Mr. Chair, to my knowledge, the department is not spying on any activists, anywhere.
House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2015, with 17% of the vote.
Business of Supply May 13th, 2015
Mr. Chair, to my knowledge, the department is not spying on any activists, anywhere.
Business of Supply May 13th, 2015
Mr. Chair, I do not see what this question has to do with the main estimates. However, not to my knowledge, no.
Business of Supply May 13th, 2015
Mr. Chair, I heard about that allegation, at the time, from Cindy Blackstock herself, in her statements to various media outlets. This case was handled by the Canadian Human Rights Commission. We also know that it was not a campaign, as the member is alleging.
Business of Supply May 13th, 2015
Mr. Chair, I did not understand the question.
Business of Supply May 13th, 2015
Mr. Chair, that is an interesting question. We are defendants in nearly 95% of some 420 legal proceedings taken against the government by various aboriginal or other groups, and I did not specifically budget for the costs incurred by the department for this type of expense.
The Department of Justice provides the majority of the legal services we require.
Business of Supply May 13th, 2015
Mr. Chair, just for the information of the member, the contract is Vote 1, operating. It is not Vote 10, which goes directly for the subsidy. It is not the same issue.
As to the concerns of the hon. member, she will be pleased to know that the nutrition north advisory board is composed of northerners. These are the people who are advising us and providing us with recommendations as to how we can improve the program and make it work even better.
Once we implement all of the recommendations of the Auditor General and complete the work I have asked the advisory board to undertake, I am sure we can continue improving that program so that nutritious food can be more affordable for more people in the north.
Business of Supply May 13th, 2015
Mr. Chair, the member referred to a report that people were getting food at the dump. Like all Canadians, we were concerned over these reports. We believe that all northerners should have access to healthy, nutritious food. That is why our government changed the old food program that the Liberals had put in place to one that is focused on delivering nutritious food.
She says there were no results. That is false. The fact is that the cost of a food basket for a family of four has dropped on average by $137 a month. As well, the volume of perishable food shipped to northern communities has increased by approximately 25%, so—
Business of Supply May 13th, 2015
Mr. Chair, nutrition north has to be understood for what it is. There was a food mail program earlier that was being used by northerners to subsidize transporting Ski-Doo parts and tires to the north.
Our government made the decision that the priority for investing taxpayers' dollars in that part of the country should be to improve northerners' access to nutritious food, which is what the program is about. The recent Auditor General's report made a series of recommendations, which we have indicated we will implement.
Business of Supply May 13th, 2015
Mr. Chair, we do sympathize with and understand the predicament of those people who could not be returned.
We are very concerned about this. That is the reason, for example, that the department has invested over $6 million to ensure that the children of the members of that first nation could attend their own school in Kapuskasing.
The department and our officials are working on a regular basis with the leadership of the first nation to try to find solutions. We will keep working with the first nations and try to identify a way to ensure that the members of that first nation can live safely in a community that is sustainable and that is eventually self-sufficient, and I think we are committed to continuing that good work with them.
Business of Supply May 13th, 2015
Mr. Chair, our priority always is to ensure the safety of all community members in Kashechewan, and that is why we have made investments to hire an emergency preparedness coordinator to help James Bay first nations, including Kashechewan, prepare for and manage potential flooding.
However, for the information of the member, within weeks of my appointment in 2013 in this department, I went to Kashechewan. I sat with the chief and councillors and elders of that community. We offered to do a study to see how we could address that issue. We discussed the relocation of the community, and they told me in plain, clear language that no, they did not want to be relocated.
If the member is arguing that the government should force communities to relocate against their will, she can tell me and she can take that position.