Greg Rickford

[Northern Jobs and Growth Act, November 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's contribution to this important legislation that represents an opportunity to balance the interests for northerners with respect to economic development and sustainability. I look forward to working with her on committee to that end.

The member mentioned previously that the unsettled groups had the Northwest Territories Surface Rights Board imposed on them. I would like to square the record on this.

The ability to negotiate land claim agreements continues to exist. This bill would apply to any future settlement claims consistent with any final negotiated agreement. Section 7 of the agreement was created to address the concerns of groups negotiating claims in the Northwest Territories.

Like the EU marine agreement and now these two, which represent huge swaths of land in our territories, this is an opportunity to continue a very important, heavily consultative process with respect to aboriginal land claims negotiating agreements, putting in place regulatory framework underpinned by a real spirit, as we heard from the member for Western Arctic, and enthusiasm to focus as well on northern economic growth.

I want to clear the record. Does the member have any comments with respect to that point and does she feel like she was probably wrong on that point?

[Northern Jobs and Growth Act, November 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I did not think I would feel this way, but I am truly inspired by the member's speech, especially his finishing statements. Unfortunately, his voting record does not necessarily reflect that kind of enthusiasm, such as on things like the Tuktoyaktuk highway. However, in fairness, he did talk about the 8,000 jobs and the exercise of ensuring that northern Canadians, particularly in the western Arctic and Nunavut, capture most of them.

I have a question and a comment for the member.

My comment to the member is that he has a rare opportunity. Indeed, the bill has two essential components, one of which deals with the Northwest Territories surface rights board act, which we will be dealing that at committee. I look forward to not just continuing the working relationship we have but also to moving forward on this component.

However, does the member think that introducing a carbon tax, if the NDP has its way, would be helpful to northern Canadians? I see it as stifling small business and growth in that vast region, where things are already very expensive.

Will the member be supporting this act? Will he look at getting this to committee as quickly as possible so that we can talk about the issues he raised and move forward on this bill in the same manner his colleagues did with the Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou relationship on the Eeyou marine agreement? Will he move forward to take care of these kinds of agreements that deal with environmental sustainability and responsible resource development?

[Northern Jobs and Growth Act, November 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for his leadership, particularly in this area. I am thinking back to the work on the Eeyou marine agreement. The member for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou has worked with us to move this kind of legislation, which considers large swaths of land in the northern parts of the provinces for the purposes of the northern jobs and growth act in the western Arctic and across Nunavut. We know there are challenges in the north. Notwithstanding something like a carbon tax, which would increase expenses and operations in the north, there are other things like land claims and the environment and of course regulatory frameworks that seek to strike a balance on a number of these issues. I wanted to take this opportunity to appreciate that and to then pose a question to the minister.

During the consultation process, we understand the Nunavut land claims agreements needed some amendments and that the Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. organization was required to accommodate some amendments. Would the minister elaborate on the agreement that was struck with NTI and Canada to ensure that the bill conforms with its land claim agreements, all for the purposes and superordinate goal of unlocking the potential for economic opportunity across vast regions of northern Canada?

[Liberal Party of Canada, November 23rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am disgusted and baffled by the arrogant comments I have heard from the Liberal Party this week.

Monday, their disgraced senior Liberal spokesperson for natural resources made outrageous comments that once again show the Liberal's anti-energy and anti-Alberta agenda, noting that Albertan MPs should “go back to Alberta” if they want to represent Albertans. As the member of Parliament for the great Kenora riding, I stand shoulder to shoulder with my MP colleagues from Alberta to defend the interests of our constituents here on Parliament Hill. That is what we were sent here to do.

Unfortunately, it does not stop there. The member for Papineau, an aspiring leader of the Liberal Party, has the same explicit anti-Alberta sentiments. These divisive attitudes are not what Canada needs or what Canadians want to see from their elected officials. That is why we are calling on the Leader of the Liberal Party to now fire their critic for amateur sport.

[Aboriginal Affairs, November 22nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, this government has consistently shown its commitment to aboriginal people through significant investments to enable them to participate in, contribute to and benefit from Canada's prosperity. Our government continues to take concrete steps to create conditions for healthier, more self-sufficient aboriginal communities.

The new funding models put in place in September 2012 will continue to create greater funding equity and ensure that our funding is directed at the delivery of essential services and programs for aboriginal people.

We are delivering on tangible and lasting results that will ensure every person in every community is well positioned to fully participate in a strong, dynamic Canadian economy.

[Aboriginal Affairs, November 22nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to extend the discussion. Particularly over the last couple of weeks when there has been a pretty light load for Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, we like to continue debating this matter, speaking to the health and self-sufficiency of aboriginal communities. We take this very seriously.

On September 4, our government announced an exciting new funding model for aboriginal representative organizations, tribal councils and band advisory services. We are taking steps to ensure that government funding will be more clearly focused on those shared priorities and to maintain the progress we have made toward healthier and more self-sufficient aboriginal communities across the country.

Our new approach will ensure that projects being funded are better aligned with our government's shared priorities of education, economic development, community infrastructure and other initiatives that promote great self-sufficiency in aboriginal communities. Let me assure the member that these priorities are in fact shared by first nations, Métis and Inuit leadership. Our government has taken steps to make the greatest impact with our resources. The new funding model will create greater funding equity among aboriginal organizations across Canada.

This is a time of transition and change. To minimize the impact of these changes on organizations, we are streamlining the reporting requirements and the changes are being implemented over time. This will allow everyone to adapt their operations and, if needed, to seek out new sources of funding. Aboriginal representative organizations make a great contribution on behalf of all their members and this is recognized by our government.

This is the first modification to tribal council funding since it was launched more than 30 years ago. Funding for tribunal councils will be based on several considerations, including the size of the populations they serve, the number of first nation communities in their membership and the range of major programs they deliver. This new approach will reduce the reporting burden on organizations with a simplified application and reporting process.

We are making changes to have a greater impact where it matters the most: in the communities. Over the last six years, the government has invested in creating the conditions for healthier, more self-sufficient aboriginal communities. Economic action plan 2012 builds on that progress with $275 million in new funding for first nation education, an additional $330.8 million to build and renovate water infrastructure on reserve and improve water quality for first nations communities, $27 million to renew the urban aboriginal strategy and $13.6 million to support aboriginal consultation on resource development projects.

We are making changes to have a greater impact where it matters most in communities across the country and we will continue to work with first nations communities to improve the lives of their members through targeted investments and, though changed, our continued funding to aboriginal representative organizations, tribunal councils and band advisory services will continue to make a difference in aboriginal communities.

[Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act, November 22nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's input, particularly with respect to some of the writing she has done on this subject matter. It is rather unfortunate that she does not understand the trajectory on which the legislation takes us.

Nobody disputes the fact that this will be a work in progress. She herself has written on the regulatory issues that have to deal with this. We want to move forward with standards for first nations communities that the governments can adhere to and embrace, just as much as the first nations communities.

However, we all agree that the capacity to do the reporting, monitoring and maintenance of these facilities and a commitment to the infrastructure on these communities, which has already been going on, I might add, these two critical components, this legislation completes that and we feel confident we will move forward, lockstep with first nations leadership and communities across the country, toward a meaningful standard that puts a priority on the safety of water and waste water treatment in first nations communities.

[Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act, November 22nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to expound more on one of the three pillars of the strategy moving forward.

Capacity has three essential components: reporting, monitoring and maintenance. Some chiefs have said that they cannot move ahead with this project because they do not have the certified operators to work the water treatment plant or the waste water treatment plant. That is why if the member comes to my great Kenora riding or Thunder Bay, he will see an emphasis on resources to good colleges like Confederation College and Northern Waterworks now on a downtown street in Kenora, up in Red Lake and out in Dryden. They have recognized and understand that if we are to move forward with legislation or infrastructure, we have to have the capacity to operate these state-of-the-art facilities. Chiefs and councils came to us with that during our consultations from coast to coast. We are moving forward on that.

[Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act, November 22nd, 2012]

I swear to God, Mr. Speaker, these questions just get easier and easier.

What was not allowed under the previous Liberal government up until 2006 was for communities to proceed with a legitimate strategy to address what at the time was an absolutely deplorable state of water and waste water treatment plants in first nations communities across the country. I happened to live in a couple of those regions at the time during the nineties, so I can speak to it.

This legislation is derived from one of the most extensive consultative exercises any government in my memory has every undertaken with respect to legislation that would apply with, to and for first nations communities. It deals with capacity, the ability to report, monitor and maintain facilities that have been rehabilitated or have been replaced and that are state of the art. It deals with infrastructure, objectivising the process, not in the discretionary, arbitrary way of governments past, and focuses on priorities. It deals with substantive issues like why one community would be at high risk in one province and not in another.

The legislation would deal with that legal vacuum. It would provide standards for both the government and the first nation to adhere to and it would facilitate the important role that provinces could play in establishing standards to which those parties could adhere.

[Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act, November 22nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, over the course of my entire professional life, invested in living and working in first nations communities, I cannot recall a time when any government, provincial or federal, has engaged in such an extensive exercise of consultation. This government in 2006, in lockstep with the Assembly of First Nations, did a coast to coast to coast consultation to set the table for the kinds of principles that we are moving forward with respect to Bill S-8.

As somebody who worked with first nations communities on the input for this extensive consultation, I am pleased to report for the minister that we are moving forward on this legislation because it and two other essential components, namely capacity and infrastructure, are what first nations communities, their leadership, the AFN and technical experts have decided and have said that this is the way to move forward.