Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  We had some 65 different meetings and heard from some 2,000 people from right across the country about this, giving us an understanding of what exactly it will mean. More often than not, it's met with disbelief. I spent quite a bit of time this week in Manitoba, Saskatchewan an

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Madam Chair, I take it as probably a very good indicator of how closely we've been working that I know them all only by their first names.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Ah, Gros-Louis. It's a revelation to me.

Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  Thank you, Madame Chair and colleagues, for the invitation to appear before the committee today to speak to these important and necessary changes to child and family services for first nations, Inuit and Métis people. Allow me to start by acknowledging that we are gathered on th

Indigenous Affairs  Madam Speaker, our work has always been focused on supporting the people of Cat Lake. Housing money will go to housing. It is as simple as that. Housing money goes to housing. It is why we signed an agreement with the community and with Windigo First Nations and no one else. Repo

Indigenous Services  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Kildonan—St. Paul for her question and for her strong advocacy on behalf of Manitoba first nations. Last week, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services, also a member from Manitoba, met with the youth up

Pharmacare  Mr. Speaker, our government is working to close the unacceptable gap in accessing quality health care that exists between between indigenous and non-indigenous people. To close that gap, I am proud to report that 52 new community-led mental wellness teams are now serving 344 com

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, we support the needs of the people of Grassy Narrows. We remain steadfast in our commitment to build a health facility in that community. Officials are in regular contact with the community to advance plans for the design and the construction of that facility. I lo

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the people of Grassy Narrows have suffered for generations and we recognize the numerous health issues that the community faces to this day. We remain committed to building a facility that will meet the needs of community members. As I have stated, we are in contact

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, we are committed to working with our partners specifically to address tuberculosis among indigenous populations and particularly in the north. We are working with indigenous partners and governments, provincial and territorial, in supporting innovative and community-

An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families  Mr. Speaker, I fundamentally agree with the hon. member in the importance of consultation and of getting it right. I will quote from Perry Bellegarde, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who said: This legislation is first and foremost about First Nations child

An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families  Mr. Speaker, the most important thing we can do is to listen to indigenous groups and we have done that, having read Perry Bellegarde's quote on his reaction to this legislation. I will also speak to President Natan Obed of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, who said: I am encourag

An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families  Mr. Speaker, the issue of funding is a very important one. However, it would be extremely presumptuous to determine what those levels should be ahead of time. We will be working with individual groups to assure them of the level of funding and to ensure they have it. Jordan's pr

An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families  Mr. Speaker, it is startling to think that of the $1.2 billion toward child and family services since 2016, 80% of that goes toward what we call protective services, which is a nice way of saying apprehension or some may call it abduction. The idea behind this is recognizing and

An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children, Youth and Families  Mr. Speaker, the engagements and discussions with the provinces and territories continue. This is not the end game. The legislation would provide a path forward. I would also emphasize for those provinces and territories, and for those watching today, that they can make decision