Niki Ashton

[Indigenous Affairs, June 20th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, so many indigenous people are asking for this day to be a statutory holiday, and the Prime Minister is clearly not listening.

The government continues to show that it does not really respect first nations and the UN declaration that it adopted. It is not listening to indigenous communities, as illustrated by the botched consultation on pipeline projects.

Will it at least support my colleague's bill so that all Canadians can celebrate with indigenous peoples and recognize their rights?

[Rail Transportation, June 18th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the year-long failure by the federal government and Omnitrax to get Churchill's railway and port back on track has cost Churchill and our north deeply. Now the Canadian Transportation Agency says the Hudson Bay Railway has the responsibility to fix the line. The federal government recently expressed support for a regional partnership.

Instead of prioritizing an old pipeline, will the Liberals work to hold Omnitrax to account and invest in a strategic resource in our north and get Churchill's port and rail line back on track as soon as possible?

[Youth Challenges, June 13th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago the Prime Minister spoke at the NYU graduation in the U.S.

While he philosophized in the U.S., here at home our grads are facing a challenging time. l want to invite him to attend any one of the graduations in our north, here in Canada, to hear their stories: Thompson, faced with the loss of the smelter and refinery; first nations facing continuing high unemployment and underfunding of education; Churchill, still faced with the shutdown of the port and the rail line.

He could attend a graduation in virtually any community across Canada to hear what young people are facing in terms of sky-high tuition fees and precarious employment, but I doubt he will.

I believe he does not want to listen to young people who are concerned about the environment, growing inequality, and their economic future. When it comes to the Prime Minister and his policies, young people are increasingly saying that the Liberal government not only is not part of the solution, but it is increasingly part of the problem.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, June 1st, 2018]

) With regard to Aboriginal Head Start on Reserve and Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities: (a) what amount has been allocated for every fiscal year since 1996-97, broken down by (i) program, (ii) fiscal year, (iii) region, (iv) percent change year by year; and (b) what amount has been spent for every fiscal year since 1996-97, broken down by (i) program, (ii) fiscal year, (iii) region, (iv) percent change year by year?

[Indigenous Affairs, May 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, last week the people of Little Grand Rapids, Manitoba, were terrified. It is an isolated community where 630 people crowded into a smoke-filled school gym that was being hosed down from the outside because the forest fire was already in their community. They asked for help, and it was not until the last minute that government stepped up.

Why did it take government so long to listen to those calls for help? Will the government recognize that instead of investing $4.5 billion in a pipeline, we should be investing in all-weather roads to first nations and improving the lives of first nations people?

[Health, May 10th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, whether it is comments in this House or messages we hear outside, it is clear that the fight for women's equality is far from over. It is not enough to hear the Liberals say they believe in choice; the reality is that many Canadian women, because of where they live, do not have access to abortion services.

It is 2018. We have to stop playing politics on the backs of women in this country. When will the Liberal government step up, enact the Canada Health Act, and ensure that women, no matter where they live, can have access to their reproductive rights?

[Employment Insurance, May 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians fighting for their lives can no longer wait. We have asked the same question over and over, and we are seeing the same Liberal game. When the Liberals were in opposition they cared about this, but now that they are in government they have forgotten what they promised.

Enough is enough. We need action. Why have the Liberals forgotten Marie-Hélène Dubé and the half a million Canadians who want to see EI sickness benefits extended? When will we finally see the Liberals stand up for Canadian workers and for those struggling with serious illness, and when will we see them fulfill their promise to extend El sickness benefits?

[Keethan Lobster, Matthew Moore-Spence, and Terrence Spence, May 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the lives of Keethan Lobster, Matthew Moore-Spence, and Terrence Spence. These beautiful, bright 13- and 11-year-old boys from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation died on April 28, and like so many kids, they were cycling, enjoying the first warm days, when they were struck by a drunk driver.

Unlike so many other kids, they faced challenges all too common on first nations, not just the gravel road with no lighting. Keethan's mom committed suicide a year ago. His granny had raised him since then in a trailer that was home to 18 people.

Keethan had a dream. His last words to his Uncle Curtis Lobster were, “I am going to graduate from college like you, Uncle.”

In Canada, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, in 2018, we have to ask ourselves why. We need to work with first nations to build communities that kids can be safe in, from bike paths, to roads, to lights.

We will not forget Keethan, Matthew, and Terrence, and we will work to build safer communities for kids like them.

[Member spoke in Cree as follows:]

Ekosi.

[English]

[Status of Women, April 26th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we have heard that the attack in Toronto may have been inspired by the misogynistic and hateful movement “incels”.

We must acknowledge that attacks from these groups are a form of violence rooted in misogyny. We must believe women and end the hate that they face online and off-line. Saying one is a feminist is simply not enough. We must take action. The special rapporteur for the UN said that the government's fragmented approach to gender-based violence is not working.

The Prime Minister is all words. Where is the concrete plan, with resources, to end gender-based violence in Canada?

[Business of Supply, April 26th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, it would be a powerful message for us to show unanimous support for this motion.

As I mentioned earlier, Parliament for decades oversaw the running of the residential school system. It is time that we begin a different journey, one of reconciliation, in the case of the Catholic residential school survivors, and there could not be any stronger message than one of unanimous support. Many of us believe that there is an openness from the Pope to begin this process of an apology. If we all come together, the message could not be stronger.