Jim Prentice

[Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement Act, March 28th, 2007]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-51, An Act to give effect to the Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement and to make a consequential amendment to another Act.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement, March 28th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement, signed December 1, 2006.

[Aboriginal Affairs, March 28th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, approximately 10 days ago Chief Solomon of the Kashechewan community advised me that his community's preference was to relocate to a site that has been described as site five. I promised the chief at that time that I would consider his request and would report back to him by the end of this week. I intend to do that once the department has completed its preliminary assessment.

I can advise the House, however, that in the meantime we continue to make sure that the people of Kashechewan have a safe water system. There has been $2.8 million expended on that and we continue to spend $13.2 million to ensure that there are housing and mobile home improvements for the people who are currently in Kashechewan.

[Aboriginal Affairs, March 27th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated in the House previously, the $10.2 billion represents all the expenditures within the Government of Canada, across departments, on aboriginal programs, services, negotiations and the like.

My friend should be fair in pointing out that a fairly modest amount of that money is spent on the government itself, on bureaucracy and on the civil service. The lion's share of the money makes its way through to aboriginal people. The vast lion's share of it makes its way through to on reserve people.

There are $10.2 billion. This is $1 billion more than any previous budget of any previous Government of Canada.

[Aboriginal Affairs, March 27th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated previously, a very comprehensive agreement was arrived at between the Government of Canada and the Assembly of First Nations. It is several hundred pages in length. It deals with the truth and reconciliation commission, with advance payments and with all the matters that have been negotiated. An apology did not form part of the contractual provisions at that time.

We will carry on and we will implement the agreement as it has been negotiated.

[Aboriginal Affairs, March 27th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, if we are going to speak of a gap, I think it only fair that Canadians know that the gap that exists is the devastating record, as others have referred to it, of the former Liberal government in dealing with aboriginal issues, a legacy of 13 years of broken promises and inaction.

I need to point out to my friend that it is this government that has signed an agreement. The agreement did not call for an apology. We are fully implementing the terms of the agreement that were executed to put this sad chapter of Canadian history behind us.

[Aboriginal Affairs, March 27th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, this is the government that executed the agreement resolving the residential schools legacy.

My friend refers to the 13 year Liberal legacy of not getting the job done. The Liberals talked about an agreement but they did not get it done. They talked about early payments to the elderly but they did not get that done. They talked about a truth and reconciliation commission but hey did not get that done either.

All the Liberals did was spend 80% of the money of the ADR process on bureaucrats and lawyers. They accomplished nothing. This government will proceed and get the agreement implemented.

[Aboriginal Affairs, March 26th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, my friend needs to make sure that she has her facts straight. The arrangements with the Manitoba Métis Federation have been executed. The funding is in process and will be in place by the end of the year.

[Aboriginal Affairs, March 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise the House today that as of yesterday, March 21, all the court approvals have now been secured for the residential schools agreement in all nine jurisdictions in which they were required. We will inform all parties to the settlement agreement to ensure that the former students and their families receive access to the benefits under the agreement as quickly as possible.

This is an honourable settlement that will foster healing and reconciliation among former students and, indeed, among all Canadians.

[Kelowna Accord, March 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member, together with the member for LaSalle—Émard, can trumpet any private member bill they wish.

I will tell the House this about that particular member's bill. It is consistent with the previous 13 years of Liberal inaction: no expenditures are contained in that bill. It is consistent with the 10 years that the member for LaSalle—Émard was the minister of finance and the 13 months that he was the prime minister.

The culmination of all that is, as Gerard Kennedy described, “a devastating record”.

This government is getting things done. We are moving forward and we are making progress. The budget contains $10 billion of expenditures.