House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2015, with 17% of the vote.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, I will not accept the invitation of the hon. member to put the cart before the horse.
There is a consensus on the general terms of the devolution agreement. Consultations are taking place. After those consultations have taken place and the accommodations that can be made have been made, there will then be an agreement.
However, tonight I cannot talk about what the results would be before these consultations take place. The member ought to know better.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories continue to encourage and support the participation of the two other regional aboriginal groups to which the member refers.
The Government of Canada remains committed to fulfilling its section 35 obligations and responsibilities to consult aboriginal groups in the Northwest Territories with respect to devolution. We are doing that.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, I am surprised by the question. The hon. member should know that better than any other member of the House.
Indeed there is a wide and substantial consultation process that is taking place as we speak. In March we announced that a general consensus had been reached, but we are in the process of consulting with all first nations throughout in order to not only meet our obligations but to ensure the success of the devolution for the benefit of northerners.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, the current designation process could take up to two years and was preventing many first nations from taking advantage of business opportunities. Therefore, once again, this government acted instead of just talking about it. We amended the act, with the result that we have more economic development opportunities being pursued by those first nations.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, Jordan's principle is certainly an issue that was addressed in this House. Once the House adopted the principle, we concluded agreements with some of the provinces. These were official agreements and letters of intent and we have arrangements with all the other provinces to ensure that the principle is respected.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, language falls under education and is included in the $1.5 billion investment in kindergarten to grade 12 education programs.
It is important to point out that considerable progress is being made across the country when it comes to protecting and relearning aboriginal languages. Several first nations can attest to this. We will continue to make these investments in order to continue achieving good results.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, I can say that I have visited many first nations across the country. When I compare what I am seeing today with what I saw 20 or so years ago, I can say that tremendous progress has been made in terms of preserving aboriginal languages and culture in various first nations in Canada, and I am very proud of them for that.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, the government and the department are working with first nations to ensure that housing investments made by first nations are protected so that measures can be taken locally to ensure that those investments are not wasted and that housing does not deteriorate because it is not cared for properly. I have spoken with many chiefs and band councils across the country. They are concerned about the situation and are working in their communities to prevent such situations as much as possible.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, the issue of mould is affecting many first nations across the country. In fact, concerted efforts have been made to address this problem. Thousands of houses have been renovated. Many of the 3,100 renovations a year that I mentioned earlier were necessary because of mould.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, as the member knows, depending on the region, some reserves have adopted building codes that they enforce on the reserve. We hope that all first nations will eventually be subject to building standards in order to protect the massive investments that taxpayers make in housing. That is our goal.