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Results: 1 - 15 of 23
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I am joining you today from my home in Toronto, on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit. I would also like to recognize the traditional territories from which all of you are participating.
I am pleased to be here today to speak to the supplementary estimates (A) for Crown-Indigenous Relations.
Officials from Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs are also online to help respond to your questions, led by our deputy minister, Daniel Lee Quan-Watson.
This has been an emotional time. We have all been upset by the images on our screens and the undeniable evidence of systemic racism in Canada. It is the basis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls and the over-incarceration of first nations, Inuit and Métis.
I know that everyone on this committee wants to ensure that Canada is investing in making amends for the past and in putting in place the concrete actions to make real change.
The estimates for CIRNA include key initiatives and new funding totalling approximately $748.7 million for Crown-Indigenous Relations.
This funding will ensure that we can continue the concrete work to renew the relationship between Canada and first nations, Inuit and the Métis nation, to support their visions of self-determination and to advance reconciliation.
The estimates re-profile $481.2 million for the Federal Indian Day Schools Settlement Agreement and $260 million in sixties scoop funding to ensure sufficient funds are available for individual compensation and to support ongoing administration costs of the settlements. In both cases, the re-profiled funds will ensure that there is no funding shortfall and that Canada can promptly make payments to survivors.
As you know, the McLean implementation date was delayed as a result of several court appeals.
The sum of $500 million has already been transferred to the sixties scoop claims administrator, and the transfer of an additional $250 million of compensation will be determined once the total number of eligible claims is known. Eligible class members have now already started receiving partial payments of $21,000 each.
The estimates also request $6 million to support the co-development of a national action plan in response to the issues identified in the final report and the calls for justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Our hearts are with the families of the missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and two-spirit and gender-diverse people and the survivors. Our government, indigenous leaders, survivors, families and provincial and territorial governments are working hard to co-develop the national action plan that will set a clear road map to ensure that indigenous women and girls and two-spirit+ people can be safe wherever they live.
We will not let the families and survivors down. We have already put in place concrete actions to end this national tragedy as documented on my department's website. We are grateful for all the work of all of our partners towards a national action plan. As you know, prior to COVID-19, work to develop the plan was well under way, and indigenous women's organizations had received funding to engage their communities.
The funding in the estimates will further support national and regional indigenous organizations and groups to engage with their members, and families to engage in ensuring that the national action plan is accountable.
As we have seen with COVID-19, better data is essential in being able to assess results. We are working to determine the appropriate indicators and reporting by partners to ensure an effective plan. This money that is in the supplementary estimates today will ensure that we will be able to measure, adapt, measure, adapt for the next five years.
We cannot let the families and survivors down. We promised concrete actions to stop this national tragedy. We owe it to them to be accountable for the results.
I look forward to your questions.
Thank you, merci, meegwetch.
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
Lib. (ON)
I think that what a number of the families and survivors have said is that they also want to have an ability to influence their local jurisdiction's plans. Each of the provinces and territories will have their own chapter and their own plan. We were inspired by the local plan for the Yukon Territory, where the first nations, the families and the women's circle, together with the government, have developed a very impressive plan.
We will be seeing that again. In Nova Scotia, the families will be included. I think it's coast to coast to coast. Also, organizations like Pauktuutit, the Michif women and NWAC will be involving families as we go forward. Certainly, this investment in the money will make sure that families are able to help us improve the plan as we go forward over the next five years.
View Mumilaaq Qaqqaq Profile
NDP (NU)
View Mumilaaq Qaqqaq Profile
2020-06-16 17:58
I've heard comments from constituents that they wish the federal government would react to our suicide crisis the same way we've been reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic.
My next two questions are for Minister Bennett.
There are institutions across the country that the federal government has refused to recognize as day schools, even though they clearly were. What was the reasoning to cut more people out of being able to access compensation? Also, when will you make sure that everyone who has suffered from trauma through these programs is compensated?
View Carolyn Bennett Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you very much for the question.
We believe that a lot of the agreements to date have been based on court action. We don't want anybody to be left out, and we are committing to anyone who was part of a day school or harmed in any way just by going, and then, like all agreements, if there was physical or sexual abuse.... All of these agreements make that part of the way forward for healing. This is really very serious, and we feel that we've moved with McLean, and now we will move on with others.
View Matthew Green Profile
NDP (ON)
Thank you very much.
I was delighted to see that the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations included in one of their major items the request for.... Well, I'm not delighted that the request had to be made, but here we are. The money is finally here. It includes compensation for persons who attended federally established, funded, controlled and operated Indian day schools.
It also includes monies that will be used for legal and administration fees. How much money in this supplementary did the government spend on this litigation?
Glenn Purves
View Glenn Purves Profile
Glenn Purves
2020-06-16 19:02
Mr. Green, are we talking about federal Indian day schools in terms of the McLean settlement agreement and not the sixties scoop?
Glenn Purves
View Glenn Purves Profile
Glenn Purves
2020-06-16 19:02
In terms of the total amount, I'm seeing $1.3 billion to the McLean Day Schools Settlement Corporation for individual compensation of $10,000 per class member for harms associated with attendants' level one claims.
View Matthew Green Profile
NDP (ON)
Glenn Purves
View Glenn Purves Profile
Glenn Purves
2020-06-16 19:03
That would be $69 million in class counsel for legal fees and disbursements and ongoing legal services to class members.
However, I should point out that it's not clear to me whether or not that is effectively part of the $481 million, or whether that amount is part of the broader envelope that I mentioned.
View Matthew Green Profile
NDP (ON)
How much was the contract for Deloitte for the administration of the settlement, and why was Deloitte selected?
We hear a lot about Deloitte at this committee.
Glenn Purves
View Glenn Purves Profile
Glenn Purves
2020-06-16 19:03
I don't have that information, Mr. Green. We can certainly reach out to our colleagues at CIRNAC and get back to the committee on that, if that's helpful.
View Matthew Green Profile
NDP (ON)
Okay.
As it relates to the sixties scoop settlement, the request of $260 million in the supplementaries, how many people have made a claim as part of this settlement, and when can they expect to be paid?
View Jaime Battiste Profile
Lib. (NS)
Thank you.
Welcome, Minister Miller.
I was pleased to hear that we have an increase of $86 million going to education. My question will about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and funding education for that. I want to quote Murray Sinclair when he said, “While Indigenous children are being mistreated in residential schools by being told they were heathens, savages and pagans and inferior people—that same message is being delivered in the public schools of this country.” :
While on-reserve education is important, we need to invest in capital. I was there this summer when AFN passed a treaty education resolution calling for a 10-year strategy to promote that across Canada. We've seen places like Saskatchewan that have mandated mandatory treaty education.
What is our government doing to address the TRC's calls to action on all of the education pieces? Also, how are we working with indigenous partners to ensure that resources and training are being developed for teachers? How are we working with our provincial counterparts who control education to make sure that every schoolchild in Canada learns about reconciliation, residential schools and inherent and treaty rights?
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