Nisga'a New Year  Mr. Speaker, on Friday I had the pleasure of attending the Nisga'a celebration of Hoobiyee, held this year in the village of Gitlaxt'aamiks. Two days of drumming, singing and dancing mark the Nisga'a New Year and the return of oolichan to the Nass Valley. It is hard to describe

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, our country and the government are facing a crisis. The Prime Minister tells us that no relationship is more important to him than that with indigenous peoples, but the protests we are seeing tell us that indigenous people have had enough of the government's empty pr

Relations with Indigenous Peoples  Madam Speaker, if I have it correct, the member said he believes the vast majority of Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs support this project. Since it seems he has quite a bit of understanding about the Wet'suwet'en hereditary governance system, I wonder if he could enlighten the Ho

Relations with Indigenous Peoples  Madam Speaker, I think indigenous people in our country, in particular, have been exceptionally patient with us for over 150 years. The issue right now is that we need concerted action on the part of the Prime Minister. We need him to show up. We needed him to show up weeks ago

Relations with Indigenous Peoples  Madam Speaker, I live in northwest B.C. and call that place home, and I can say that it is more than a few people who are concerned about the divisions and the conflict that have been created. For eight years I served as the mayor of Smithers and, having worked in local governme

Relations with Indigenous Peoples  Madam Speaker, I believe the question is what would I do if I were the Prime Minister in this situation. I believe I would try to understand the gravity of this situation for our entire country, for the process of reconciliation and for the hopes the young people have for the fu

Relations with Indigenous Peoples  Madam Speaker, to begin I will note that I will be splitting my time with the member for Winnipeg Centre. [Member spoke in Wet'suwet'en] [English] We stand here today at a historic moment when trains across this country are at a standstill, critical infrastructure is being blo

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the issues surrounding Coastal GasLink and the Wet’suwet’en have been deeply divisive for communities in my riding. The world is watching, and no one wants to see last January's confrontation repeated. The government's promises of reconciliation are on the line, and

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, I followed my hon. colleague's remarks with some interest. She briefly mentioned the debate she hopes will occur at committee over this bill. Given the point we are at in the process, what bearing does she feel that debate would have on the outcome of the final vot

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, taking a different tack, I am wondering if the member could speak a bit about the process by which the House engages on trade agreements. We have heard a little about the comparison between the process the United States follows and the one that we follow, whereby t

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, are the quotas the hon. members raises the quotas for aluminum?

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  I apologize. He raises a good point. I do not have the depth of knowledge on that particular aspect and I look forward to learning more.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the warm welcome. I do not doubt that there will be a robust debate at committee concerning the bill and that there will be important discussions, but the question is what bearing it will have on the bill itself. Comparing the process

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, what the hon. member has raised is precisely why we need a better process, one that is transparent and engages Canadians in the debate around what the objectives and the strategy for negotiating these trade agreements should be at the front end of the process, not

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, I do indeed know that the hon. member has family connections in my riding. We had a lovely chat earlier about that. His question is about competitiveness, and obviously Canada's competitiveness in the world is important. I believe his question is broader than the