Committee
Consult the user guide
For assistance, please contact us
Consult the user guide
For assistance, please contact us
Add search criteria
Results: 1 - 8 of 8
View Marc Miller Profile
Lib. (QC)
Thank you, Chair.
Kwe kwe. Ullukkut. Tansi. Hello.
Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that I am here, in Ottawa, on the traditional territory of the Algonquin people.
I welcome this opportunity to provide you with an update on our continuing effort to confront the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and to answer your questions on supplementary estimates (C) and the main estimates.
COVID-19 has presented many challenges for all of us, and in particular at-risk or underserved communities. Throughout this time, Indigenous Services Canada has supported first nations, Inuit and Métis to ensure they have the resources they need to keep their communities safe and respond to COVID-19.
I would like to thank the committee for its report, titled “COVID-19 and Indigenous Peoples: From Crisis towards Meaningful Change”, which it presented to the House of Commons at the start of the month.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the government has invested approximately $4 billion in COVID-19 funding for indigenous communities and organizations. And more recently, we have worked with key partners to support self-determination and community-led action for the administration of vaccines to indigenous peoples, in culturally safe settings. Strengths-based, culture-informed strategies have worked, reinforcing our commitment to reconciliation.
This pandemic has heightened entrenched health and social inequities that exist in Canada. It's why our pandemic preparedness response and recovery actions need to prioritize health equity to protect the people of Canada from the threat of COVID-19 and future pandemics.
As we support vaccine administration [Technical difficulty—Editor] vaccine rollout for indigenous adults living in cities and towns across Canada, it's a race to get the last person vaccinated, not the first. With vaccine production ramping up at Pfizer and the recent approval of the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, we can confidently [Technical difficulty—Editor] opportunity before fall 2021.
As of March 18, 2021—for the committee—200,560 doses have been administered in first nations and Inuit communities in the provinces and to residents in the territories. Vaccinations are under way in 586 indigenous and territorial communities.
Over the past two months members of the Canadian Rangers have worked in more than 25 communities across the Nishnawbe Aski Nation in northern Ontario, in particular, helping provincial authorities with tasks related to immunization. This is in addition to the 46 first nation communities that the CAF has supported in recent months to manage COVID-19 outbreaks and facilitate vaccine distribution.
As announced last week by the Prime Minister, my department and the Canadian Armed Forces will soon begin supporting an unparalleled accelerated vaccination program in a number of isolated first nation communities, as well as a select number of larger indigenous communities, starting in Manitoba.
We're currently working closely with Public Safety and the Canadian Armed Forces to expand on an accelerated vaccine rollout in first nations communities in the northern part of Manitoba. Over the next few days we'll be working in partnership with indigenous leadership to assess community needs and ensure the appropriate CAF resources are sent to communities requiring assistance. This deployment may include up to 23 different communities, and more details will be shared as we proceed with planning in the coming days.
Now let me turn to the estimates items. With supplementary estimates (C), the total authorities for 2020-21 will be $17.8 billion. These supplementary estimates reflect a net increase of $1.5 billion. Of this, $1.1 billion is related to various COVID-19 response measures previously announced. This includes $530 million to support surge health infrastructure, primary care nursing surge capacity and urgent public health responses in indigenous communities; $380 million in additional funding for the indigenous community support fund; $63.9 million for supportive care in indigenous communities; and $58 million to indigenous community businesses.
As a clarifying note, several COVID-19 initiatives were previously authorized under the Public Health Events of National Concern Payments Act. Following the repeal of the act, ISC is requesting the unspent amount as voted appropriations through the supplementary estimates (C) to continue these initiatives.
These estimates also include, among other things, additional funding to improve access to safe, clean drinking water in first nations communities and to support the implementation of An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, as well as to reimburse first nations and emergency management response and recovery activities.
For 2021-22, the department's main estimates are $13.5 billion. This reflects a net increase of about $693.9 million, or 5%, compared with last year's main estimates. Our two biggest increases are a net increase of $508.6 million in 2021-22 to improve access to safe, clean drinking water in first nation communities, and an increase of $122.6 million in 2021-22 for supportive care in indigenous communities.
Before concluding and proceeding with questions, I would like to address two additional points. First is the current situation in Pikangikum First Nation. These reports of harassment towards members of the community are extremely concerning and require a thorough investigation by the police. Our top priority is ensuring the health and safety of the community members and the staff who support that community.
Due to safety and security concerns, the ISC primary care practitioners were evacuated yesterday evening. The choice to relocate the health care staff, after some time, was not a decision that was taken lightly and was only done after careful consideration and planning to ensure necessary resources are in place to serve community members in the event medical assistance is required. I want to assure everyone that we are working in partnership with the community to find a long-term solution that meets the health and security needs of both community members and health care workers.
Secondly, as this is World Water Day, I would like to take a brief moment to highlight that last week the chief and council in Wet'suwet'en First Nation confirmed that they had lifted their long-term drinking water advisory, which had been in place since 2012.
With this, our government, working in partnership with first nations, has now lifted 102 long-term drinking water advisories since 2015. During the same time, 177 short-term advisories have also been lifted, ensuring clean drinking water to first nations. Projects are also under way in 38 communities to resolve the remaining 58 long-term drinking water advisories.
This commitment to clean drinking water is not just about ending long-term drinking water advisories. It's about building sustainable systems that ensure first nations communities have access to safe drinking water now and in the future. We know that further action is required as drinking water issues remain. We continue to support first nations in meeting this commitment.
With that, I look forward to your questions.
Meegwetch. Qujannamiik. Marci. Thank you.
View Sylvie Bérubé Profile
BQ (QC)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My question is for the two remaining witnesses.
It was mentioned that, in the spring, the government announced $306.8 million in interest-free short-term loans and in non-repayable financial contributions to help indigenous SMEs and financial institutions.
Do you think the list of eligible activities and costs covered by the Indigenous Community Business Fund is adequate?
Shannin Metatawabin
View Shannin Metatawabin Profile
Shannin Metatawabin
2020-11-17 12:58
We've been actively delivering the money that was announced by the government since June. It was two and a half months after COVID hit. It's going to take us to March 31, 2021. As far as adequacy goes, we can use that money to put it out to the community. If we can improve the flexibility and use this as an opportunity to capitalize the networks, to retain the capital as the CF network is going to be doing to be more flexible, to allow stacking and to allow AFIs to do their work to ensure they're supporting those businesses, then that money is going to go to work in a good spot.
I want to make a note to the committee that the money that was initially given to this network more than 30 years ago has been recycled 15 times. That money has been retained and has been doing this work.
Raymond Wanuch
View Raymond Wanuch Profile
Raymond Wanuch
2020-11-17 12:59
I agree with Shannin.
I sit on the board of Settlement Investment Corporation. They are the small business lender for the Métis settlements businesses. I'm very thankful for that first tranche of $40,000 loans, of which $10,000 is a grant. Most of the feedback we've had has been about wishing that all of it was a grant. I think we've heard throughout the presentation here that we're just compounding the fact that there's more debt. Because a lot of our clientele are high risk anyway and a lot of them aren't bankable, they can't go to the big five for loans and mortgages, so we offer the only solution but we're only compounding the issue by lending them more money.
View Lenore Zann Profile
Lib. (NS)
Thank you very much.
I come to you today from the unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq in Nova Scotia, the people of the dawn.
It's been very interesting to hear what all the witnesses have had to say about mental health and health and businesses in indigenous communities.
I really wish you all the very best, because I know it's a very difficult time right now. It's a very difficult time for all businesses. I'm sure most businesses that I've talked to would have loved to have grants instead of loans, but such is business, in a way. It's all about trying to become successful and then being able to maintain that. It's a very difficult time right now to do that.
Mr. Metatawabin, when you spoke in the spring, you also mentioned that you'd just signed the contribution agreement with Indigenous Services Canada with respect to the $306.8-million fund for indigenous SMEs. At the time, you were expecting the funding to start flowing by mid-June.
Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations noted that only 6,000 businesses would be able to benefit from that funding, leaving most of the 40,000 indigenous businesses in Canada without support.
How many indigenous businesses have actually received funding to date? Is there any funding left? If so, how many more businesses will receive funding?
Shannin Metatawabin
View Shannin Metatawabin Profile
Shannin Metatawabin
2020-11-17 13:02
The funding has experienced some competition from other measures of delivery, namely the CF network, which has some better conditions than the AFI network. Half of our members are CFs and aboriginal capital corporations, so it's inequitable already. Some of them can access the CF network. What we are seeing is that they are actually recommending that their clients go to that measure, because at the end of the day, they are going to be able to retain that capital. The support for the AFI network is the last choice, I suppose you could say. That made it difficult.
We have supported 1,500 businesses to date. Right now $60 million is in their hands. As well, 100 million dollars' worth of contracts have been signed with 37 AFIs, and they are busy at work putting it out there. I have been reluctant to.... This was initially set up for current and former clients of the AFI network, and we have supported 48,000 loans over the past 35 years.
It's time to open it up, improve the flexibility and ensure that we're planning to March 31, 2021, because that's what all our AFIs are doing. They are supporting principal payments, operational expenses and interest payments for these businesses, so that they can survive and get some certainty as to what's happening with the pandemic.
We're going to be undertaking a survey as well to understand what other services are going to be required, but I do know that the AFIs need business support services because they have to sit down with all the clients. They have been reduced in funding over the past 20 years by 70%. Where you had four people working in the business area, now you have one, so it's time to return to that level again.
View Lenore Zann Profile
Lib. (NS)
I noticed that the AFI is also included when we're talking about the latest new announcement made by Chief Terry Paul in Membertou with reference to the Clearwater deal. Were you involved with that at all? This seems to be a very exciting announcement that our first nations people are going to be seven different communities now involved in one of the biggest seafood operations in Canada.
Could you expand on how that is going to work for first nations in the future?
Shannin Metatawabin
View Shannin Metatawabin Profile
Shannin Metatawabin
2020-11-17 13:05
It's an example of where the indigenous community is going. This is a $1-billion transaction where the indigenous community is now part of their traditional harvesting livelihood, so they will maintain ownership of that livelihood.
In Canada right now, you now have the AFI network that has capital. They are lending to small and microbusinesses, because 85% of them have less than five people working for them. As we grow, and as we become more complex, we need more capital, so the growth fund has been created. We have the First Nations Finance Authority putting bonds on the market, raising capital and lending it out to communities.
There are different levers of capital attraction, but the private sector is becoming more involved in this growing economy. We welcome that, and we want to work with them.
Results: 1 - 8 of 8

Export As: XML CSV RSS

For more data options, please see Open Data