Mr. Chair, will the hon. member respect the will of the House and let the special committee do its work, make its recommendations and then allow the government to analyze them and take the proper steps that have to be taken?
House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2015, with 17% of the vote.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, will the hon. member respect the will of the House and let the special committee do its work, make its recommendations and then allow the government to analyze them and take the proper steps that have to be taken?
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, the lead over the inquiry has been taken by the Department of Justice. It is ably assisted, I might add, by a host of other departments.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
This is a whole of government concern, Mr. Chair. Several departments are concerned about this issue and are working with first nations and stakeholders all across Canada to try to address this important issue.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, the House has decided to create a special committee to look at the issue. The government has endorsed a motion and, as I understand it, the work is currently taking place to look at this issue. I am sure we can trust the members of Parliament to do an excellent job in their mandate.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, if the concern of the hon. member is such, maybe she could extend it to the matrimonial property rights of women, which we are trying to implement in Canada, to try to fill a gap of more than 25 years where women living on reserve are denied a basic right, which the NDP opposed.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, absolutely. That is why we are taking concrete action by investing $25 million over five years to address the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada. Funding is also provided for shelters and violence-prevention programming on reserve. This should attest to our concern about the issue.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, indeed, that is why economic action plan 2013 announced funding of $24 million over two years for the family violence prevention program, allowing my department to continue its programming at the funding level of approximately $30 million in 2013-14 and 2014-15. These investments contribute to enhanced safety and security of on-reserve residents, particularly women and children.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, the member's statement is totally false. It is a fabrication.
The fact is that under the agreement in question, as of March 31, 2013, 97% of the 105,510 applications received had received $1.6 billion from Canadians, and 78,859 had received the common experience payment, which represents 99% of the 80,000 former residents who are entitled to the program. We concluded an agreement, we are honouring it and we will continue to work diligently with the commission to meet all of Canada's obligations.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, the member's characterization of Canada's position is absolutely false.
The Prime Minister, Mr. Harper, was the first and only government leader to give victims of this dark chapter of our history an apology on behalf of all Canadians. As representatives of all Canadians, we concluded an agreement. I will say again that we will meet all our obligations under the agreement that was concluded.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2013
Mr. Chair, the member is playing politics when he implies that Canada should not protect taxpayers' interests.
As the government, we have an obligation to respect taxpayers. We must also ensure that all Canadians' rights are defended. At the end of the day, it is up to the court to make a decision. Canadians' interests are protected, and that is our primary concern.