Niki Ashton

[Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1, May 26th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I first want to acknowledge what is a statement of fact: We know that Canadian women have suffered greatly during this pandemic, and part of that reason is because of a lack of access to child care.

I was very concerned to hear the member decry the historic commitment to child care, which is something that we in the NDP have been pushing for, as have many Canadian women.

How can women get back into the workforce and do the work they need to do to regain their standing without child care?

[Indigenous Affairs, May 14th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, yesterday, the Manitoba government violated the constitutional rights of O-Pipon-Na-Piwin and Tataskweyak Cree Nations by approving a final licence to Manitoba Hydro that includes parameters to further devastate these communities.

In the past, the federal government has helped first nations to defend their rights. This led to the negotiation of the historic Northern Flood Agreement, but what about today in this era of reconciliation? Where is the federal government?

Will the federal government step in and support OPCN and TCN as they defend their rights and protect their nations?

[Business of Supply, May 13th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, the Bloc Québécois keeps repeating that voting against a non-confidence motion does not equate to wanting an election.

Could my colleague tell us what he thinks would happen if all the opposition parties had voted like the Bloc Québécois, that is in favour of a non-confidence motion?

Does he believe that that would not trigger an election?

[Business of Supply, May 13th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague whether he thinks that adapting the election rules to the pandemic should be an urgent priority and whether he trusts the Prime Minister to put the public good ahead of his own partisan interests.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1, May 11th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot from the Conservatives about the need to take the COVID crisis more seriously, and I agree. We have seen the deadly toll COVID has taken, especially in long-term care homes. So many elders and seniors have been lost during this COVID crisis. They should not have been.

We in the NDP have made it clear that we need to ensure the long-term care system is in public hands. However, the Conservative leader does not seem to have an issue with for-profit long-term care.

Why is it that the Conservative leader and the Conservative Party cannot seem to recognize the deadly impacts of for-profit, privatized long-term elder care in our country?

[Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1, May 11th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, as we know, there is a fair deal to look at in the budget, but one of the areas we have yet to see action on is when it comes to reinforcing the powers of the Canadian ombudsperson for responsible business enterprise. The government has failed to create an independent office with real powers to investigate abuses and redress the harms caused by Canadian companies, particularly mining companies operating abroad. This is not acceptable. We know that Canadian mining companies the world over are wreaking havoc.

How important is it for the government to step up and have the power to stop the rampant exploitation in which we see companies engage in the name of our country?

[Indigenous Affairs, May 7th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General outlined how the government failed first nations on clean drinking water: an outdated funding formula and a non-existent regulatory regime. ISC now says 2024 is its target to end water advisories, but the AG made clear this will only happen if ISC makes changes. Following its damning testimonial, we finally saw action from the government not to fix the problem, but to defend its inaction.

The minister will not give a timeline, so when will the government end clean drinking water advisories on first nations?

[Line 5 Pipeline Shutdown, May 6th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, the Liberals are masters of performative politics. They say they take climate change seriously, yet they find money to spend on another pipeline that will only contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

Last year, the Liberals offered $18 billion in subsidies to oil and gas companies. They talk about jobs. Where is the support for creating green jobs, jobs of the future, the jobs that my generation and generations to come desperately need? When will the Liberals stop greenwashing their agenda and act on the climate emergency that we all face?

[COVID-19 in Alberta, May 5th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I want to begin by expressing my solidarity with Albertans facing this crisis. I have family and friends there. I am thinking of them and I am very concerned here tonight to hear the way in which Conservatives are distorting the reality of what people are facing. We know that the Conservative government in Alberta has abandoned Albertans in so many ways during this COVID crisis.

I want to share a particular concern around what workers have been facing. Many workers have paid the price of this pandemic with their lives. We know of workers in meat packing plants, in work camps, many essential workers who have died or have passed COVID on to their family members. We know that Conservatives have not supported measures around paid sick days and other public health measures that are critical in saving lives. Why are Conservatives failing to stand up for working people in Alberta?

[COVID-19 in Alberta, May 5th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, first, I want to express my solidarity with the people of Alberta who are facing this COVID crisis right now. I want to acknowledge that many are doing what they can to save lives in their communities.

I will share the words of Jenn Prosser, founder of the Lethbridge COVID-19 Community Support Circle, who has a question for the government. She says, “The austerity budgets of Alberta's government have hit households hard. Before the pandemic, many families and individuals had lost work and found the provincial supports very difficult to access. While CERB and CRB are critical stopgaps, many folks did not qualify even if they lost work due to COVID. Why won't the federal government support a guaranteed, livable income to ensure that everyone has the financial supports they need in times like these?”