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Results: 1 - 15 of 23
View Dan Albas Profile
CPC (BC)
Well, considering we are inspecting your bill, I gave representation specifically on the difference between the first nations and how they're treated under the Indian Act in my region of the Okanagan and how the same penalties would be hundreds of thousands of dollars if they were done on one side of the river channel versus the other. I simply said that there are two different ways of dealing with issues of environmental protection and pointed to those gaps.
Again, you are talking about a strategy rather than concrete action.
Your government promised to solve all boil water advisories and has failed to do so. Solving problems is the government's problem.
When questioned by a resident of Grassy Narrows who was begging for help, the Prime Minister said “No, thanks for the donation.”
No one doubts the Liberals' ability to hire consultants and draft reports. What is needed here are results. Why not push for action now, not action in a few years when a strategy is done?
View Lenore Zann Profile
Lib. (NS)
This is the beginning of action. It's the same as when we did the missing and murdered women. We needed a report on that. We need data in order to deal with the issues facing us today.
If you're more concerned about how much money it's going to cost to actually deal with these issues, that's a very sad thing. We need to do the right thing, and we need to listen to our constituents. Yes, racism does exist and environmental racism does exist. We need to deal with it, and that's why we're here today.
View Dan Albas Profile
CPC (BC)
Liberal members are fond of saying that we don't care about vulnerable Canadians, but what we want is to have them see results. A consultant-drafted strategy will take two years. Your government has spent over $6 billion, the highest amount, on consultants. It won't help anyone but Liberal-connected consultants and insiders.
Meanwhile, first nations all over Canada don't have clean water. I would suggest that we pull up our sleeves and get to work on helping people on problems for which people need solutions right now, not in two years, right now.
Could you please tell me who will be directly helped by your bill right now?
View Dan Albas Profile
CPC (BC)
I said that people need solutions right now, not in two years. This is a strategy. Who will be helped by this bill right now? As I said, we have boil water advisories that need to be fixed.
View Lenore Zann Profile
Lib. (NS)
I completely agree with you on the boil water advisories. In fact, our government is doing everything it can to stop the pollution going on right now that is preventing people from getting clean water.
Here's the deal. The majority of environmental groups, first nations people and Black communities across this country are cheering for this bill right now. They would like to see it in place, because it will make a difference in their lives, and that's why I'm here.
View Brad Redekopp Profile
CPC (SK)
Thank you.
I want to go back to talking about water. It's important for our committee. Shortly we're going to be doing a study on that, and of course clean water is huge. I would suggest it's a primary objective of any environmental legislation. In fact, in the first committee meetings we had a year ago, we met with the University of Saskatchewan Global Institute for Water Security to talk about this very thing.
Ms. Zann, do you believe all Canadians should have access to clean water, regardless of their income level or ethnic background?
View Brad Redekopp Profile
CPC (SK)
Okay, great. Earlier this year the Auditor General released a report on access to safe drinking water in first nations communities. The findings were that Indigenous Services Canada did not meet its commitment to eliminate long-term drinking water advisories in first nations communities, and efficiencies in some water systems had not been addressed.
Indigenous Services Canada had not amended the operations and maintenance funding formula for first nations water systems since it was first developed 30 years ago. The salary gap had contributed to problems in—
View Brad Redekopp Profile
CPC (SK)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I understand how the Liberals do not like to hear these things, but it is the truth. Of course, I would suggest that we've already, through testimony, heard that the indigenous communities are one of the main ones targeted by this legislation. Also, clean air and clean water are the primary things we're talking about with environmental things.
The Auditor General went on to say that many first nations communities are particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases, such as the virus that causes the coronavirus disease, because of social, environmental and economic factors.
The Liberal government has completely failed to keep the environment clean on first nations reserves. How do you think this will change if this legislation happens to get passed?
View Lenore Zann Profile
Lib. (NS)
Thank you to my colleague Mr. Redekopp.
I want to say, first of all, that I know Saskatoon is very fortunate to be situated on the South Saskatchewan River. There's a plentiful supply of water there.
The problem with the first nations water did not start with this government. It started a long time ago. Successive governments have not done enough to try to alleviate this problem. We are doing our very best and in the middle of a global pandemic as well.
We are working on it and we will continue to work on it. We will make sure that the water problems that are unfortunately a problem right now in many of our first nations communities are addressed.
View Brad Redekopp Profile
CPC (SK)
Certainly the pandemic has been an issue for the last year, but for the first four and a half years there was no pandemic and there were lots of opportunities to get this done—
View Lenore Zann Profile
Lib. (NS)
Yes, and there were 15 years of a Conservative government before that, or 12 years, so why didn't they do something?
View Brad Redekopp Profile
CPC (SK)
The question for you, then, is this. You've introduced this as a private member's bill. Did you do that because you're concerned that the Liberal government, the way it is, would not address this issue any other way?
View Lenore Zann Profile
Lib. (NS)
No, of course not.
I introduced it because it was a private member's bill that I had introduced in Nova Scotia with the help of Dr. Ingrid Waldron. I believe this is a very important issue.
On my very first day in Ottawa, after being sworn in, I went straight to the legislative department, the lawyers, and asked how I would do a private member's bill about this. I was lucky to win the lottery and be one of the first 25 or so members of Parliament to actually get to introduce a private member's bill. That's how it happened.
View Brad Redekopp Profile
CPC (SK)
Dr. Waldron, given what we just spoke about with the lack of progress by this government on clean drinking water, should this legislation pass and be implemented, are you concerned that the government would be able to actually implement any of this in a positive way?
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