Yvonne Jones

[Canadian Polar Commission, February 3rd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, copies of the 2014-2015 Canadian Polar Commission annual report.

[Indigenous Affairs, January 29th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, we are establishing a strong partnership with first nations governments in this country. In the meantime, first nations governments will continue their long-standing reporting of their audited consolidated financial statements, including chiefs and councils, including salaries and expenses, and that will be disclosed to the department and to the membership of those first nations.

[Indigenous Affairs, January 29th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question, but everyone, including first nations governments, wants increased transparency and accountability. We are going to achieve this through full partnership in working with first nations leadership and organizations.

We all know that a top-down approach from Ottawa has not worked with first nations governments in this country. We intend to change it, and we will work with them in partnership to get the agreements that are open, transparent, and accountable for all Canadians and for their membership.

[Indigenous Affairs, January 28th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, we realized the chronic underfunding that has existed in first nations, for many first nations children. We are very concerned about this, and for the first time our government is in a position to be able to take action. We are committed to investing more in first nations children in Canada, so that they too can have that equal opportunity, as all other Canadian children have.

[Indigenous Affairs, January 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I certainly appreciate the concerns that the member opposite has displayed on this issue.

First, I would never underestimate the due diligence of the Prime Minister of Canada. The Prime Minister and the government will be led by action. This is a government that has made a commitment to reconcile the differences that we have had with the indigenous people of Canada for many generations and decades.

We have started that process on truth and reconciliation and that call to action. We are committed to that process. We are committed to doing it in partnership with indigenous groups across Canada. We will not do it in isolation of those who are the first peoples of this country, because in doing so, governments have failed.

We plan on getting this right and we plan on taking the time that is necessary to work with the indigenous people of this country to build a stronger nation-to-nation relationship going forward that will benefit all Canadians.

[Indigenous Affairs, January 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to respond to the question put forth by the hon. member for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo.

For all of my colleagues here I think it is clear and understood that the Prime Minister has said no relationship is more important to him and to Canada than the one with indigenous peoples. We have come to recognize each and every day that the relationship Canada has with indigenous peoples is vitally important not just to our shared economic interests but to our respective identities as a nation. It is way past the time for a renewed relationship based on trust, respect, and the true spirit of co-operation. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action provide all Canadians with a renewed path going forward for Canada's unfinished journey of healing and reconciliation with our indigenous peoples.

As the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, I would like to acknowledge the hard work and tremendous efforts that have been displayed by the commissioners and the commission throughout this mandate, as well as by all of the staff who worked so diligently on this. The final report is a monumental achievement, and that has been recognized by all Canadians.

For many of those former students and their families, it is also a testament to the courage that they have shown in sharing their stories. We want to acknowledge them and their suffering. We admire their strength, we want to move forward, inspired by their words and their hope for change, in a new direction for a new culture that can be shared between Canada's indigenous people, our country, and our government. This will provide that path forward for federal and provincial governments and all Canadians so that we can build on these efforts toward reconciliation. Our government is committed to working in partnership with the survivors, with first nations, the Métis and Inuit people, along with the provinces and territories, the parties to the Indian residential school settlement agreement, and other key partners, to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action. Doing so will take time, but we are committed to getting this right.

Currently, the government is working with all of these partners to design an engagement strategy that we will have prepared for the spring of 2016 and developing a national reconciliation framework. This framework will be informed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. On an issue as important as reconciliation with indigenous peoples, it is more important to do things right rather than do them quickly. It is important that reconciliation not be done independently by government but that it be done in partnership with all of those who are involved.

Therefore, I say to my colleague that we want to engage all parties, we want to encourage all people, we want to ensure that this collaborative framework is done properly so that we can have real reconciliation with indigenous people in Canada.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, we were very proud to move on implementing the inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in our country. We know the value of doing this piece of work, but we also know the value of doing it right. That includes consulting with the families, which is ongoing at this stage. It will continue to be ongoing. As well, we will be consulting with others who have expertise to ensure that the inquiry will meet the needs, produce the outcomes, and see the follow-through that is required in order to do this successfully to ensure we honour the victims and heal the families.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, that is a very important question, and I am happy to speak to it. The difference between the previous government and our government is that we see opportunity in the future, and there is tremendous opportunity in 5 Wing Goose Bay to serve as part of the Arctic and northern mission. That is something that the former government did not see as an opportunity for that base and the people in that part of the country.

In fact, it was the previous government that continued to dismantle bases like 5 Wing Goose Bay. It tore down dozens and dozens of buildings and houses, and started to dismantle the entire base. Our job is going to be to strengthen military defence in the country, which we intend to do, and ensure that we make good use of the facilities and properties we have.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is an absolute honour for me to stand in the chamber today and to speak to the Speech from the Throne. I would like to acknowledge and thank my colleague for the wonderful speech he made this morning, and for his response to many of those questions that are certainly important to people in our country.

I am going to start by thanking the people of my constituency, the people of Labrador, whom I am so proud to represent in this chamber as their member of Parliament. They re-elected me in the last election, and they did so with a number of issues in mind. They elected me with the best of intentions and tremendous hope for change that would happen for them, as it would for many other Canadians across the country. I want to acknowledge the hard work of many of my volunteers who went out every day over this long gruelling campaign, but certainly never relented in their mission because they believed there could be better. They believed in a stronger Canada, and they worked so hard for that.

I want to acknowledge my friends and my family for their love, support, and commitment that they have continued to show me in political life over the years. I certainly am very grateful for all of that, and I give thanks for those blessings.

I am pleased to stand here today as part of a new and exciting government in this country. Under the leadership of our Prime Minister, we have committed to work hard for Canadians. We have committed to work hard on their behalf for the issues that are important to them in their communities, in their towns and cities, within their families, and within their professional lives. Canadians were engaged on all of the serious issues that are facing our country, and they were looking for the kind of leadership that would matter, the kind of leadership that at the end of the day would include creating jobs, growing the economy, strengthening the middle class, and, most important, creating a Canada that would be inclusive, accepting, and fair to all Canadians.

I come from a riding in Labrador that is made up of a number of indigenous groups, both Inuit and first nations. It is an area that has played home to allied countries from around the world, more than seven allied countries over our history. We have become a region in northern Canada that has looked with optimism instead of pessimism. We are a region that has advanced despite our challenges, and we are a region that is focused on greater opportunity for the future.

We are lucky to be in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, one that I am so proud to say will be represented by the leadership of Premier Dwight Ball and his Liberal government over the next four years. I want to congratulate Premier Ball for his hard work and efforts on behalf of all the people of our province, and for laying out a wonderful mandate that is reflective of the issues and concerns of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. I want to thank him and his team for giving the people of our province real choice for real change in this past election.

I want to acknowledge and recognize the MHAs who were elected in my riding: the member for Cartwright—L'Anse au Clair, Lisa Dempster; the member for Torngat Mountains, Randy Edmunds; the member for Labrador West, Graham Letto; and the member for Lake Melville, Perry Trimper. I want to congratulate each of them and to say that I am looking forward to working with them to improve the lives of the people we collectively represent in the riding of Labrador.

I am also very happy to be joined by six very strong members of Parliament from Newfoundland and Labrador. Having a strong team of colleagues to work with in our province makes our job so much easier. I want to recognize and congratulate each of them on their election: the members of Parliament for St. John's South—Mount Pearl, Avalon, St. John's East, Long Range Mountains, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, and Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame. Join me in congratulating all of them on their election to the House of Commons.

As my colleague, the member for St. John's South—Mount Pearl, mentioned in his speech today, we will be reopening the marine resource centre in St. John's, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The centre was closed three years ago by the previous government without proper consultation with the people in our province. It was done at the peril of those who work and live by the sea and earn a living from this sea-based island. All of the people who work in the offshore oil and fishing industries depend upon the safety and security of a proper search and rescue capacity and the ability to have someone to call, and someone to answer to the call, in a time of crisis. I am proud that our government will be reinstating the search and rescue centre in Newfoundland and Labrador. We will also work to improve search and rescue services throughout our province and country to ensure that Canadians, whether they work on the sea or the land, have the protection of a search and rescue service and someone to respond in their time of need.

I represent an area that has a very diverse culture, which I will speak to for a few minutes.

We are home to 5 Wing Goose Bay, one of Canada's wonderful air force bases. It is a military base that has operated to serve not only Canada but many of our allies around the world. It has provided training to Italian, European, German, Netherlands, United States, and Great Britain forces. It continues to offer training to many of the allied countries that want to continue training in that part of our country, and we have seen a lot of that training happen. It is part of the NORAD exercise that will be carried out over the next five years in Canada. We are delighted to be a part of that program, and to support the military with respect to its efforts in our community and region in carrying out the important work that it does on behalf of all of our armed forces.

I come from a long line of military personnel. I have never served in the military myself, but I have a number of family members who have served and continue to serve, both in the Canadian air force and navy, and also in the RCMP. I know first-hand the valuable services that these front-line people provide to our country. Today, as I recognize those members of my family, I also recognize those members in all families across the country who work hard to protect our rights and freedoms and our country. I congratulate them.

I also come from an area that is inhabited by tremendous indigenous people who are proud of their culture, and proud to be the indigenous people of this great country. They work hard each and every day to make gains, both in their Inuit culture and in their first nations lands.

Our government has made a strong commitment to indigenous people. I could not be prouder than I am today to stand in this House and recognize that our government will undertake a review of nation-to-nation governance and the relationships between Canada and our indigenous people. It is a remarkable commitment by our government, and I look forward to ensuring that we work diligently with all indigenous people in this country to make this happen.

There is so much that I would like to speak to today, but time will not permit me. However, just like in many ridings across the north and many rural ridings across Canada, I want to outline a number of the needs in my riding that we would like to have met.

I can commit to the House that I, as one member, along with many of my colleagues on both sides of the House of Commons, will be working harder to address issues around telecommunications, Internet, broadband and cellular service; transportation and air and road connections; housing; and around creating jobs and growing the economy of northern and rural regions.

I look forward to serving the people of my riding, and many others, for the next four years on those issues that are of critical importance in developing our country and allowing everyone a fair opportunity to grow and succeed.

[Indigenous Affairs, December 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I think all members in the House realize that northerners have been left behind for a long time in this country. We know what the costs of living of northerners are and while it has been ignored for many years, it is something we are prepared to address. We have made that commitment and we will honour it.