New Waterford Coal Bowl Classic  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the 2023 winners of the New Waterford Coal Bowl Classic and the School Sport Nova Scotia Division 2 boys' basketball provincial champions, the Breton Education Centre Bears. Known for their relentless full-court press defence, that defenc

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I know the member is from Nova Scotia. In Nova Scotia recently we have seen some terrible hurricanes, including Fiona. We are seeing ponds not freezing over. We are seeing places where indigenous folks used to ice-fish for years but are not able to ice-fish anymore b

Poet Laureate Rita Joe  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Heritage Day in Nova Scotia, where next week we will honour the beautiful words and life of the late Mi’kmaq Poet Laureate Rita Joe. Rita Joe’s work narrated the challenges of indigeneity through her lived experience told through magnificen

Justice  Madam Speaker, I would like to start by thanking the member opposite for her advocacy. This is an important subject that we have to get right in Canada. As an indigenous person who lives in an indigenous community, I am aware of the complexities and also the need for indigenous

Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by congratulating the member and wishing him the best with the new addition to his family. I am from a Mi'kmaq reserve, a first nations community. The member talked a lot about the need to ensure that when we talk about child care from coast to

National Ribbon Skirt Day Act  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for her advocacy not only today but at the INAN committee. The only thing I am saddened by is that we are not able to see the beautiful ribbon skirt she is wearing. I hope the cameras will pan out as she answers this question so th

Firearms  Madam Speaker, we have heard from many northern MPs, who live in different realities from many of us in urban centres. We know there have been concerns. There has been some misinformation on Bill C-21. We know the committee added two extra meetings to make sure we are getting it

Firearms  Madam Speaker, as a first nations person, I know that hunting is a constitutional right that is integral to many nations. Bill C-21's intent is to ban handguns and assault weapons, like AR-15s, full stop. There has been some confusion and there have been some concerns raised, but

Firearms  Madam Speaker, for more than 20 years I have been going to the Assembly of First Nations. I have been a part of the resolutions. I have been a part of drafting those resolutions. I have been a part of voting on those resolutions. I applaud the proactive advocacy of first nation

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls  Mr. Speaker, I am really happy to hear Conservatives rise in the House to talk about indigenous issues during emergency debates. I would like to hear more about it when they are talking about the overspending we are doing as a government as we try to remedy years of the Harper go

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his advocacy and for making sure he holds the government to account. I appreciate his words. When I took on this position of being the first Mi'kmaq MP, one of the things I wanted to do was reach out to the Native Women's Association

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls  Mr. Speaker, I heard all of the comments tonight, and it created a bit of emotion in me. I did not want to go through the whole night without giving inspiration and hope to the young indigenous girls at home who may be watching, who may be interested, who may be going to universi

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls  Mr. Speaker, I thank hon. members who are here tonight to talk about this extremely important issue. I would like to express my thoughts and condolences to the families and communities of the four first nations women in Winnipeg. The news is tragic, and it is a painful reminder

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, let me be clear, it is a serious issue in Canada. Indigenous women are 12 times more likely to go missing and be murdered, and that is why the government has invested $2.2 billion toward addressing this situation. In fact, in Winnipeg alone, for Manitoba indigenous w

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, that is a serious question, and I want to get to it. I also want to acknowledge all the chiefs, proxy and first nations community members I have seen in the galleries, who are attending the Assembly of First Nations Special Chiefs Assembly. We appreciate their advoc