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Results: 1 - 15 of 94
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
Lib. (ON)
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
2013-05-09 18:25 [p.16609]
Mr. Chair, the Conservatives have decided that they want to have a look at the history of Canada, yet in the proposal there is nothing there on indigenous people. There is a chapter on Canadian history that Commissioner Sinclair has called “the secret of shame”.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has said that it needs more time and more money to complete its work. It also needs the documents not only from the minister's department, but from all of the other departments, particularly the RCMP.
Will the minister be giving the Truth and Reconciliation Commission the time and money, as well as organize the documents so this chapter in Canadian history can be properly dealt with in truth and reconciliation?
View Bernard Valcourt Profile
CPC (NB)
Mr. Chair, I have met twice, and no longer than two days ago, with Justice Sinclair and the other commissioners. When the member claims it needs more time, my discussions with the commission were with respect to implement the agreement that is court supervised. We are working together and I have committed to working with the commission to ensure that we fully respect the obligations of Canada under the settlement agreement that is court supervised. This is a continuing conversation and dialogue I will have with the commission in order to ensure the objective of the agreement is attained.
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
Lib. (ON)
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
2013-05-09 18:27 [p.16610]
Mr. Chair, the commission is supposed to finish its work next year. Could you tell us how you are complying with the court order that said you were to turn over all documents requested by the commission? When will you comply with the court order?
View Bernard Valcourt Profile
CPC (NB)
Mr. Chair, we will work diligently with all the parties. This is not just about the Government of Canada. This is an agreement to which there are many parties. It is court supervised and we alone cannot change the terms of a court settlement that is court approved. Maybe the member does not get that.
We will continue working to implement our obligations under the settlement agreement. We have committed to that.
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
Lib. (ON)
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
2013-05-09 18:28 [p.16610]
Mr. Chair, what I do get is that the commission had to go to court to get the documents.
Budget 2013 says that it will invest $24 million over two years through the family violence prevention program for first nations to contribute to improving safety on reserve. How can the minister justify cutting the funding by $7 million from last year, while repeatedly talking about the government's commitment to combatting violence against aboriginal women?
View Romeo Saganash Profile
NDP (QC)
Mr. Chair, I will be taking my 15 minutes to ask questions and hopefully get answers from the other side. My theme for these questions is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in particular. I will not have any difficult or easy questions. I just want to ask some important questions on this file.
I know that the minister referred to the tango just a while ago and it takes two to tango, but I also know that to dance the tango, there is only one person who leads the dance. On that account I would like to say that I prefer the round dance because it is a more inclusive dance.
My first question for the minister is, have historical files pertinent to the Indian Residential School System been destroyed by the Government of Canada?
View Bernard Valcourt Profile
CPC (NB)
Mr. Chair, I was not around in the 1940s, or the 1930s, or the 1920s. To my knowledge, no documents were deliberately destroyed simply to have them destroyed.
View Romeo Saganash Profile
NDP (QC)
View Bernard Valcourt Profile
CPC (NB)
Mr. Chair, the government made a commitment.
The government is committed to an agreement that has been reached, which is court approved and court supervised. In that settlement agreement, Canada has committed itself to remitting the relevant documents so that an archive could be built whereby the legacy of the residential school system could be studied. We will abide by the commitment of Canada.
View Romeo Saganash Profile
NDP (QC)
Mr. Chair, I have the analysis here that was requested and I would like to know from the minister who asked for this internal analysis to be done. Were senior staff or legal counsel involved in this analysis?
View Bernard Valcourt Profile
CPC (NB)
Mr. Chair, identifying and disclosing over a century's worth of relevant Indian residential school documents held at the Library and Archives Canada presents a massive challenge. I discussed these challenges with the commission this week, two days ago, as a matter of fact, and we are working together diligently to implement our obligations.
View Romeo Saganash Profile
NDP (QC)
Mr. Chair, in an Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision, the court said, at paragraph 29, “While its scope is disputed, the legacy mandate of the TRC is clearly an important part of its work”.
Following the analysis of the Auditor General of Canada's recent report, can the minister tell me what the current timeframe is to transfer all of the requested Indian residential school records to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission?
View Bernard Valcourt Profile
CPC (NB)
Mr. Chair, we are actually working diligently with the commission and we are scoping a bunch of documents that are at the National Archives to determine how we can, as rapidly as possible, remit the relevant documents to the commission, which we are committed to do.
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