labour, seniors, the disability community, and diversity and equity initiatives that are part of the Canadian identity.