Len Taylor

[The Environment, June 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago in this House was tabled the report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development that called for a commissioner of the environment and sustainable development to be established and for the expansion of the Auditor General's role to include environmental auditing.

I am very pleased to support the work of the environment committee in developing this report, work that I had been engaged in during the sittings of this committee as well as in the previous Parliament as a member with environmental responsibilities.

I commend the report to the Minister of the Environment. I ask that she review this carefully and bring forward legislation into this House that would put into practice the recommendations of the committee.

[Yukon First Nations Self-Government Act, June 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, not wishing to delay the discussion at all, I will be very brief in my question.

While listening to the hon. member's comments I could not help but think about the treatment of aboriginal people over the years since the settlers and the immigrants arrived on the shores of North America. The member is committed to the words he has chosen to use, the words of equality and citizenship, very important words for a minority but very difficult words for the majority.

Could he tell us when in Canadian history these words spoken by non-aboriginal people came to have such strength? I think about the days when the treaties were being signed and the community leaders were being asked to participate in an economy that was being built in Canada. The chiefs and the community leaders at the time when aboriginal peoples' lands were being removed from them were saying to the people they were negotiating with that they were prepared to work in equal partnerships with the immigrants and the settlers, that they were prepared to share the resources of the land, that they were prepared to share what they had for 6,000 to 10,000 years with those new to their shores.

Within a very brief period of time or 100 and some years in the country most of the sharing the aboriginal people engaged in has disappeared and the Reform Party and others are now saying that we are all equal and all live as citizens in one country, a country that was created to suit the needs of the immigrants and the settlers.

Could the member tell me at what point in our history the words changed from those being spoken by the chiefs and community leaders to those now being spoken by immigrant representatives?

[Yukon First Nations Self-Government Act, June 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I will be brief. I have three brief questions that I will put to the member.

He talked about speaking to the non-aboriginal people in his constituency. I wonder if he has spoken to aboriginal people in his constituency and can he tell the House what the aboriginal people in his constituency are saying.

Second, in his remarks he addressed the question of not liking the inherent right to self-government included in the legislation. Does this mean that he does not believe at all in the inherent right to self-government in this legislation?

Third, he uses the Constitution of Canada as a basis for most of his arguments in his speech today. I am wondering in terms of the consultative process that occurred in this country if he would recognize that when the constitution was written prior to 1867 and agreed to by the parties that there were no aboriginal people at the table.

[Yukon First Nations Self-Government Act, June 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, again I think the member has things a bit backwards here. I recommend that he have a look at the agreements reached in Yukon with regard to the legislation we are trying to implement today.

First, we are not talking about treaties in the case of this agreement. Second, one part of the agreement does away with the provisions of the Indian Act which have caused many of the problems in the past.

We recognize that over the years federal government policy and other policies developed by provincial and territorial governments have actually removed the aboriginal rights to the land and the benefits the land provides. Those rights have been encroached upon by others who had no claim on them. The agreement recognizes those rights were encroached upon to begin with and returns them to where they rightfully belonged in the first place.

I do not accept the premise of the hon. member's question at all. I certainly wish he would study the issue a lot more closely.

[Yukon First Nations Self-Government Act, June 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question. I cannot agree with many of the comments my friend and colleague from the southern part of Saskatchewan has put on the table today. I do not believe that anything could be further from the truth than segregating people by this legislation.

If the member for Swift Current-Maple Creek-Assiniboia would look carefully at the agreements that have been signed, he would realize this is an integration of aboriginal people into full participation in the economy of Yukon. We are not just talking about the equalities of people. We are also talking about equality of opportunity for all people.

We have to find a way in which the aboriginal people, not only of Yukon but all across Canada who in his words want to be self-reliant, hard working and proud, can participate in an economy that has been denied them for many years because of policies of previous federal governments. The treaties signed in other parts of the country have actually reduced the ability of our aboriginal people to participate in the economy as equal partners in the way in which they deserve to be treated.

We have to find ways, as this agreement has done, to bring together equality of opportunity. That is a more important question than the one the member asked.

[Yukon First Nations Self-Government Act, June 9th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak on Bill C-34 which is before the House today. The legislation allows for implementation of the land claims agreement entered into by the Government of Canada, the government of Yukon territory and a number of

First Nations residing within Yukon territory. I am pleased because this is very important legislation that was a long time in coming and that deserves the full support of every member of this House including, I would hope, the member from Capilano-Howe Sound who just spoke.

I am disturbed by some of the remarks that I have just heard. I would simply say in prefacing my remarks today that I think it is time all members of this House stopped thinking in terms of something as ours to give someone else. We must understand that we as people in this nation share a tremendous resource and that in sharing that resource we recognize that some people have as much right to that resource as others. Members of this Parliament do not have the right to give something to somebody that in fact they possessed long before it was removed from them.

The aboriginal people of this country have a claim not only on our resources but our economy that has long been denied them. It has created a great deal of the problems that have been identified by the member for Capilano-Howe Sound. It is only in that recognition that we will in fact achieve the ability to deal with the crisis that occurs within the aboriginal communities. That is one of the points that this legislation addresses. I would hope that the member for Capilano-Howe Sound in recognizing that would in turn support the legislation.

I want to thank the House for allowing me a few minutes to speak today. I will not take up much time. This space was originally allocated to my leader, the member for Yukon, who was called away today on other parliamentary business. She asked me to say a few words on her behalf. I appreciate the indulgence of the House, the member for Vancouver Quadra and yourself, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me this time.

I wish to say a couple of words about the member for Yukon today. She has worked closely with the Government of Yukon and the Yukon First Nations during the negotiations which led to the signing of the claims agreement. She is certainly very well informed about the nature of the agreement. She is firmly committed to assisting the House in approving the legislation which will allow that agreement to be implemented.

On her behalf, on behalf of myself and on behalf of our entire caucus in the House of Commons, I ask the government to proceed as quickly as possible through all stages of the legislation. It has been thoroughly discussed, carefully thought out and properly negotiated. Agreements have been reached. It would be a real shame if all levels of government that have worked so hard to get to this point were to see things stalled simply because the government and Parliament could not conclude matters before heading off for a summer recess.

I said before and I simply repeat for the benefit of the House that the legislation has been a long time in coming. It is the result of more than 20 years of very frustrating negotiations at times. There have been delays as governments changed and priorities shifted, but it is a piece of legislation that not only rights the bitter wrongs of the past but holds out the key to the future, a future which I think all members of the House would understand, a future which all Yukoners, aboriginal and non-aboriginal alike, could look forward to with pride and with hope.

It is a historic agreement. When we look at the umbrella agreement we see that it directly affects about 8,000 Yukon Indians and involves a total of about 16,000 square miles of land, some of which comes with surface and subsurface rights and some with surface rights only but including the rights to material such as sand and gravel, economic opportunities in Yukon.

There is a little more than $242 million in compensation available to the 14 First Nations affected, to be paid out during a 15-year period. There are provisions ensuring that the Yukon First Nations receive full rental revenues from surface leases and royalties from the development of non-renewable resources. These are very important provisions for the future of the people of the Yukon First Nations.

I recommend all members of the House review the umbrella agreement. It has sections that deal with wildlife harvesting, wildlife conservation and land use management proposals, as well as provisions dealing with the preservation and promotion of the culture and heritage of the people of Yukon.

The agreement is a tremendous example of what can be achieved when governments sit down to discuss these matters, when they have respect for each other's history and tradition and for each other's needs.

The final umbrella agreement was signed on May 29, 1993. Today is a little more than one year later and I believe this is the time to get the legislation out of the House and put it to work in Yukon where it will do the most good.

I certainly look forward to having some time during the brief committee stage discussions to have a further look at some of the more specific clauses for the benefit of some members of the House. However I will conclude immediately by urging the government and all members of the House to get the legislation through this stage and completed as quickly as possible.

[Aboriginal Veterans, June 3rd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I have a supplementary question for the Secretary of State for Veterans Affairs.

As the minister is aware, the other place is currently studying grievances brought forward by aboriginal veterans acknowledging that in fact aboriginal veterans have not been treated the same as other veterans returning to Canada.

Will the minister undertake to examine the grievances in testimony being presented in the other place and return to the House with perhaps a better answer?

[Aboriginal Veterans, June 3rd, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Prime Minister.

Today in London the Prime Minister and about 300 Canadian veterans are participating in the unveiling of a very special commemorative memorial. This weekend all across Canada special celebrations in honour of the 50th anniversary of D-Day are taking place. We remember that many veterans who served Canada and the world were aboriginal veterans from Canada.

As we celebrate this commemoration of the 50th anniversary of D-Day, is the government prepared to take steps to address some of the grievances that have been held over these 50 years by aboriginal veterans?

[Agriculture, May 10th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, I will not abuse your consideration. It will be a short question.

The member talked about wanting greater choices in the transportation opportunities for farmers. I am wondering if he is aware of the producer payment panel report on the Crow benefit that has just recently been produced and made public, a report that basically indicates that a pay the producer option means less money and fewer farmers on the land. Is that the program that he supports?

[Agriculture, May 10th, 1994]

Mr. Speaker, as I did earlier I want to congratulate the hon. member as well for his support of the ethanol sector. I was very pleased that he has chosen to utilize ethanol blended fuel in his vehicle.

I too have been using ethanol blended fuel in my vehicle for the last two and a half years, but I have a greater difficulty in securing ethanol fuels for my vehicle in northern Saskatchewan than he would have in Ontario. I certainly encourage the member for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell to do whatever he can within government to support the ethanol industry to ensure it can survive and prosper not only in Ontario but throughout the prairie provinces as well. I believe there are many other Canadians who would benefit by using ethanol blended fuels in their vehicles, as he and I already have.

On the same subject of sustaining the environment, I know the member has some interest in the organic farming industry. Does the member have any thoughts on the organic industry, given that the organic growers require a greater amount of marketing support from the federal government? That would be because the organic industry is more expensive to maintain. Also there is a problem with the official certification of an organic product. I wonder if the member for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell could offer some advice to the minister about what the federal government could be doing to ensure that the organic industry is able to prosper within our country.