Niki Ashton

[Questions on the Order Paper, December 16th, 2024]

With regard to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC), broken down by fiscal year since 2015-16: (a) what is the total amount of funding allocated to the OSIC; (b) what is the total number of (i) full-time, (ii) full-time equivalent, (iii) part-time, (iv) temporary or contract, workers employed by the OSIC; (c) what is the total number of complaints or incidents reported to the OSIC which (i) were admissible to the OSIC, (ii) were inadmissible to the OSIC, (iii) warranted provisional measures; and (d) what is the total number of complaints or incidents reported to the OSIC that were deemed inadmissible due to the (i) respondent not being under the authority of a Program Signatory, (ii) respondent being involved at the provincial, territorial, club or other level of a Program Signatory?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, December 13th, 2024]

With regard to the Health Facilities Program operated by Indigenous Services Canada, broken down by fiscal year since 2005-06: (a) what is the total amount of funding (i) allocated, (ii) spent, through this program; (b) how much funding has gone to support (i) facility operations and maintenance, (ii) minor capital projects, (iii) major capital projects; and (c) broken down by province or territory, what is the total number of applications (i) received, (ii) approved, (iii) denied?

[Questions on the Order Paper, December 13th, 2024]

With regard to legal proceedings involving the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society: (a) what are the details of all cases in which the Attorney General of Canada is the complainant, including the (i) citation, (ii) file number, (iii) date, (iv) court or tribunal, (v) total expenditures; and (b) what are the details of all cases in which the Attorney General of Canada is the respondent, including the (i) citation, (ii) file number, (iii) date, (iv) court or tribunal, (v) total expenditures?

[Sport, December 4th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, today we recognize the incredible hard work and dedication of our Olympic athletes. We have so much to be proud of. That is why it was so unfair that the soccer drone scandal distracted from the fact that Canada's athletes earned the podium. Many Canadians, including former athletes, have been calling on the government to do the right thing and bring about full accountability with respect to the drone scandal and the culture surrounding it so it never happens again.

Why are the Liberals blocking efforts at accountability at the heritage committee? Why is the minister refusing to be accountable?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 19th, 2024]

With regard to the government's response to Order Paper question Q-2695 concerning individuals who were made to repay or whose COVID-era benefits such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, the Canada Emergency Student Benefit, the Canada Recovery Benefit, the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit, the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit or the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit were clawed back by the CRA: (a) what is the number of individuals with a COVID-19 benefit "repayment or clawback", broken down by (i) income group, (ii) province or territory of residence; and (b) what is the total number of individuals who were affected and the total amount which was repaid or clawed back by the government?

[Indigenous Affairs, November 7th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, Berens River First Nation still does not have clean drinking water. The water treatment plant is over a year behind schedule, and the community has been forced to haul water over 300 kilometres by truck every time, costing thousands of dollars. The lack of clean water has had an impact on dialysis patients, the health of children, elders and the whole community. However, the Liberals are not keeping on top of the contractor who has not gotten the job done. They are not funding the equipment the first nation has asked for.

Once again, the Liberals are failing first nations on clean water. What are they going to do to deliver clean water to Berens River now?

[United Nations, November 6th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of the work of the United Nations. Canada helped build the UN. After the horrors of World War II, we were leaders in terms of peacekeeping and leaders in supporting peace and human rights through multilateralism. In recent months, we have seen an unprecedented attack on the UN by Israel's far-right government. It has killed UN workers in Gaza, pushed to defund and then ban UNRWA, bombed 70% of UNRWA locations in Gaza, shot at UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, banned the UN Secretary-General and attacked the UN special rapporteur on Palestine.

Where is Canada to defend the UN and stand up to Israel's far-right government waging genocide? Canada is part of the problem. We must never forget the lessons of history. Canada and Canadians can and must be a voice in support of the UN and multilateralism, and take concrete action to stop genocide and stand up for peace now.

[Privilege, November 5th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, we have now heard from yet another Conservative talking about what the best interests of Canadians are. Obviously we support transparency and getting to the bottom of what the Liberals are hiding with respect to the scandal.

However, I want to go back to the question of the good of the Canadian public. We know that Canadians are having a more and more difficult time. Life has become increasingly unaffordable, yet what we hear from Conservatives are slogans around cutting. When they were in power, we know they cut health care and cut key programming. Certainly, regions like ours lost jobs and public services under the Harper government.

When the Conservatives talk about the best interest of the Canadian public, why do they not stand up and vote with us when it comes to measures on tax fairness and to taking on corporate greed that is gouging Canadian workers and Canadians across our country? When it comes to taking a stand in the House, why are they not on the side of Canadians who are suffering and are instead throwing around cheap slogans and not standing up for real solutions for Canadians?

[Privilege, November 5th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, we have heard, over many days, many Conservative members point to a Liberal scandal. However, this member also pointed to how long he has been here. Some of those years overlap with years that I have been here, under the Harper government, where we also saw a number of scandals of the Conservatives' own making.

More important, when it comes to defending Canadians' concerns, such as the rising cost of living, where is the member and where are Conservatives? When it comes to standing with us in the NDP in calling for tax fairness and calling for concrete action to take on corporate greed from grocery stores and other corporations that are gouging Canadians, where are the Conservatives? Why do the Conservatives refuse to stand up to the rich and powerful when they have the chance, as they have the chance in this House? Why do they vote against Canadians' interests?

[Indigenous Affairs, October 29th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because, unlike what lawyers for the Liberals are arguing when they fight first nations in court, we in the NDP believe in first nations' right to clean drinking water.

Canada shamefully argues that first nations are to blame for the lack of clean drinking water. Its lawyers even said, “Canada doesn't stop you from helping yourself.” On the one hand, Liberals in Parliament say that all first nations deserve clean drinking water, while on the other, Liberal-hired lawyers say in court that these are not statements that should be taken seriously.

If we cannot take Liberals' words seriously, let us look at their actions. It has now been 1,338 days since the Liberals promised to eliminate all long-term boil water advisories, with no end in sight. In my riding, Shamattawa First Nation and Tataskweyak Cree Nation are fighting the Liberals over that failure. The tap water in Berens River has been brown since May and is a danger to people's health, including people on dialysis.

It is time for the Liberals to call off their lawyers, recognize first nations' right to clean water, and deliver it.