Mr. Speaker, I am splitting my time with the member for Kitchener--Conestoga.
I am pleased to rise today to speak to the motion of the hon. member for Winnipeg South Centre. With all due respect to her good intentions, however, I must note that the motion is somewhat contradictory. It calls for focused and immediate initiatives at the same time that it calls for the implementation of an accord that the Liberals themselves have been unable to table in the House.
As a result of last fall's first ministers meeting, there is a deeper shared understanding of the challenges and needs faced by aboriginal people in areas such as health, water, housing, education and economic opportunities. The first ministers meeting brought the parties together, federal, provincial, territorial and aboriginal, for discussions to clarify priorities and shared responsibilities.
The process and the discussions actually began much earlier, but as several aboriginal groups have pointed out, they were not perfect. Nevertheless, they were a significant step forward in terms of consultation and consensus building, one of the three elements that the Auditor General has identified as essential to improving the lives of aboriginal people.
However, last fall's meeting did not go so far as to culminate in an accord outlining focused and immediate initiatives, nor did it adequately address two other elements the Auditor General has highlighted as the key to further progress: structural change and capacity building.
Earlier today the hon. member for Winnipeg South Centre did not answer my question regarding her motion, but instead read from a prepared statement of defence against anticipated criticisms on this point. After 13 years of Liberal governments and little or nothing on this front to show for it, I am not surprised that she would take this precaution.
As she noted earlier, structural changes are difficult. What she neglected to emphasize, however, is that they are nonetheless extremely necessary. In many cases, they are needed simultaneously with if not prior to further investments. This will ensure that current and future investments have measurable results that someone is accountable for producing.
Not only is our Conservative government committed to conserving and building on the good consultation and consensus work done at the first ministers meeting, to investing additional funds where they will be most effective, and to increasing capacity building, we are also committed to making the difficult structural changes the Liberals so long neglected at a significant cost to all Canadians. It is a significant challenge. We are committed to accountability, another area in which Liberals have had to scramble to prepare statements of defence.
Given that we fully support the objectives and targets identified last fall, there is little the Liberals can do except try to pass off a press release with a Liberal pre-election spending promise and attach it as a legally binding Government of Canada commitment. The Liberals may publicly attack five months of Conservative action because it does not fulfill one day of pre-election Liberal promises, but will they ever publicly admit that today's motion for debate is all about deflecting attention from the fact that five months of Conservative action have brought more new funding and initiatives on key aboriginal issues than the past 13 years of Liberal inaction?
These 13 years have given the Liberals a record that even their potential future leader, Gerard Kennedy, has recently called “devastating”. I have to repeat that: devastating. It was incredible to hear but at the same time it was very illustrative of the record of the party of which he is seeking to be leader. As my hon. colleague, the member for Winnipeg Centre, pointed out this morning, the Liberals, after 13 years in power, had become skilled at announcing program funding spread out over so many years that it had little significant impact and skilled at re-announcing the same programs year after year.
This will not be the Conservative government's approach. What is required now is a plan of action, a means to move forward, a plan that will involve, as needed, specific consultations, structural change, capacity building and additional funding, a plan that will produce tangible, measurable results, and one that will have the details of the concrete steps we need to take in order to implement that plan. Furthermore, it must be prioritized, focused and resourced, with clear responsibilities and accountabilities.
We are taking swift action. In March, one of this government's first acts was to launch a plan of action to address drinking water concerns in first nations communities. We set a priority, we put together a plan and we are moving forward.
This government understands the critical importance of improving the quality of life for aboriginal women, children and families. We recognize that providing opportunities for women and their families builds economic strength and capacity from inside their communities. This means that aboriginal people become more prosperous in their own right and so does Canada.
Our budget has allocated $3.7 billion for aboriginal and northern programs. That includes $2.2 billion to address the legacy of the Indian residential schools, an important payment that will be going to these claimants and one that is long overdue.
The budget targeted investments in key areas. These investments include $300 million for affordable housing programs in the territories, benefiting both aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples. Nunavut, where the problem is in fact most pressing in terms of housing, will receive $200 million. Having travelled to Iqaluit as one of my first duties in the role I have now, I must say the people there will be looking forward very much to these funds. Also, Yukon and the Northwest Territories will receive $50 million each.
Another $300 million is meant to improve housing, enhancing the quality of life for thousands of aboriginal people living in non-reserve communities. Through previous discussions at the first ministers meeting, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples pointed out that this is one area that was not looked at properly. Off reserve housing is an important area that this government has addressed.
Furthermore, some $450 million is set aside to fund initiatives for education, for women and children, and for on reserve water and housing.
Of the $3.7 billion earmarked for aboriginal and northern Canadians, $500 million will promote community development in the areas potentially impacted by the Mackenzie gas project. In fact, this is in conjunction with all of the economic development that is flowing to the north. In my opinion, and I think that of others, this will begin to stimulate the degree of industry and economic benefit that so many people are seeking in the north. It is an area that has seen little economic development in the past.
This government has pledged to make progress toward its goal of working with first nations, Inuit and Métis partners and with the provinces and territories to establish priorities and develop effective, sustainable approaches to the social and economic challenges they face in their communities.
We are delivering real results, not just empty rhetoric. Canadians voted for change. We are delivering positive change to them. We are committed to better lives for aboriginal people in Canada through a practical and decisive approach. The steps we have taken so far clearly show this.
I would like to say also that many people from the region I come from are looking forward to seeing this government move forward in a way that will see real benefits flow through to the people who need it most. I am very proud to be part of this administration.
