Government Orders
Uqaqtittiji, I do want to ask my hon. colleague a question regarding parental rights, because Conservatives use that as a guise, I think, to pretend to care about women's bodies or unborn babies. I think that the pharmacare act could help make a difference regarding contraceptives and how Canadians need to be better informed when Conservatives are pretending to care through words or slogans like “…
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Uqaqtittiji, when I spoke to this bill, I talked about the importance of Jordan's principle. Unfortunately, the need for it arose because there were jurisdictional disputes about who was to pay the cost of health care for Jordan River Anderson. I think what is trying to be done with the pharmacare act is to avoid similar scenarios, where people with diabetes, or women or gender-diverse people get …
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Uqaqtittiji, I know personally of people who, because they do not have the diabetes medication they need, are at risk of amputations. There are people, as well, who deserve better protections for contraceptives. For example, not all indigenous women can have access to contraceptives, especially when we know that, on this fifth anniversary of the publication of the MMIWG's calls for justice, this p…
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Uqaqtittiji, before I begin my speech, I will take this opportunity to congratulate Sharon DeSousa, who just became the first racialized national president at the Public Service Alliance of Canada. I first met her when the Iqaluit Housing Authority Inuit workers had their 136 days of striking to advance the rights of workers, not just for Iqalummiut, but also abroad. I am excited about Sharon's el…
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Uqaqtittiji, I wonder if the member can share how much of this bill would go toward supporting care for indigenous peoples. If there is not enough support, how does this bill need to change? We all know that the health conditions for indigenous peoples are some of the worst compared to other Canadians. What do we need to do to make sure that indigenous peoples are getting the pharmacare that they …
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Uqaqtittiji, as I said earlier, having empathy is really important, but acting on that empathy is even more important. When I hear about so many Canadians possibly having amputations because they cannot afford diabetes medication, I feel we all have to do our part to make sure that we act when we can, and it is our duty as parliamentarians to make sure that all Canadians get the drugs and the care…
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Uqaqtittiji, that is such an important question. One of the answers is what indigenous peoples have been saying all along, and we hear it in some responses, such as co-development, but we have to really make sure that when it comes to laws, program development policies and decisions regarding lands and the health and education of indigenous peoples, we have to be at the table helping to make those…
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Uqaqtittiji, Jordan's principle is such an important story to always remember because the implementation of it allows payments to be made up front and for the jurisdictions to discuss who ends up paying for it in the end. We have an opportunity with the pharmacare act for women and gender-diverse people to get their contraceptives immediately, without having to worry about whether it is going to b…
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Uqaqtittiji, it has been disappointing to listen to the debate and how partisan it has been. I wonder whether the member can remind us of what the bill would do. As this is just the beginning of getting universal pharmacare started, what would the legislation do to ensure that more work is done to improve on it as time goes on?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Uqaqtittiji, last week, I met with the Tumikuluit Saipaaqivik day care in Iqaluit, a day care that provides culturally appropriate care in Inuktitut. Because of a lack of funding, it is on the verge of closing. In 2022, the Liberals promised millions of dollars to Nunavut day care. The funding is taking too long to make its way to Tumikuluit Saipaaqivik day care. Will the Liberals ensure Tumikului…
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Uqaqtittiji, my colleague's intervention was excellent. I will ask the member about the Competition Act and Bill C-59, particularly because it is the NDP that is the only party that is fighting corporate greed. I would like to give a specific example. I am a member of the indigenous and northern affairs committee, and it was my motion that got the North West Company, a grocery company that is subs…
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Uqaqtittiji, I do appreciate some of the member's stories that he shared with the health issues in his family. Unfortunately, with the debate on this issue lately, there has been one huge gaping gap when we are talking about health. I wonder if the member can describe for us what the challenges are with the fall economic statement and what was announced in the budget, and what is happening to ensu…
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Uqaqtittiji, by the time the fall economic statement was presented in November, it was already well known that there was a major first nations, Inuit and Métis infrastructure gap. For first nations only, that gap was reported at $350 billion. It is so unfortunate that the government continues to ignore the plight of indigenous peoples. I wonder if the member can share with the House how he will ma…
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Uqaqtittiji, there are parts of the fall economic statement that I did appreciate, but other parts did not go far enough, including addressing corporate greed. Just yesterday, I summoned to the indigenous and northern affairs committee, the CEO of The North West Company and asked him about his salary. His annual salary is $3.91 million. I asked him what the salary of a cashier in his stores are. T…
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Uqaqtittiji, whenever the NDP asks questions about the lack of investments that the Liberal government and the previous Conservative government have made to indigenous housing, we are always told about how much more the Liberals have been investing. I wonder if the member can tell us what the impacts of those statements are on indigenous peoples who live in overcrowded housing conditions and who l…
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Uqaqtittiji, I want to thank the member for his excellent intervention. Does the member agree that what needs to happen is for the Liberal government to declare a national emergency on the toxic drug crisis so that there is a pan-Canadian response to addressing it?
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Uqaqtittiji, what I appreciate about Bill C-59 is that, inserted into it, because of the great work of the NDP, are measures to lower bills for Canadians, as well as to end the free ride that has been given to CEOs for too long. Some of these measures include better protections for Canadian consumers in the areas of prohibiting drip pricing, deterring greenwashing and moving toward a right to repa…
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Uqaqtittiji, I appreciate the responses the member gave regarding the need to listen to experts. I understand that Canadian chiefs of police support the use of safe supply, as do medical practitioners, because we all know the toll this toxic drug crisis takes. I wonder if the member agrees that we do need to listen to experts like the Canadian chiefs of police, as well as the medical practitioners…
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Uqaqtittiji, it is good to see the Minister of Housing here. For the last two years, the Nunavut government has been asking for investments in housing. Understanding that the Government of Nunavut is not an indigenous government and is not eligible to apply to the urban, rural and northern housing initiative, can the minister update the House on what investments they will be providing directly to …
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Uqaqtittiji, the member has responded partly to what I was going to ask her regarding whether she thinks the opioid crisis is a health issue or a criminal justice issue, specifically because the NDP did introduce a bill that would treat the toxic drug crisis as a health issue. I wonder if the member could instead explain, if this is a health issue, why the Liberal government is spending 60% of the…
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Uqaqtittiji, the member mentioned a bit about housing, and I will ask him a similar question that I have asked other Liberal MPs about the fall economic statement and the lack of investments going to the territorial governments to help alleviate the housing crisis in the north. Does the member agree, for example, that we should have heard the three territorial premiers when they asked for $600 mil…
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Uqaqtittiji, when I read the motion, I do not read it the same way that the member just read it. What I am seeing from this motion is that the Conservatives are asking the Prime Minister not to listen to the City of Toronto. They are asking the Prime Minister not to listen to the City of Montreal. They are asking provinces, territories and municipalities, who are asking for help, not to be heard. …
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Uqaqtittiji, before 2013, there was a food mail program that was to help alleviate the prices of groceries. During the former Conservative government, the food mail program that was going directly to consumers was changed to nutrition north. Nutrition north was changed so that the price of groceries was supposed to be reduced, but instead it has become a subsidy to protect corporate greed. For exa…
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Uqaqtittiji, last month the United Nations special rapporteur visited Canada. He confirmed what indigenous peoples already know: that the right to clean drinking water is not being upheld. The Prime Minister has millions of dollars for the North West Company, Loblaw and Costco but asks indigenous people to wait for clean drinking water. Will the Prime Minister stop fighting these solvable issues a…
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Uqaqtittiji, people in Nunavut pay hundreds more dollars in shipping fees than those in the rest of Canada. Amazon charged a Pangnirtung resident over $700 in shipping fees. This is unacceptable. The Liberals are catering to ultrarich corporations by allowing this. Nunavut needs a government that fights to take on Amazon's corporate greed. Why is the government okay with Nunavummiut paying hundred…
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Uqaqtittiji, I thank the member for her allyship. I always appreciate it very much. Because there are too few indigenous members of Parliament, we are always first to ensure that we can work with any ally who is willing to advance indigenous peoples' rights.
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Uqaqtittiji, the kinds of questions I get sometimes, from either the Conservatives or the Liberals, on partisan issues like that are really quite unfortunate. I know that, for example, subsidizing major for-profit corporations is not something the Liberal government should continue to proceed with when there are too many indigenous peoples living in poverty and too many Canadians experiencing home…
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Uqaqtittiji, I will be splitting my time with the member for Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry. Before I start my speech, I would like to send happy birthday wishes to my best friend, Christa Kunuk in Iqaluit. I miss her dearly. I cannot wait to see her when I get home for the riding week. I rise on behalf of Nunavut with what feels like the weight of the world on my shoulders. This weight significa…
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Uqaqtittiji, I will talk about the urban, rural and northern housing initiative because that is something the NDP worked really hard for. That funding would help make sure indigenous peoples have a say in what housing will be for first nations, Métis and Inuit communities. Without that $4 billion, which we were able to fight for, indigenous children will be going to school tired because they are s…
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Uqaqtittiji, it is great to hear intelligent speeches from the Conservatives. It is great to hear not all Conservatives take a “play bingo” approach to saying as many slogans as they can in their interventions, so I really appreciate that very much. In 2022, the RBC, the Royal Bank, invested $41 billion in fossil fuels. In this time of climate change, would the member not agree it would be better …
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Uqaqtittiji, I think that Canada and the provinces are all settlers on indigenous peoples' lands, and all provinces and territories should always be working with indigenous nations. I know that the housing crisis in Nunavik and northern Quebec is as severe as it is in Nunavut, and I hope that provinces, like Quebec, will work better to ensure that indigenous peoples are getting the housing they de…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank the member for his intervention and for mentioning the national food program, which I think is quite important. I would like to know what he would say to all the Nunavut children. Even with the program, they will still go to school without enough sleep because they are forced to sleep in overcrowded housing situations. They are forced to go to school without enou…
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Uqaqtittiji, I am quite fascinated by the dramatics of the member's intervention and by just how much disinformation is shared in the Conservative interventions I have heard since I have been elected. What I heard from the MP is about the privilege he has always had in his life and about the privilege he continues to push forward, especially when he was talking about housing. He spoke about how th…
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Uqaqtittiji, this is such an important bill, because it would help individuals who need it most, whether it is women who may need medicines for their reproductive health or people who suffer from diabetes. These are two areas of pharmaceutical care that are desperately needed throughout Canada, in the territories and in all the provinces. Could the member better explain how this bill is not suppor…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to ask my colleague about Canada's placement in the world regarding subsidized or free contraception. More than 25 countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia, have offered subsidized or free contraception since as far back as 1967. I wonder if the member can respond by giving us his views on why it is so important for Canada to join other…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Uqaqtittiji, on Wednesday, I joined a productive panel discussion with my colleagues from the other House Senator Dawn Anderson and Senator Pat Duncan, as well as Jackie Jacobson, a former MLA in the Northwest Territories, to discuss the Arctic Research Foundation's impressive work in drafting the national Arctic strategy, which was released in October 2023. This great work was prepared in prepara…
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Uqaqtittiji, in Nunavut, the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation administers the Inuit child first initiative to help kids, but its great work is being made difficult by the government's delays. Close to 70% of requests were not processed on time, leaving traumatized children without the health care they deserve. When will the Liberal government finally ensure that first nations and Inuit childre…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Uqaqtittiji, I rise to speak to Bill C-318, an act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and the Canada Labour Code regarding adoptive and intended parents. Qujannamiik to my colleague from Battlefords—Lloydminster for this important piece of legislation, which would help bring equity to adoptive and intended parents. I thank my colleague from Winnipeg Centre for all of her hard work on the file. …
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Uqaqtittiji, I am glad that the member mentioned a bit about housing. Unfortunately, the budget does not do enough for indigenous housing. For example, the Assembly of First Nations reported, in 2021, that the first nations housing need to close that gap is $44 billion. The Auditor General, this past March, reported that 80% of first nations housing needs are not being met. In fact, she said, at o…
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank my excellent colleague from South Okanagan—West Kootenay. I always enjoy his interventions, his great work and his leadership on educating us in the area of science. I want to ask him a quick question about what the budget could do to make sure that we are doing better to address climate change. I know he is in a riding where that is a huge issue. I wonder if he …
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Uqaqtittiji, the member talked much about fairness and housing. Unfortunately, the budget does not do enough for first nations housing. The AFN said there needs to be $44 billion to close the gap. This budget promises only $918 million over five years. How can the member say this is fair to first nations, when they are getting meagre pennies out of the budget?
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Uqaqtittiji, in their budget on Thursday, the Liberals made a lot of announcements on housing, but they did not make the $600-million investment in the territories that Nunavut, Northwest Territories and the Yukon have been desperately asking for. When I go home, I am told more heartbreaking stories of crumbling and overcrowded homes. Why will the minister not listen to the territorial premiers an…
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Uqaqtittiji, my colleague's speech was very informative in showing the realities of what indigenous peoples experience in Canada because of the decades of a lack in investments by the Liberal government and past Conservative governments, which has led to the continued marginalization of indigenous peoples. I wonder if the member could share her thoughts on what will happen because of the budget an…
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Uqaqtittiji, while this bill is important, it is definitely not enough. It was unfortunate that, when the Minister of Finance gave her budget presentation, she did not even mention indigenous peoples or reconciliation. The government is not even increasing enough what needs to be done to lift indigenous peoples out of poverty. He mentioned marginalization; that did not end when residential schools…
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Uqaqtittiji, the school that I graduated from, the Ataguttaaluk Elementary School in Igloolik, is falling apart under the Liberals' watch. A recent report said that there are 127 issues that need fixing, including safety hazards like missing handrails and exposed electrical circuits. Children cannot learn when their school is crumbling. In budget 2024, will the Liberals invest in fixing or replaci…
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Uqaqtittiji, I rise to speak in support of Bill S-209. I thank my colleague from Vancouver Centre for sponsoring this bill. A pandemic observance day, if passed, would honour the loved ones we lost to COVID-19. It would recognize the countless sacrifices made by frontline workers in Canada and abroad. It would provide us with a chance to reflect on the ongoing impacts COVID-19 continues to have. O…
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Uqaqtittiji, a Calgary economic development study estimated that Alberta could see $61 billion pumped into its economy through clean technology investments. Does the member agree that transitioning to sustainable energy is the way to go, so provinces such as Alberta could continue to see their economies grow?
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Uqaqtittiji, first nations and Inuit have been neglected by successive Liberal and Conservative governments for years. They have underfunded infrastructure for first nations by $350 billion. For Inuit, the gap is $75 billion. The Liberals committed to closing this gap by 2030, but they are nowhere near their target. This means more mouldy homes, more crumbling schools and more contaminated water. …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
[Member spoke in Inuktitut as follows:] ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ ᐅᖃᖅᑎᑦᓯᔩ ᖁᕕᐊᓇᒻᒪᕆᑦᑐᓂᒃ ᐅᓂᒃᑲᐅᑎᖃᐃᓐᓇᕈᓐᓇᖏᑉᐳᖓ ᐅᕙᓂ ᐊᒥᓲᓗᐊᕐᒪᑕ ᐊᑦᓱᕈᓐᓇᖅᑐᖅᑰᐸᒃᑐᑦ, ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐱᑕᖃᒐᓛᒃᐳᖅ ᑐᓵᒃᓯᐊᕙᒐᒃᓴᖕᓂᒃ, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ ᑎᑭᐅᑎᒻᒪᑦ ᑲᔪᓯᑎᑕᐅᓚᐅᖅ− ᓱᓂ ᑕᒑᒃ ᑰᕐᓕᒧᑦ, ᐊᒃᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᖁᔭᓕᕙᕋ ᑖᓐᓇ ᑲᔪᓯᑎᒃᓯᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ ᒪᓕᒐᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᒃᐱᓐᓂᐊᕆᔭ− ᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᑐᓐᖓᕕᖏᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᖅᓱᓂ ᖁᔭᓕᕙᕋ ᐃᑲᔪᖅᑐᐃᓯᒪᒻᒪᑦ ᓄᓇᕗᒻᒥᐅᓂᒃ ᐃᓅᖃᑎᒌᑦᓯᐊᕈ− ᑎᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᕈᓐᓇᑎᑦᓯᒻᒪᑦ ᑖᒃᑯᐊ ᐊᐅᓚᔾᔪᑎᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᓇᒻᒥᓂᖁᑎᒥᓂᒃ−ᖁᑎᑦᓴᒃᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐊᑐᕈᓐᓇᓕᖅᓱᑕ ᑖᓐᓇ ᓯᕗᓂᒃᓴᕐᒧᑦ ᐸᕐᓇᐃᓯᒪᓪᓗᓂ ᓄᓇᓕᓐᓂᒃ ᐋᔩᖃᑎᒌᑦᑎᐅᓚᐅᖅᑐ…
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With regard to Indigenous Services Canada's 2023-24 Departmental Plan: (a) what indicators does the department use to measure the mental health and well-being of First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities; (b) do the indicators used by the department show that the mental health and well-being of First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities will improve by 2024-25; (c) does the Minister of Indigenous…
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