National Indigenous Peoples Day  Mr. Speaker, today is National Indigenous Peoples Day. It should be a day of celebration, culture and history, but I am filled with a tremendous amount of sadness and anger. When this institution talks about indigenous communities, we often talk about resiliency. Those in the f

Members Not Seeking Re-election to the 44th Parliament  Mr. Speaker, matna. Every time I walk onto the House of Commons grounds and speak in these chambers, I am reminded every step of the way I do not belong here. I have never felt safe or protected in my position, especially within the House of Commons, often having pep talks wit

Canada Elections Act  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-309, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (Indigenous languages). Madam Speaker. Today, I am introducing my bill to get indigenous languages on the ballot. Indigenous languages, democracy and reducing barriers to voting are all important t

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister, the head of Canada, likes to use buzzwords like “reconciliation” to look good on the world stage without actually fulfilling basic human rights on Canadian soil. The Government of Canada destroyed records on residential schools, erasing vital info

Business of Supply  Matna, Mr. Speaker, for letting me continue. Just like suicide and death, losing children to foster care is becoming the norm for Inuit families. This is a direct outcome of basic human rights being violated. Put that on top of injustices from history. Before the 1950s, Inuit l

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, matna. For much of Canada, the 215 children found on the Kamloops residential school grounds was a shocking discovery, but for indigenous peoples this was not a discovery. This was a confirmation of the reality of genocide we have known all along. I am glad to hear

Indigenous Peoples  Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that the remains of 215 children are from a dark and shameful chapter of our country's history, but indigenous peoples know that colonization is not just in the past. It is an ongoing reality. More than 50% of children in foster care are indi

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the federal government and churches ripped children away from their homes, put them into residential schools and kept their bodies. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission lays out a clear path to doing the right thing, yet the current federal government has stayed a

Northern Housing  Mr. Speaker, the fight against COVID-19 must include real investments in northern housing. In Nunavut, we have had COVID cases in three isolated communities, Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet and Kinngait, in just the past month. While families in Ottawa and Toronto are told to stay home,

Indigenous Affairs  Madam Speaker, Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation sent a letter to the Minister of Northern Affairs asking him to ensure a swift conclusion to the NIRB 's environmental and social assessment of the mine's proposed expansion. The minister has refused to meet with the Nuluujaat Land

Mary River Mine  Mr. Speaker, the Baffinland mining corporation is looking to double the size of the Mary River Mine. Last month, Land Guardians braved temperatures as low as -36°C for days to have their voices heard to defend Nunavut from environmental and cultural harm. Since the mine’s const

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, Baffinland, a mining company in my riding, is planning an expansion at Mary River. This week, consultations continued concerning the fact that it wanted to build a railway in primary breeding grounds for narwhal. The local hunters and trappers association along with

Housing  Mr. Speaker, housing in Nunavut and across the North is in a crisis state. I recently did a housing tour in the Kivalliq and Kitikmeot regions, and what I saw was was inhumane. Lack of adequate housing and safe spaces result in death. Inuit are dying. I saw homes where babies a

Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, the federal government failed Inuit before COVID-19 and continues to do so. Since the Liberal government has been in power, it talked about a distinctive indigenous housing strategy in 2017 and in 2019 about investing in more housing. We have yet to see these two ite

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, meeting with the Wet'suwet'en chiefs would be a step in the right direction for reconciliation, but what we are seeing again is the Prime Minister failing. His broken promises to the people in my riding are seen every day, with a lack of and poor health care, mental