Patty Hajdu

[Climate Change, October 10th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, as the Minister of Indigenous Services and FedNor, I hear first-hand from rural communities hit hard by climate change. Just yesterday, we heard from chiefs from Northwest Territories talk about the most severe drought they have seen in their lifetimes. In fact, it is putting their livelihoods, their ability to gather food and their ability to get goods up and down that river at risk. They know, as so many Canadians know, that we must do more to protect the climate and each other.

Conservative MPs do not care about that, though. They do not even believe in climate change, and they do not really care about affordability either. They did all they could to block the rural top-up of an extra $280 for people in the member's—

[Indigenous Affairs, October 10th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I just met with the chief from Tataskweyak a few hours ago. We talked about the importance of Bill C-61 and the work that Tataskweyak and the other communities have done on the legislation to ensure that we never go back to a time when well over 145 communities were suffering through long-term boil water advisories.

That is the work the government will continue to do in partnership with first nations leaders. I hope the NDP will see that this is important legislation that needs to get through the House and give it their full support.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 9th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way over the past nine years, the government has worked with first nations leaders, indigenous leaders across the country to restore rights, to restore self-determination and to restore funding that was under heavy attack from the Conservative Party of Canada. We have so much more to do together, including working on mental health, which the government continues to support first nations-led solutions for. We are going to continue this hard work with partners exactly like the ones who are here today.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 9th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we have been doing over the last nine years, cleaning up the mess that the Conservatives left behind. We have made over $8 billion in investments in clean water operation plants across the country.

We have legislation, incidentally, tied up in committee. Hopefully, it will get to the House shortly. I will be testifying tomorrow about the legislation. There are hundreds of chiefs who have called on the NDP and the Conservatives to get this legislation moving through the House, so that we never go back to that time again.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 8th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, since 2015, we have lifted 145 long-term boiled water advisories together with first nations. We are going to continue until we get the job done. As a matter of fact, that member opposite has an opportunity to help make sure we never return to the situation that we found ourselves in 2015.

With Bill C-61 at committee, nearing study, I hope we will see a safe passage of that legislation through the House so that no first nations person ever lives without clean water again.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 4th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, as the member knows, there is a direct link between climate change and the extreme wildfires that we have been seeing across the country, worsening for first nation members. We have changed the way that the Government of Canada supports first nations so that they have the supports financially and from a self-determination place to be able to protect their communities. The good news is that, during the last wildfire season, half as many people evacuated from first nations communities.

We are going to continue to work with the real experts in this country: first nations and their partners.

[Mental Health and Addictions, October 3rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I will be brief.

I have noticed over the last several months a decline in the tenor of the House. It is disturbing to me as a member of Parliament to hear other members of Parliament use names and slurs toward constituents. These are Canadians we are talking about. When we are calling each other names and calling constituents names, we can do better. I am the member of Parliament for Thunder Bay—Superior North, and I am immensely proud of the citizens of my riding, and I would never, ever consider calling any of them a name.

[Committees of the House, October 3rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I really appreciate your moderation today. It is very refreshing to hear you speak about how we should treat each other in the House. However, when a member begins a statement by accusing another member of being “ableist”, in fact, that is the name-calling that you just called out.

We may have different perspectives on how to get to a better Canada that is fairer and kinder, but we are all here for the same reason. We are here fighting for our communities, fighting for our constituents, and trying to put forward a vision of Canada where people are going to have a fair chance to succeed. I think that when we talk about name-calling, it includes labels like “ableist”.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 1st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is really heartening to hear the member of Parliament from the NDP speak so eloquently about the need to move quicker on alleviating long-term boil water advisories across this country. Since we have taken office, we have lifted over 145 long-term boil water advisories and prevented well over 200. We are going to continue that hard work. I assume her comments mean she is going to support this new legislation and ensure it has safe passage through the House.

[Indigenous Affairs, October 1st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly the path that our government has been on, working hand in hand with first nations and indigenous leaders to ensure that programs and services delivered by first nations and indigenous people are available to their members so that people can heal from the trauma of colonization, something that just yesterday our government stood up with many survivors across the country to acknowledge. This has deep impacts on communities, and we will continue this hard work together.