Gary Anandasangaree

[Indigenous Affairs, October 23rd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, Canada deeply values its relationship with Six Nations and is committed to continuing to work collaboratively to address the Six Nations historical claims and land issues. We have put in place flexible processes to allow for the exploration of new ways to achieve these goals such as those identified in the Coyle report. This independent report by the fact-finders marked an important first step in opening lines of communication at that time and also helped build understanding of negotiations and discussions that followed.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 23rd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, our government believes the best way to resolve outstanding issues is through a respectful and collaborative dialogue that is vital to building stronger relationships and advancing reconciliation for the benefit of indigenous communities and all Canadians. We deeply value our relationship with Six Nations. We are committed to continuing to work collaboratively to address historical claims and land rights issues. Our government is actively working with the community and look forward to meeting at the earliest opportunity.

[COVID-19 Emergency Response, October 8th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, as I have already said, Canadian businesses are the backbone of our economy. They provide good jobs that support families across the country. Members can be certain that supporting business owners and other employers during this unprecedented time remains an integral part of Canada's COVID-19 economic response plan.

Extending measures such as the Canada emergency wage subsidy and the Canada emergency business account will be critical to assisting Canadian business owners across the country in weathering the COVID-19 storm and building back stronger.

Our government will continue to do whatever it takes to keep Canadians and the businesses on which our jobs and livelihoods depend healthy and stable, so that together they can emerge from this crisis stronger than ever.

[COVID-19 Emergency Response, October 8th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, as a previous small business owner, I can fully relate to many of the challenges that are faced by small businesses during this pandemic. Canadian businesses are indeed the lifeblood of our communities and the backbone of our economy, which is why our government is committed to helping businesses weather the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, including by assisting them with fixed costs such as rent.

The government's record on the support we have provided to date speaks for itself. In the spring, we quickly put in place a suite of new broad measures through Canada's COVID-19 economic response plan to provide urgent support to Canadians and businesses as the pandemic swept across the country, measures that have helped to protect millions of jobs and support Canadian employers, big and small, to help them weather the storm and keep their workers on the payroll.

For example, the Canada emergency business account, or CEBA, is helping small business owners and not-for-profit operators to cover their unavoidable costs at a time when their revenues have been temporarily reduced. CEBA has already issued over 767,000 loans totalling more than $30.6 billion.

The Canada emergency wage subsidy is helping business owners and other employers to keep employees on the payroll. Since its launch, the wage subsidy has supported over 3.6 million Canadian employees, with more than $39 billion paid out in wage subsidies.

Also consider the Canada business availability program and other credit and liquidity support, totalling $286 billion, which have ensured that business owners have access to the credit they need to pay their bills and help their businesses stay afloat.

We must mention the Canada emergency commercial rent assistance program. Since its launch, CECRA has helped some 130,000 small business tenants who employ over 1.1 million employees by providing over $1.8 billion to pay their rent.

In addition to these measures, the government has provided $85 billion in tax and customs duty payment deferrals to meet liquidity needs of business owners and Canadian families.

In the face of an uncertain economic situation and tightening credit conditions, these measures have supported businesses while protecting the valuable Canadian jobs that depend on them. However, we recognize that many small business owners and entrepreneurs continue to need help with cash flow and paying their operating costs, including rent, and we intend to use our fiscal firepower to make the investments needed to help businesses across Canada face this challenge.

We laid out our intent to continue supporting Canadian businesses in the recent Speech from the Throne, including the extension of the Canada emergency wage subsidy into next summer to help business owners and other employers keep their employees on the payroll.

We will take further steps to bridge vulnerable businesses to the other side of the pandemic by expanding the Canada emergency business account to help business owners with fixed costs and by improving the business credit availability program.

We know that the viability and success of small businesses are essential to our economy. That is why we continue to support them during this unprecedented time, while helping them to build back better and stronger.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 8th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, our government has also been working since 2015 to address systemic issues that contribute to this tragedy, and our shared work continues.

As was previously mentioned, we have passed legislation to address the child and family services system to preserve and protect indigenous language and culture, toughen criminal law in cases of domestic assault, and eliminate gender discrimination under the Indian Act. We have also made historic investments in education, housing, policing and shelters.

Our government is working with all of our partners to ensure that we get this right for survivors and families, to honour those lost and to protect future generations.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 8th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge that I am speaking from the territories of the Mississaugas of the New Credit.

We share the sense of urgency of the hon. member. Our hearts are with the survivors and families of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people. Addressing violence against indigenous women and girls has been an urgent priority of the Government of Canada since the pre-inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls was launched in 2015, to inform the design of the first ever national public inquiry into the ongoing tragedy. The final report of the national inquiry calls upon federal, provincial, territorial and indigenous governments, as well as indigenous leaders, survivors and families, to develop a national action plan that sets a clear road map to ensure that indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people are safe. That is exactly what we are doing.

As the Speech from the Throne highlighted, our priority is to accelerate the work to develop a national action plan. This work is being led by indigenous women, two-spirit and gender-diverse partners. Guided by families, survivors and grassroots community groups, the national action plan will respond to this national tragedy in an accountable and enduring manner.

Our government invested $30 million over five years to support indigenous-led engagement throughout the development and implementation of the national action plan. We have already provided $2.4 million to national and regional indigenous organizations to ensure that they are resourced, and can meaningfully participate in combined efforts to improve the safety of indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people. We will not let survivors and families down.

Work is well under way through a series of working groups led by indigenous women. The groups are also comprised of indigenous governments and organizations, federal, provincial and territorial governments, two-spirit and LGBTQ organization leaders, family members and survivors.

Also, as the member acknowledged, our government did not wait to act to ensure that indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and LGBTQ+ people were safe wherever they live. Some of those actions included reforming the child and family services system, supporting families navigating the justice system through the family information liaison units in place in every province and territorial jurisdiction, and investing in housing and emergency shelters.

We will continue to focus on prevention, healing and putting in place concrete measures to end this national tragedy.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 6th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, our hearts are with the survivors and the families of the missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people.

In response to the first-ever national public inquiry on the ongoing national tragedy, our government is working with all provincial and territorial governments in order to ensure we have consultations with indigenous leaders, survivors and families to develop a national action plan that sets a clear road map to ensure indigenous women, girls, two-spirited and gender-diverse people are safe.

[Petitions, October 2nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition signed by 409 Canadians. It is in support of the five men who walked from Toronto to Ottawa and the three who walked from Montreal to Ottawa to bring to light the issues of the families of those who have disappeared. As colleagues know, 60,000 to 100,000 Tamils disappeared during the last phase of the war in Sri Lanka, and this petition is to bring attention to their plight.

The petitioners ask the Minister of Foreign Affairs for a response.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, October 1st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for those comments.

This takes an all-of-government approach. This is not something that can be done by one individual or one ministry. The fact that we now have a ministry and Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth is a very important foundation for making sure we have an all-of-government approach on all matters that I talked about.

Racism is not something we can dissect to say that if we do this or that, it will go away. Change includes addressing the root causes, such as poverty, housing and basic income. Those things require all arms of government to come together not only to ensure that we address the root causes, but to empower and build racialized communities.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, October 1st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I know of the Colour of Poverty organization. I was there when it was founded about 20 years ago. I have worked with them for many years, including in my previous role when developing an anti-racism strategy. They have come up with some great ideas. Our solutions, which are part of the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth's portfolio, include direct support to organizations like the Colour of Poverty.

I know my colleague is working very hard to advance issues of race equality, and I look forward to working with her on this issue.