Government Policies  Mr. Speaker, our government believes that investing in Canadians is not only the right thing to do; it is the smart thing to do. Over one million jobs have been created since we came to government. Unemployment rates are the lowest on record. Over 825,000 Canadians have been lift

Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act  Mr. Speaker, as we heard earlier this evening from other colleagues, and in particular, my colleague from the Northwest Territories, this bill is UNDRIP in action. Indigenous peoples feel that this includes a lot of what they have been seeking for a very long time. This is going

Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act  Mr. Speaker, simply, it shatters the trust completely. Rural Canadians are very generous, and indigenous peoples are very generous people, but if someone breaks that trust, it takes a very long time to earn that trust back again. This bill will go a long way towards earning that

Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act  Mr. Speaker, it has been great to work with my colleague over the last number of years on the indigenous committee. I think we accomplished a lot of great things together, on many different bills and many different reports, that I feel have made a difference in the lives of indig

Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act  Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on Bill C-88, and I acknowledge that I do so on traditional Algonquin territory. I will be splitting my time with the member for Port Moody—Coquitlam. This important bill demonstrates the Government of Canada's commitment

Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act  Madam Speaker, the opposition members claim that the current regulatory system is complex, costly, unpredictable and time-consuming, and that the merging of the boards is essential for dealing with these issues. However, my understanding is that the merging of these boards landed

National Indigenous History Month  Madam Speaker, June is National Indigenous History Month. I would like to invite all Canadians, indigenous and non-indigenous alike, to join me in celebrating the culture, heritage and contributions of first nations, Inuit and Métis in Canada. The celebration of National Indigen

Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights  Madam Speaker, my congratulations to my colleague from Edmonton Strathcona on getting this bill onto the floor. I am privileged to have the opportunity to speak to it. I would like to tell a story. It is a true David and Goliath story. It is a story that starts in a small rural

Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights  Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member for Edmonton Strathcona for getting her bill before the House once again. It truly was a pleasure and an honour to work with her on the environment committee. We did a lot of good work together and struck a great friendship.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, today is World Environment Day, a day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. While Conservative politicians still have no plan to tackle climate change, our government knows that protecting our environment and fighting climate cha

First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families Act  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member's question gives me an opportunity to speak to that. It was not my intention, whatsoever, to cast aspersions upon Dr. Blackstock. Her representations at committee were invaluable. Her representations toward indigenous children have been invaluable for

First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families Act  Mr. Speaker, one of the amendments that was made to the bill was around funding, that it needed to be sustainable and it needed to be needs based. Once again, we do not want to define everything that should be in the bill. In doing so, I feel we would do an injustice to the inten

First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families Act  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Winnipeg Centre. I am pleased to rise today during third reading debate on Bill C-92, an act respecting first nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families. Let me first recognize that we are gathered on the t

First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families Act  Mr. Speaker, I have to say from the get-go what a privilege it is to sit with the member on the indigenous committee. I have a deep respect for her passion and she has a beautiful heart when it comes to indigenous issues. I just wanted to state that first. The members knows my p

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, the member's question is a very important one, because addressing the concerns of indigenous people is in that nation-to-nation relationship, and reconciliation is the most important relationship our government has been working toward. In recognizing the very diffic