Rod Bruinooge

[HIV-AIDS among Aboriginal People, February 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I will just correct my hon. colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health. I am in fact a member of the Métis nation, so I do have some ancestry that has their feet in first nations communities. I am in fact Métis, but I will not hold that against him.

Of course this is an important debate tonight and that is why I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to take part in it. There is no doubt that high HIV rates among aboriginal people is a matter of grave concern not only to this government but of course to myself.

HIV is a plague upon the modern world and, unfortunately, we do see very high rates of HIV among aboriginal people in this country. However, one of the factors that can lead to an increased rate of HIV is that of poverty. As such, I would like to take some time to speak to that important issue which does face many people from aboriginal communities.

Our government recognizes that the aboriginal people in this country face unique challenges in overcoming poverty. I have already spoken to how we, unfortunately, have a system that holds too many aboriginal people back, a system that needs reform.

Consequently, in collaboration with aboriginal peoples and our partners across the country and in the provinces and territories, we are looking forward to continuing to implement results based initiatives that will have a real and tangible impact on the lives of aboriginal people, such as extending individual human rights to first nations people, something that we had to fight hard to push within this Parliament, something that seems so common sense to people on this side, as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health has already just mentioned, a common sense approach of extending individual human rights, something that everyone has, something that I as an aboriginal person has, but something that first nations people did not have.

It is something that we had to push, each and every day for the last year, just to try to get this important bill through our committee. Finally, after considerable public pressure, it looks like it may be beginning to move forward, but it has been a challenge, and that is something that we face with all of our interesting ideas that we have brought forward to improve this broken system that I have talked about.

Other areas in which we are making progress are in the areas of water, housing, family supports and, of course, economic development in order to create conditions for healthy, sustainable communities, which are really the best means to combat poverty.

Our approach in these areas will have benefits for all aboriginal people. We have made a lot of progress toward our goal of improving the quality of life for aboriginal people in ensuring that they enjoy a standard of living that is comparable to other Canadians.

For instance, one area in which we took a specific interest was the area of clean water. When we first came to office, we inherited a situation where we saw nearly 200 aboriginal communities that were living under shameful water conditions. It was really a forgotten tragedy that the previous government paid no care to. We immediately put in a plan of action to address the drinking water on first nations communities and, since then, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada has been working in partnership with Health Canada, Environment Canada and first nations governments themselves to improve the situation.

We launched the plan of action, which was part of our commitment, to monitor the progress and to make information available to everyone to ensure that our focus remained on this important task and to have measurable improvements in the lives of first nations people. The Minister of Indian Affairs recently released the latest progress report and it shows that it has been consistent and has had very encouraging progress.

Our government is committed to ensuring that residents of first nations enjoy the same protection afforded other Canadians when it comes to drinking water. When we came to office, there were 193 high risk systems in first nations communities. That number has now been reduced to 85.

When the plan of action was launched, it identified 21 priority communities with high risk systems and which also had drinking water advisories. The latest progress report has only six communities in that category. We are very proud of that progress but we will continue to move ahead because there are still a number of communities outstanding and we hope to see that improvement in those communities happen quite quickly as well. That is one area of our concern in first nations health.

We are also providing aboriginal women, children and families with the supports they need to contribute to prosperous, stable communities. We have invested over $55 million over five years in family violence and prevention programs on reserve. This sum includes funds for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada's family violence prevention programs, as well as money for the construction of new shelters through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's shelter enhancement program.

We all know that adequate housing is essential to healthy, prosperous communities. The government is committed to providing first nations living on reserve with the same housing opportunities as other Canadians. To that end, we are working with first nations to increase the availability of safe and affordable housing and help communities create new options that provide a means to build equity and generate wealth.

I know that hon. members are aware of the first nations market housing fund which was announced last year. This $300 million fund, expected to be operational this spring, will help increase the housing supply on reserve and give first nations families and individuals a greater range of housing options, particularly home ownership and market rental units.

Moreover, the government recognizes that one of the keys to improving quality of life and eradicating poverty is through skills development and by increasing aboriginal participation in Canada's economy, which really is the most essential part. When we can extend the benefits of the economy, giving people the hope and opportunity that a job and a career will provide them, this is the key to getting out of the shackles of poverty.

We see aboriginal peoples who are now enjoying unprecedented access to venture capital, business supports, training and educational programs. Mainstream businesses are eager to partner with aboriginal groups. Aboriginal people are well known for their entrepreneurial skills. I come from an entrepreneurial background myself and many in my family are also very entrepreneurial. We see this throughout aboriginal communities and across the country people are ready and more than willing to seize the opportunities that business can provide.

We are working with our partners to ensure that first nations, Inuit and Métis can take advantage of our current circumstances. We are also working to encourage aboriginal youth to pursue careers in business sciences and the skilled trades.

I would remind the hon. members that budget 2007 invested an extra $105 million over the next five years to more than double the skills of the aboriginal skills and partnership initiative which funded skills training for thousands of aboriginal people.

Through the aboriginal workforce participation initiative, we are working with the private sector to open the doors of wealth and opportunity for aboriginal people. This initiative secures partnership agreements between some of Canada's leading companies and public agencies, along with industry and professional labour groups.

The aboriginal workforce participation initiative helps employers recruit, retrain and promote aboriginal services. This is an extraordinarily important initiative and one where we are seeing significant progress being made. Our goal is not simply to create jobs but to remove the obstacles that separate employers from employees.

To maintain economic growth, we must establish new beneficial partnerships. We must encourage aboriginal youth to pursue careers in business and science and in the skilled trades. We must continue to get the message out.

Doing business with aboriginal people benefits all Canadians. This is why we have signed partnership deals bringing together first nations with private sector firms like EnCana and Siemens. In relation to Siemens, I actually had the pleasure of signing a historic agreement with Siemens Canada just last year in 2007 in Saskatoon, an agreement that was going to bring into force a human resources initiative where Siemens was going to be hiring many aboriginal people across Canada. It is something that I had the pleasure of being part of.

It is initiatives like that which will bring about the historic change that we are hoping to see in the next few years.

We cannot forget about the urban aboriginal strategy which has been renovated and extended for another five years with a tighter focus on employment. The urban aboriginal strategy has been seen throughout the 12 test cities as being highly successful. It is something that is in my home town of Thompson which has the highest percentage of aboriginal people in Canada in an urban centre. It is a program that delivers results.

I took part in an announcement last fall where the urban aboriginal strategy, in conjunction with the community, decided that there was a need for housing in that city for young mothers who were attempting to go to university so that they could get a career. That is an example of why we need to bring these resources to smaller centres so people can get the education they deserve.

In this fall's Speech from the Throne, we are committed to helping aboriginal people get the skills and training they need to take advantage of job prospects, especially in the mining and resource sectors where we are seeing an increase in employment opportunities.

However, there is no question that poverty cannot fully and finally be eradicated without robust economic opportunities. As the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development has said, economic opportunities that generate not just wealth but purpose and a sense of progress toward a better future, is the path out of poverty.

Once again, our government is doing its part. Over the last year we have brought about Aboriginal Business Canada in a new form so that it is completely consolidated into one department so it can focus better on being able to extend the benefits of our economy to aboriginal people throughout the country.

We are building on the aboriginal business and economic growth that has already been achieved and we are looking at how to strengthen and deepen the positive results. For example, we are considering how to increase access to capital for small businesses and how to enhance opportunities in the marketplace for community based enterprises.

There is no question that these measures demonstrate a very strong federal commitment to economic opportunities for all aboriginal people, both on and off reserve and in urban and remote locations.

There are other positive signs all across the country. First nation leaders have been organizing and reaching out to governments and the private sector to build on our extensive economic agenda. Our government is committed to tapping into this enthusiasm and expertise. We have named an impressive group of aboriginal people to a National Aboriginal Economic Development Board. What is more, we have received useful guidance from the Senate committee on aboriginal peoples in this regard.

There is no question that aboriginal poverty is a serious and pernicious problem and there is no doubt that genuine progress is challenging. It requires clear thinking, diligent effort, patience and collaboration.

Our government will continue to work in concert with our aboriginal, provincial and territorial partners to achieve this progress. Together, we will create practical solutions, allocate appropriate funds; establish clear roles and responsibilities and set goals and achieve them.

We are committed to supporting initiatives that will alleviate the poverty that is endemic in too many aboriginal communities. By improving quality of life through addressing real issues, such as drinking water, housing, and supports for children and families, and by promoting economic opportunities and skills development initiatives, communities and individuals will be encouraged to grow and prosper and, ideally, no longer be shackled by the burden of poverty.

[HIV-AIDS among Aboriginal People, February 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I have been listening to the hon. member's speech for the last 20 minutes or so and I see it as something that actually diminishes the debate. She referred to the proposal of the former government as being a panacea that would have cured all the ills in the aboriginal communities. I see that as such a shameful statement.

When I look back at the proposals of the former government in its dying days in office, it brought forward a proposal that the Liberals felt was going to make a difference. I would like to ask that member, where was the systemic reform in that proposal? Kelowna was only a validation of the status quo. There is a broken system and the former Liberal government had 13 years to attempt to tackle it. It did not do anything. It waited until the last second and then it brought forward its validation of the status quo. I find that shameful.

I ask the member opposite, where was the systemic reform in her party's Kelowna proposal?

[Prebudget Consultations, February 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I actually have no surprise at hearing what the member has mentioned, in part because this is how the entire Kelowna concept first came about. It was rushed and last moment, previous to an election call.

It was from a government which knew that it had accomplished nothing in relation to aboriginal peoples over its entire tenure. It had to rush out this very ill-conceived press release at the last moment. The Liberals often speak about it as something that was an accord. Of course I know that accords are signed. There was actually no agreement as to how those proposed dollars would be spent among first nations leaders, but of course everyone knew that it was right before an election. It has received that type of stature, but it unfortunately is only a shameless attempt at trying to establish some degree of credibility on the file.

[Prebudget Consultations, February 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, there is no question about our commitment to assisting aboriginal people in being able to achieve housing capacity in their home communities, but going even further than that, I believe that what we are attempting to do is actually provide first nations peoples, specifically those on reserve, with the opportunity to own their own homes.

I was very fortunate to be part of an earlier announcement in the spring. A young first nation lady by the name of Alisha Bigelow was the first recipient of a program in Manitoba that assists first nations people in being able to come up with the down payment. We have seen among first nations peoples that it has been challenging to buy that first home. The most challenging part has been coming up with the down payment.

It was really exciting for me to be a part of this announcement that there is now government assistance for first nations people in buying a home and getting a mortgage. We assist them by helping them with the down payment. This is essential because it is actually a change in direction. Allowing people on first nations reserves to actually own their own homes is a departure from the past.

[Prebudget Consultations, February 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to speak in relation to this prebudget consultation debate. It is unfortunate, though, that I have to follow the member for Kildonan—St. Paul, because she has so completely captured our government's position that it is difficult to add to what she said. If I were a lawyer, I would say the case is closed, but thankfully I am not a lawyer.

However, I will try to expand a bit on what she has said and focus some of my statements on the tax cuts of which she spoke. Now more than ever, I think, we are realizing that with the softness in markets south of the border and abroad, it is essential that we as a government prepare our country to be able to withstand any changes south of the border, to continue the substantive economic growth we have seen, and to maintain the incredible growth in jobs over the last number of years.

Thankfully, we have a Prime Minister and a Minister of Finance who have been able to see this for some time and who have had the vision to bring in some of the most historic tax cuts in our nation's history. There have been some 60 tax cuts since our government took office 21 months ago. As I think back to January 23, 2006, it has been only two years, but the amount that has been accomplished is really quite incredible, especially in relation to the previous government.

It is as if we came to office understanding the situation the country was in and realizing that it was time to give back to all the hard-working, taxpaying Canadians and the businesses that have built our country and maintained such an incredible economy. That is exactly what we have done. We have given tax relief in the realm of $190 billion, not only this year but over the next five years. As well, in the previous economic statement in October, we added an additional $60 billion in broad tax cuts, including a further reduction in the GST.

We often hear the opposition complain about the GST cut. In the past, we have heard that complaint many times from the Liberals. In fact, in 1993 the Liberals won an election based on the promise of getting rid of the GST, but of course that got tossed the day after the election. They actually utilized the revenue from the GST for a number of years. There is no question about it: they had no intention of ever keeping that promise.

As a government, we felt it was the right time to bring that tax down. We committed in the last election campaign to reduce it from 7% to 6% to 5%. We promised to do that in five years, but as everyone knows, as Conservatives we like to take the initiative and get the job done, so we actually achieved that promise in less than five years.

In fact, it took us under two years in office to accomplish that reduction. The opposition parties, and specifically the Liberals, have complained quite loudly about this reduction, but when we think about the GST reduction and the timing that is now in effect, we are seeing it come in at a moment in Canada when it is actually needed quite considerably with our dollar where it is.

Our dollar, being affected by international markets and the strength of the Canadian economy, has risen quite dramatically, to the point where it actually broke the $1 mark in U.S. dollars. That was somewhat unexpected and has really put some pressure on Canadian consumer prices. There has been a lot of interest by consumers in reductions in the prices that they see relative to other markets.

Therefore, bringing in the GST cuts is one thing the government can do to assist our business community and our retailers in dealing with what many see as a challenging situation with our dollar. Thankfully, the dollar has moved back from its high mark of $1.10, and we hope we will be able to continue to work our way through this time of parity.

The GST cut has definitely helped the auto sector, which has had considerable pressure placed upon it over a number of years, in that it has seen both growth and decline. A GST reduction such as the one we have put into place has really aided the auto sector in being able to offer prices at a much reduced rate. I know that members opposite complain about and scoff at a $600 saving on a vehicle, but $600 is a lot of money where I come from. Maybe at their country clubs they can light their cigars with those six $100 bills, but back where I am from, that is a lot of money.

Of course, the purchasing power of consumers is going up. That is an important thing to remember, because Canadians want to take more of that pay home and they deserve to take more of that pay home. I am someone who believes in having more money in the taxpayer's pocket and not in funding every government program that the Liberals, NDP and Bloc want brought in.

There is a time for government intervention and there is a time when government needs to back down. When the fiscal capacity of government is removed by returning it to the people, where it actually rightfully belongs, it becomes a more conservative environment so that government is able to look at all of its spending programs under a conservative lens.

Thankfully, that is what this Prime Minister has been able to accomplish with the changes he has brought in, and we actually are seeing considerable benefit in our economy. Out in Manitoba, where I am from, we are seeing a fantastic situation because of the fact that we have seen a real retooling of the fiscal imbalance in our country. It was something that our party campaigned on. We campaigned on changing our equalization program to better suit Canada and, in reality, to bring it back to its original form.

Unfortunately, the previous Liberal government dealt with it in a way that became very political. It was utilizing federal fiscal capacity to begin intervening in the territory and the jurisdiction of the provinces. Perhaps the Liberals felt that it was a successful political methodology to utilize, and maybe they were right in some situations, but in terms of actually keeping the federal government in the jurisdiction in which it belongs, it was the wrong choice.

Now we can look at provinces such as Manitoba, which under this new formula is receiving $1 billion more than it did. That is allowing the province to actually start working in the areas that are in its jurisdiction, such as post-secondary education, health and child care. These are the areas that Manitoba can now focus on, instead of having the federal government trying to come up with some half-baked scheme, such as we saw under the former administration, with plans that could not possibly work and could not possibly be funded but were built only as an electoral scheme to draw votes.

Of course, we are seeing this country emerge as an energy superpower that is second only to Saudi Arabia. Canada has been able to utilize its natural resources, including its petroleum supplies, thus allowing our country to continue our stellar economic growth pattern.

This does not mean that we cannot continue with our other economic and energy strategies. Too often, we forget that Manitoba is one of the largest exporters of green energy. Manitoba's hydroelectric capacity is practically the largest in North America. It is something that is under-reported, so I have to incorporate it into my speech now, if members will indulge me.

I have spoken about the debt reduction, which is at about $10 billion over this year alone and at $27 billion since we came into office. That is the equivalent of $1,570 for each man, woman and child.

This is going to be a legacy for our children and for the individuals who will come after us so that they will have the capacity to be able to continue building this country in the future and to continue to make it the greatest place on earth to live. I know that as I look back on the time that I have spent in the House of Commons I will realize that with the leadership that we have had from the Prime Minister we have done exactly that. We have left an excellent legacy for our constituents.

[Aboriginal Affairs, February 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, within the scratching of the member's paper, I do believe there was a question. We do have a lot of interest in supporting first nations communities throughout the country. In that region specifically, I met with many of the leaders throughout the member's riding, and of course we look forward to assisting them in the future.

Let me talk a bit about the improvement in the system that we have attempted in British Columbia. In fact, the British Columbia government has brought forward an important change to the way that first nations schools will be implementing their education. Many jurisdictions across the country are very interested in that same change.

[Winnipeg's River Trail, February 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, as a proud Manitoban I was pleased to see Winnipeg's River Trail, the longest skating rink in the world, featured on today's front page of the Ottawa Citizen.

I know that Ottawans have boasted about the Rideau Canal for many years, but it is time for them to concede the title. Soon the longest rink in the world will be credited to Winnipeg in the Guinness World Records.

Unlike Ottawa's publicly funded trail, all Manitoba needed was a few college students with shovels and a bit of Manitoba brawn.

Last weekend Winnipeg's River Trail was enjoyed by some 30,000 skaters. We can laugh at the cold but the reality is that we will easily beat Ottawa for the number of safe skate days. The ambience, shopping opportunities and culinary delights found at The Forks sure cannot be beat.

Move over Ottawa, with the longest skating rink in the world and many other tourist delights, Winterpeg wears our title with pride.

[Aboriginal Affairs, January 30th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, it is shocking that first nations people on reserve are denied the same human rights protections that all other Canadians enjoy.

After 30 years of this discrimination, our Conservative government is set to pass Bill C-21 in order to heal this scar. However, today, in the aboriginal affairs committee, after delaying the bill for more than a year, the Liberals, NDP and Bloc are conspiring to pass amendments that will nullify the effectiveness of this bill.

Former Liberal minister of Indian affairs, Robert Nault, has urged that this legislation be passed immediately. He says that it is a way to prove Canada is serious about equality, but fellow Liberals are not listening.

Yesterday, the Canadian Human Rights Commission released a report urging support for the bill. Yet again, the Liberals are just sitting on their hands.

As an aboriginal Canadian, I am offended by the actions of the Liberals over the last year. I demand that they end their anti-rights agenda and pass the bill without watering it down.

[December 12th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, on this front, a number of questions have been brought forward not only by the member's party, but other parties, in relation to individuals who have received the common experience payment in less than the amount they expected.

Occasionally, there are situations where there is no proof of the actual tenure at a school. However, should these individuals feel that their payment is short of what they expected, there is a process, mandated by the courts, to review these payments and appeal said payments. We will continue to abide by this court order.

We are very pleased that the new Conservative government has delivered on this shameful record that has been left by our predecessors.

[December 12th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I stand to respond to some of the assertions made by the member for Yukon.

First, he claims this process has been delayed by our government. I find this a really remarkable assertion by him. We first sat in the House of Commons as a newly elected government on April 7, 2006. By May 1, we had passed this historic legislation. As a new government, a government that was finding its feet, we pushed this forward within one month. That shows our commitment to this issue.

In response to his comments about the payments, we have received over 80,000 applications. This is a court ordered process. The court demands that we only pay those who were actually at the schools. As such, through this very rigorous court process, we have to ensure that only actual residential school claimants receive the money. We have processed 34,000 claims of those 80,000 who have applied, and nearly $600 million has been sent to Services Canada for distribution.

I will leave it there and see where the hon. member for Yukon goes with his next question.