House of Commons CANADA Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development AANO Ï NUMBER 019 Ï 3rd SESSION Ï 40th PARLIAMENT EVIDENCE Thursday, May 27, 2010 Chair Mr. Bruce Stanton 1 Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Thursday, May 27, 2010 Ï (1530) However, I would like to first talk about the key issues on which I [English] want to focus in the next 12 months. Many of these you will recognize as they are a continuation of our long-term agenda to make The Vice-Chair (Mr. Todd Russell (Labrador, Lib.)): Order, tangible improvements to the quality of life for aboriginal and colleagues. I'd like to bring meeting number 19 of the Standing northern peoples and communities. As the Speech from the Throne Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development to and budget 2010 reinforced, our government remains committed to order. building a stronger, healthier relationship with aboriginal people and The orders of the day are the main estimates and supplementary to realizing the vast potential of Canada's north. We're focusing our estimates (A). They will be debated together. efforts on achieving a real and measurable difference in the lives of aboriginal people and northerners. I want to pass along the regrets of the chair, Mr. Stanton, who couldn't be here with us today, who had other obligations, as well as [Translation] of my colleague, Ms. Neville. But there's a much better looking man in the chair, so I'm sure that will be edifying to all of your eyes And we are making steady progress. throughout the next two hours. [English] I want to welcome the minister. And I know his time is valuable, A special acceleration of these efforts came from Canada's so we want to get right down to it. As well, I welcome his officials, economic action plan. Our government earmarked $1.9 billion over Mr. Wernick and Ms. Jauvin. It's good to have you all with us. We two years for investment in aboriginal skills and training, in housing have the minister for a ten-minute presentation, and then we'll move and infrastructure, and in support of the northern strategy. I've been into the regular round of questioning. pleased to table quarterly progress reports on these investments, Mr. Minister, we're glad to have you with us. Go to it. most recently in March of this year. All these reports are available on my department's website. Hon. Chuck Strahl (Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development): Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. And I'm glad to As members of this committee will know, my mandate is a broad see that none of your committee members yelled “Debate” when you one. Today I would like to divide my remarks into two parts. Let me mentioned how the chair looked. I thought it was obviously a sign of discuss aboriginal issues first. Our activities in the past are a good respect for the chair. indication of where we intend to concentrate our efforts in the future. [Translation] We are pursuing a busy legislative agenda. For instance, I strongly Thank you, Mr. Chair. encourage all parties to support Bill C-3. Without this important [English] legislation, the key section of the Indian Act dealing with entitlement to registration will cease to have legal effect in British Columbia. I welcome this opportunity to bring committee members up to This could have serious consequences. Approximately 3,000 people date on activities within my portfolio. per year will be denied their basic right to register for Indian status [Translation] and to access associated benefits if we don't pass that bill—as well as the many other thousands of people across the country who could With me today are Michael Wernick, Deputy Minister of Indian access it as well. and Northern Affairs Canada, and Nicole Jauvin, President of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency. Bill S-4, proposed legislation to resolve the longstanding issue of [English] on-reserve matrimonial real property, is being considered in the Senate, and I will be speaking fairly soon in the Senate committee as The main estimates before this committee reflect the resources we well. are asking Parliament to appropriate, to fulfill the many responsi- bilities of my mandate as minister. You mentioned that the other Bill C-24, introduced on May 12, proposes to facilitate the supplementaries are also included in this discussion. I'd be very development of major commercial real estate on reserve land. I thank pleased to answer questions on these estimates following my many committee members for speaking to me about that, and I opening remarks. appreciate your support for that bill. 2 AANO-19 May 27, 2010 Bill C-25, also introduced on May 12, would ensure clarity, Ï (1535) consistency, and legal certainty with respect to land use, planning, and environmental processes in Nunavut. [Translation] Just yesterday we introduced Bill S-11, the safe drinking water for first nations act, which would enable the Government of Canada to continue making tangible progress on its commitment to improving water conditions on reserve. Let me turn now to my northern mandate. [Translation] I would like to thank the committee members for their work and [English] encourage their cooperation and support in moving these important legislative initiatives forward. [English] Our government is moving forward with the implementation of the northern strategy. We are making significant progress in creating We are also working hand in hand with aboriginal communities a world-class high Arctic research station. Twenty partners across and the provinces and territories to reform and strengthen child and Canada's Arctic have seen their science and research facilities family services and education. Building on that, budget 2010 improved thanks to our Arctic research infrastructure fund. commits $53 million over two years to ensure further progress toward a prevention-based approach to child and family services for first nation children and parents. Furthermore, we are actively reforming the northern regulatory It's obvious these investments are very necessary. The aboriginal regime to ensure that the resources in the region and their potential population in Canada is young. It's growing. For example, the can be developed, while securing a better process to protect the population of first nations on reserve has a higher proportion of environment. On May 3 I announced our government's action plan to youth under 24 than the population of Canada as a whole. Certainly, improve the north's regulatory regimes, which builds on progress we Inuit population growth is even higher. have seen to date and takes important strides to make regulatory frameworks strong, effective, efficient, and predictable. We are An increasingly young population creates a growing demand for working to give northerners a greater say over their own future and education, social development, and community infrastructure, and taking steps to pave the way to successful devolution. these vital investments play an important role in building strong communities and enabling aboriginal people to reach their full potential. Budget 2010 laid out our vision and investments under year two That's why budget 2010 provides $30 million over two years to of Canada's economic action plan. Strategic investments valued at support an implementation-ready tripartite K to 12 education more than $100 million over two years will improve the business agreement. I am pleased to report further progress to develop climate and address key health care challenges in the north. tripartite partnerships in education. In February, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the Assembly of Treaty Chiefs of Alberta, the Government of Alberta, and the Government of Canada, ensuring that first nations students receive comparable instruction Of course, one of the perpetual challenges of life in the north is and obtain comparable results whether the classroom is located on or access to healthy food. To help northerners meet this challenge, just off reserve. last week I announced a new northern food retail subsidy program I call “Nutrition North”. This new program will make healthy food Aboriginal leadership, including National Chief Shawn Atleo, has more accessible and affordable to people in isolated northern identified economic development as a key driver toward greater communities. Northerners helped us to design that. A lot of independence and self-reliance. This government agrees. Invest- consultation went into this, and northerners will help oversee its ments in economic development enable aboriginal people and implementation through an advisory board. northerners to achieve a better quality of life through economic participation built on strong foundations of governance, human capital, and infrastructure. After all, the best social policy is to create a strong economy. The main estimates for the first time include $61 million in funding for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, In addition to expenditures for basic services, Indian and Northern or CanNor. CanNor was created in August 2009 and is the first-ever Affairs Canada promotes economic development in aboriginal regional development agency for the north and the only federal communities and business opportunities, both on and off reserve. agency headquartered in the north. Its specific mandate is to My department also negotiates and oversees the implementation of coordinate and deliver federal economic development activities comprehensive and specific claim settlements, including the tailored to the unique needs of northern Canada and is an important implementation of practical forms of self-government. achievement of our northern strategy. May 27, 2010 AANO-19 3 Mr. Chairman, with respect to our main estimates, the $7.3 billion Ï (1540) that is allocated to programs and services at INAC reflects a net increase of about $367 million.