House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2025, with 29% of the vote.
Child care December 11th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, Canadian families are being squeezed by higher and higher child care fees. Over the last year, the cost of child care has increased five times the rate of inflation. Now, while the Prime Minister's child care needs are covered, thanks to Canadians, too many Canadians have nowhere to turn for theirs. Why is the government helping the wealthy and leaving so many Canadian families behind?
Child care December 11th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, this morning, a report revealed that day care costs are rising across the country. Families and women are paying the price.
Instead of tackling the problem, the Liberals chose to cut taxes for people of means.
The new government needs to get its priorities straight. Can it tell us what it plans to do to keep day care costs from rising?
Taxation December 10th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are giving a $700 tax break to the well-off, while 7 out of 10 Canadians get nothing. Seniors waiting for an increased pension are told to hang on. Parents who are struggling to pay for child care are told to wait. However, a banker who makes $190,000 a year gets help.
Where is the urgency to help those who need it the most? Why are Canadians who live in poverty not getting anything, while the wealthy get another handout?
Resumption of debate on Address in Reply December 7th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his excellent first speech in the House. We are so happy that he is here along with a robust team from British Columbia. He spoke to our priorities overall as a caucus.
The member brought up some key points in terms of an issue we are proud to stand very clearly on, Bill C-51. There are so many Canadians from coast to coast to coast who have expressed their opposition to this bill, who have expressed their concern about what this bill means in terms of civil liberties, in terms of privacy, and in terms of respect for first nations' rights.
Despite the severity of the issues that have been made known by many across the country, the government across did not refer to the changes it is looking at making and, frankly, did not refer to any of its plans with regard to Bill C-51 in the throne speech.
How important is it for Canadians to see leadership on this front, to see that their civil rights, their right to privacy, and that indigenous rights are protected? I would like to hear from my colleague on this front.
Resumption of debate on Address in Reply December 7th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I am familiar with the member's long-standing work on issues facing women and issues of inequality. I would like to ask her a question, given the rather vague response we got from the Prime Minister about timelines and clear commitments on an inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women.
We in the NDP believe there needs to be a concrete plan going forward for this inquiry. Yes, we have heard some very positive pronouncements on this front. However, would the member not agree that in dealing with something as serious as the issue of violence against indigenous women, timelines and clear commitments need to be made known to families, communities, and leaders, and more broadly to Canadians, as well, in order for us to go forward and truly live up to the promise of reconciliation that the government claims to believe in so much?
Aboriginal Affairs June 18th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the question is this. When will the government step up and put an end to the third-world living conditions that first nations face across this country?
Today the Manitoba government is making a historic apology for the Sixties Scoop, a file that has been long ignored by the federal government. While Manitoba is demonstrating a commitment to reconciliation, the Conservative government still significantly underfunds child welfare services on reserve, and the results are devastating. In fact, there are more children in care today than there were at the height of the residential school system.
The question is this: How in good conscience can the Conservative government continue to discriminate against first nations children?
Aboriginal Affairs June 18th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, what indigenous peoples are saying and what we are saying is that it is time for the toxic current government to go.
The Aboriginal Economic Progress Report was released yesterday. We see that equality of aboriginal and non-aboriginal people will not be achieved even by 2022. First nations on reserve had the worst results for almost all indicators, including employment and education.
How does the minister explain such a disastrous record?
Petitions June 18th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition signed by many incredible women, strong feminists from Newfoundland, who are calling on the government to enact a national action plan to end violence against women. The petitioners are showing their support for a motion that I put forward, Motion No. 444. They do not want to stop at the defeat of that motion, but push for action to end violence against women in Canada today.
Aboriginal Affairs June 17th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member of the government for her response. Many of us have said that the government has made a commitment to treaty land entitlement and additions to reserve. However, the issue here is not what has been said. The issue is the lack of action.
What I would ask of the member and the government is to move on the application that has been made by NCN, Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, on the specific parcel that is truly only awaiting an approval by the President of the Treasury Board. Obviously, the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs is also involved.
This is an addition to reserve situation. It is something the municipality is firmly behind. It is something that our region desperately needs. Obviously, the first nation is asking for this to be done as soon as possible. When will this addition to reserve be completed?
Aboriginal Affairs June 17th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise here today to continue the pressure on an issue I raised in this House a few weeks ago.
A question that I repeatedly asked both as the NDP aboriginal affairs critic and as the member of Parliament for Churchill is how the government can justify egregiously long wait times when dealing with indigenous communities.
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people are bucking under the lack of attention and response on issue after issue. When it comes to first nations settling land claims, implementing treaties, claiming treaty land entitlements, and creating additions to reserves, the government needs to act. Nations are waiting for the government to enable them to create economic opportunities for the prosperity and welfare of their people and across the country in all regions.
Unfortunately, it is the glacial response or sheer inaction on the part of the minister and his department that is standing in the way.
I am here to raise the issue faced by the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, or NCN, a first nation in northern Manitoba that has been attempting to convert an addition to reserve package known as the Mystery Lake parcel for 12 long years. The minister has given no reason for the delay, which is costing the first nation millions of dollars. That is money that could be spent to improve the lives of their people.
Chief Marcel Moody from NCN came all the way to Ottawa to advocate for his people. He testified at our aboriginal affairs committee, where he said:
We've been trying to convert that property to an urban reserve for the last 12 years. It's been a slow and cumbersome process. ...
It has taken that long. Over that time we have lost between $20 million and $30 million because that property hasn't been converted to a reserve. ...
The support from the mayor and council of Thompson has been great. ...The support has been always been there from Thompson. It's a process that's so slow, and it really impedes our ability to move forward as a community.
My question to the government is this: when will the President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development move to sign the NCN addition to reserve?
In most cases when the government is delaying ATR implementation, it is the municipalities that are ready and willing partners in the exchange. In fact, when Chief Moody came to testify at the aboriginal affairs committee, so did Tim Johnston, the previous mayor of Thompson. He spoke in support of the first nation:
One of the comments we make is that the challenge, when we're talking access to capital, is that we have to encourage first nations to create capital. Unfortunately, right now, at the federal level there are real challenges with doing that between programs and policies among departments, which counteract, in many ways, the ability of first nations to accumulate wealth.
Mystery Lake is a prime example of this problem. The process has been under way for 12 years, including many years prior to that in negotiations. ...This is absolutely a shame.
The NCN's Mystery Lake package is a done deal and will work to benefit both the first nation, the City of Thompson, and our region as a whole. It is only now being stalled because the government is not prioritizing this case.
I repeat: when will the President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development move to sign the NCN addition to reserve?