Niki Ashton

[Nazism, September 26th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, what happened in the House last week was shameful: the introduction of a Nazi as a hero, someone our vets fought against, part of an SS division that massacred Jews and Poles.

What is as shameful is the Prime Minister's failure to rededicate to fighting and calling out fascism and Nazism in our midst. Let us not forget that 1.1 million Canadians fought and 97,000 were killed or wounded fighting with our allies to liberate the world from the Nazis. Let us also not forget that we are a country that refused to admit Jewish refugees from Nazism in the 1930s, but admitted SS Nazi combatants in the 1950s.

At a time when Canada and the world are seeing the rise of neo-Nazism and fascism, the Prime Minister has failed to speak out. As Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

In the name of the victims of Nazism, Jews, Poles, progressives, LGBTQ people, Roma and millions of others, let us remember and let us learn from history: never again.

[Committees of the House, September 26th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question based on a very serious concern that has been shared with me by members of the Armenian community regarding Canada's openness to a review of the ban of drone technology. This technology was used in drones that Turkey provided to Azerbaijan, which targeted Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It is very concerning to Armenians, as well as members of the Greek community, my community, that Canada is reviewing this ban.

Does the member support keeping the ban in place on this technology, which we know was used for deadly drone activity, yes or no?

[Committees of the House, September 26th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I do not think anybody would deny that top of mind here in Canada is the issue of cost of living, but I find it pretty rich to hear the Liberals' comments that issues of foreign affairs are not important when we are on day five of being plunged into the international media because the Speaker, a Liberal member, recognized an SS Nazi in the House. I think it is important to talk about what is happening around the world, including, and perhaps especially right now, the mass evacuations from the Artsakh region.

I am wondering if the member could speak a bit more to the ban on drone technology that Canada is considering lifting, a ban that is fully supported, of course, by the Armenian community and by many others, including members of the Greek community.

I am wondering if he could let us know if he believes that Canada should not lift the ban on this drone technology, which has been used in the drones that were used against the Armenian people in the conflict waged by Azerbaijan.

[Indigenous Affairs, September 19th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are paying the price of a housing crisis, a mental health crisis and now the climate change crisis, yet the Liberals think that now is a good time to cut up to $7.6 billion in indigenous services. We have seen this devastating austerity from Liberals and Conservatives in the past: cuts that will hurt indigenous peoples, families and communities.

Which programs are the Liberals targeting: housing, health, education, or Jordan's principle, and why are the Liberals not going after the billionaires to recoup the money they owe Canadians, instead of making cuts on the backs of indigenous peoples?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, September 18th, 2023]

With regard to the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) processing times for interactions with taxpayers: (a) what service standards does the CRA apply in issuing notices of assessment for (i) digital individual income tax returns, (ii) paper individual tax returns; (b) reflected as a number and a percentage, what is the amount of notices of assessment that failed to meet the service standards expected in (a) and what is the (i) average time, (ii) median, time to deliver notices of assessment; (c) what is the total number of employees assigned to take telephone inquiries from taxpayers; (d) on average, how many telephone requests from taxpayers does the CRA receive each business day; and (e) what is the average time taxpayers spend on hold when calling the CRA?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, September 18th, 2023]

With regard to the Circuit Rider Training Program operated by Indigenous Services Canada, broken down by province or territory and fiscal year since 2015-16: (a) what is the total number of trained experts available to assist First Nations communities; (b) how many site visits did the experts in (a) make, broken down by First Nation visited; (c) what is the total number of individuals who received training and certification funding through this program; (d) how many requests for assistance through this program have been denied or not yet responded to; and (e) for what reason was each visit in (d) denied?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, September 18th, 2023]

With regard to forms required by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) for on-reserve housing funding, broken down by funding stream: (a) what is the total number of forms required to complete each stage of the application and funding process; (b) what are the details of each form in (a), including the (i) title of the form, (ii) purpose, (iii) number of pages; and (c) what resources has ISC provided to First Nations to assist with completing these forms, broken down by First Nation?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, September 18th, 2023]

With regard to the government’s commitment to close the infrastructure gap on First Nations reserves by 2030: (a) what metrics does the government use to measure the existing gap; (b) what is the government’s current estimate of the infrastructure gap; and (c) does the government believe it is on track to meet the mandate assigned to the minister?

[National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, on this National Indigenous Peoples Day, we join in celebration and are reminded of the need for federal action on reconciliation.

First nations here require major federal investment in housing. In Shamattawa, Oxford House, Pukatawagan, Garden Hill and many others, families struggle in third world living conditions because of a lack of federal funding and because of ongoing federal neglect.

First nations like Tataskweyak Cree Nation desperately need a new school for their young people. It is time for the Liberal government to build the school.

First nations deserve economic justice. As the fishers of Grand Rapids lost their fish shack to a fire, many are forced to pay out of pocket to truck their catch even farther. They must be compensated. These are family- and community-sustaining jobs.

Finally, first nations and Métis youth in our north deserve investment. From recreation like soccer to after-school programming, indigenous youth are leaders today and we must support them.

On this day, let us see the Government of Canada not just celebrate but also, more importantly, act.

[Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act, June 14th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, clearly, we need to work very closely with early childhood education workers and the sector to make sure fair wages are prioritized. We need to ensure there is dedicated funding for that and that there is oversight of this very important fact. We also need to invest in ECE education and make sure we are attracting and retaining the best. For the people who are already doing this work, we need to make sure we are continuing to invest in—