Cathy McLeod

Mr. Speaker, if empowering first nations is like Bill S-3, where they did not even bother to talk to the chief and defendant, that is a very poor example. Band members are having to take their leadership to court to get basic financial information.On this side of the House, we are with people like Charmaine Stick, who the minister is forcing to go to court for this information. The Liberals should be ashamed. Why is the minister forcing Charmaine to go to court instead of showing some leadership and enforcing the law?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is on another swanning trip at the UN, where he is sprinkling taxpayers' dollars around like fairy dust.Meanwhile at home a new study has shown indigenous Canadians are losing limbs, their vision, and even dying from diabetes, a preventable, treatable disease. This is totally unacceptable and immediate action is required.When will the Liberals stop neglecting business at home and ensure appropriate programs and medical care are available for indigenous Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, despite all of the money they spent on deliverology, they clearly did not learn any lessons. We have something here that is absolutely absurd. We have someone who is a murderer who is in a facility where children play. It has been less than nine years since she committed her offence. Instead of hiding behind excuses, other ministers have taken action in other governments. It is time for the government to act.

Mr. Speaker, healing lodges are for criminals who are getting ready to transition back into society. It is job training, language, culture and household maintenance. Healing lodges are not appropriate for Tori Stafford's murderer who is not eligible for parole until 2031. Her crimes are heinous and she belongs behind bars.Why can the Liberals not see this? Why can they not act? They are hiding behind a lot of excuses and they just need to actually do something appropriate and take action.

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was found guilty of violating four sections of the Conflict of Interest Act when he took a private vacation on a billionaire's island in the Caribbean. We have been asking a very simple question for the last four days. The responses have been inadequate. They have been shameful and have been disrespectful to this place. The Liberals are saying, “There is nothing to see here. Oh, the Prime Minister broke the law, but it does not matter, move on.” This is important. Why will the Prime Minister not pay back the money to Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, Canada needs the inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women to be successful. There is no excuse for it to take over a year before it even begins to hear from families. As Maclean's noted this week, it is falling apart before it even begins. A communications director was fired, and another senior adviser has resigned. It appears to be in complete disarray.If this inquiry fails, the minister is responsible. If it takes years for the families to be heard, she has failed. What immediate action will the minister take to get this inquiry back on track?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice's father, the esteemed Chief Bill Wilson, called out the Prime Minister for the failed missing and murdered inquiry. He actually called it a farce and urged the Prime Minister to fire the commissioners and start all over. He wrote, “8 months, $6 Million and nothing has been done except pay salary and expenses.”Victims and families are threatening to boycott. Will the minister stand and tell us what she will do today to fix this mess?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister’s trip to India is best described as the theatre of the absurd. Mr. Atwal has deep connections with the Liberal Party. The Liberals blamed a backbench MP for inviting him to dinner. Then they brought out this preposterous theory that the Indian government was responsible, trying to embarrass the Prime Minister. The result is a serious diplomatic incident and a punishing tariff on our pulse products, hurting our Canadian farmers. What is the Prime Minister going to do to fix his mess?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's staff said, “it's just a bit ironic that she wants an alternative justice process to be available in one sense, but not one for SNC.” It seems like the entire Liberal government has been seized with getting bribery charges dropped against SNC. As a little reminder, that included $30,000 for Gadhafi's son for prostitutes in Canada.The finance minister believes that this company should get a special deal. I have a simple question: Will the Liberals let him come to the justice committee and explain to Canadians why?

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely clear that the Liberals have no plan to make gas more affordable. The Prime Minister himself said that the carbon tax being high is what he wanted to change behaviour. Well, changing the behaviour of cancer patients who have to drive to their treatment is not acceptable. There are many, many impacts for everyday Canadians that the Liberals do not seem to understand.We have a plan to make life more affordable, eliminating the carbon tax and getting Trans Mountain built. Why will the Liberals not just admit that they do not care about the price of gas in British Columbia?

Mr. Speaker, construction season is upon us, but the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion lays dormant.As of today, there are no shovels in the ground, no jobs have been created and no community benefits. Gas prices are soaring sky-high and people are hurting. The government spent $4.5 billion to buy a pipeline and now it cannot even guarantee that it will be approved. This is insulting and the constituents do not like to be played for fools.On what date will construction begin?

Mr. Speaker, on a Friday afternoon right before Christmas, the government gutted the First Nations Financial Transparency Act by removing all compliance measures. Without consequences, the law is useless and band members are now denied access to basic information.How does the minister explain to band members that the Liberal government's commitment to transparency is empty rhetoric?

Mr. Speaker, two Labrador chiefs are calling out their Liberal member of Parliament for a very misleading housing announcement. She went there and promised 40 new units, but it turns out they will only get half of what was promised. This is either an example of misleading or incompetence.Will the member stand and apologize to the 20 families that will be severely disappointed by the parliamentary secretary?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals consistently misinterpret, do not calculate things properly, and they do not know how to explain things. They are leaving confusion in their midst. Whether it is unable to explain what a nation-to-nation is, a missing and murdered inquiry going off the tracks, the file is a mess. What will the Liberals do to get things back on track and give indigenous communities the clarity they deserve instead of misleading information?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the government took our advice and declined to allow the sale of Aecon to a Chinese state-owned enterprise. However, in spite of numerous other requests, the Liberals have arrogantly refused to do the same due diligence with Anbang and our senior care facilities. As we now know, Anbang has collapsed, the chairman was arrested, and our seniors' homes are owned by communist China. Will the minister now commit to fixing the Anbang mess?

Mr. Speaker, again, more platitudes and a lack of transparency for the people who are desperately asking for it. It is unacceptable. The Liberal government chooses to enforce the laws that it wants and not the other ones. Liberals have no trouble saying 15,000 youth can go to jail for marijuana possession because that is the law. There is a law on the books. The Liberals either need to have the guts to get rid of it, or enforce it.

Mr. Speaker, high gas prices are hurting the most vulnerable across British Columbia. This week we learned that cancer patients are having services cut, and that is because volunteer drivers cannot afford to drive them anymore. In my riding in British Columbia, people have to drive sometimes six hours for their radiation therapy. Canadians suffering with cancer are paying the full price of the Prime Minister's carbon tax and failure to get the Trans Mountain pipeline built.When the Prime Minister said that he wanted high gas prices, is this what he meant?

Mr. Speaker, the situation in Onion Lake is about to get worse. Charmaine reports that the leadership stopped development of dozens of new housing units, claiming that there was no money. How would they know? They do not have access to basic information. They have not seen the books.This paternalistic approach of the minister is deplorable. The community members deserve to be empowered and know what is going on with their money. When will the minister enforce the First Nations Financial Transparency Act and provide basic information that all other Canadians enjoy?

Mr. Speaker, last year my constituents went through the worst B.C. wildfire in history. In the aftermath, residents tried to salvage what they could, harvesting some of the wood on their property. It is now tax time, and the capital gains from selling their wood are putting them into a higher tax bracket. We have seniors losing their OAS and GIS. Months ago, we asked the finance minister to create a simple fix. We have not even had the courtesy of a response. Will the government do what it said, stand by the victims, and commit to fixing this failure today?

Mr. Speaker, last February, we warned the government that putting our senior care facilities in the hands of Anbang, a company with murky Chinese ownership, was dangerously naive. Wall Street even had concerns about it but the government just blindly went ahead and did it. What has happened? Anbang has collapsed, the chairman was arrested, and our senior care facilities are now in the hands of communist China. We warned the Prime Minister and our fears have come true.Does the minister believe that it is appropriate that our senior care homes across British Columbia are owned by communist China?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that the director of operations for the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls inquiry has resigned. That is four senior employees that have jumped ship in less than a year. The inquiry is losing credibility. Families are suffering with trust and trauma issues. Does the minister not see that there is a problem? Why is there such a significant staff turnover, and what is she going to do to reassure families that she will personally make sure that the inquiry gets back on track?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister stated that he knew better than the chiefs and the top priority for indigenous youth was a place to store their canoes and paddles. That is unbelievable. We have a suicide crisis. Two 12-year-olds from Saskatchewan took their lives. Our committee travelled across the country with panels listening to youth. They talked about safety, security, education, and hope. Canoe storage did not come up.Will the Prime Minister retract these condescending and out-of-touch comments?

Mr. Speaker, the point is that they should not have to go to the minister's office to get basic informationBand members are being forced to take their chiefs to court to get the most basic financial information that every other Canadian deserves. Does the minister not realize how nonsensical it is to say “Contact my office, if they don't post it?” It is absolutely unreasonable.Why will the minister not start empowering band members at Onion Lake, Samson Cree, Shuswap, and others who are begging for access to basic information?

Mr. Speaker, in spite of recent lofty commitments, the government has increased the burden on our businesses. In my riding, Absorbent Products, a three-decade-old family business that manufactures food grade additives for use in animal feed, has been fighting with CFIA officials for over two years. They have introduced arbitrary new regulations that will imperil not only the owner's operations in Canada but his ability to export to foreign markets.How can the Liberals claim to be helping business, when they are forcing people like the owners of Absorbent Products out of my riding?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government needs to gain some perspective. It rushed a $10.5 million payout to convicted terrorist Omar Khadr. It had no legal obligation to do so. At the same time, the government is fighting Josey, a young Cree girl who needs $6,000 worth of dental surgery. It spent $110,000 fighting her in court.Can the Prime Minister stand up and justify why a convicted terrorist gets a rushed payment, while the Liberals continue to fight Josey and her family in court?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is perhaps not aware that a whole number of those seniors immediately received a notice that they had to be removed from their facility. It was absolutely shameful. The Liberals approved the sale of our seniors' care to Anbang. They cannot tell us who owns the conglomerate. The only face of that business was a chairman who of course is now in jail with these accusations. The Liberals say everything is so fine. The minister says, “I am going to keep watching. I'm okay.” We are not convinced that things are okay. Would he stand and tell us who owns the homes of the seniors of Canada?

Mr. Speaker, we are hearing the minister defending that band members have to go to the basement of her department or go to a secret website to get information.This reality was described by Loretta Burnstick, who said: you take those concerns to Indian Affairs. Indian Affairs says you have to go back to the chief and council. You bring it back to chief and council it gets swept under the rug. You go to the RCMP, you've got to have proof. So they spin our people around. How can the minister justify creating this runaround for community members?

Madam Speaker, I just finished a tour of the Trans Mountain pipeline, and I heard disappointment from so many people. Construction camps were abandoned. We have massive piles of pipe just waiting to be installed. First nations entrepreneurs are losing money, and planned projects have been put on hold because of the Prime Minister's mistakes. After we paid $4.6 billion, one billion dollars over the sticker price, my constituents need reassurance that there will be shovels in the ground before October 2019. Running out the clock is not an option.

Mr. Speaker, in the last three days the Prime Minister has broken so many of his election promises. He promised transparency and yet shut down the only public investigation into this scandal. He promised to respect committees. After what happened at the justice committee, we know that is not happening. He promised a balanced budget; that is certainly not going to happen under his watch. Today we learned that he misled Canadians across this country when he said the government needed to protect 9,000 jobs. It was clearly, according to the CEO, false. Liberals themselves are telling me how disappointed they are. When is he going to—

Mr. Speaker, Canadians were very hopeful that the inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women and girls would lead to a brighter future, but families are losing patience. It has now been eight months, and we now hear that the commissioners only have 90 names in their database, yet hundreds and hundreds of families are waiting to hear from them. The minister needs to take action. There are some very simple fixes to this issue. She needs to break down bureaucratic barriers and ensure that the inquiry gets the necessary information to do its job.

Mr. Speaker, Jennifer Catcheway's parents have every reason to feel betrayed. They lost their beautiful daughter, an 18 year old, on her birthday. They have spent years waiting to tell their story, and at the murdered and missing inquiry they were told they could have a couple of minutes, that was it. The Prime Minister is responsible for this process. How can he justify such an insult to the victims of murdered and missing indigenous women?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs said she knew exactly how first nations feel about transparency. Yet a member of Odanak First Nation said that without the transparency act, “It's not difficult for First Nations to get information on how their money is spent, it's impossible....”Beverly Brown of Squamish First Nation said the government would be “negligent if they didn't enforce the act”.Would the minister tell these individuals why they do not deserve easily available information, like all other Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP is investigating how a chief and his family allegedly took $4.2 million over three and a half years. This money was to be used for bands to improve life on reserve but instead went to trips to Cuba and Vegas. The information sat in the department for years, where people noticed nothing amiss. Members only found out about this outrageous abuse through the First Nations Financial Transparency Act.When will the minister ensure that basic information is easily accessible to band members?

Mr. Speaker, we learned last week that the government is rushing to build 520 housing units for illegal border crossers. These will be heated and ventilated, and they will have easy access to showers, drinking water, and toilets. Canadian northerners are desperate for this kind of housing, which has been postponed until post-2022. Many are calling my offices, and they have a simple question: Why are the Liberals responding with such urgency to illegal border crossers and ignoring the plight of the north?

Mr. Speaker, a headline in today's Globe and Mail reads, “Bungled start to missing, murdered inquiry is insulting to Indigenous people”. Just yesterday, the Native Women's Association of Canada gave it a failing grade, and said that the intake process is cruel and unusual. The association has gone so far as to recommend that it be boycotted until the intake process is fixed.The Prime Minister has said there is no relationship more important to him. This inquiry was a cornerstone of his campaign pledge. It is Wednesday, will he stand up and tell us what he is going to do to fix the mess?

Mr. Speaker, last week the Minister of Indigenous Services gave a great speech about her commitment to improving health services for first nations. The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs went on Twitter to encourage people to call Health Canada if they know a child who needs care. What they did not say was that then the government was going to fight them in court all the way.It was $110,000. How can the Prime Minister explain to Canadians again that a convicted terrorist he had no obligation to pay gets $10.5 million, but he is going to fight Josey and her family all the way in court?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government should be ashamed of its approach to first nations transparency. Three hundred band members from the Samson Cree Nation are now calling for a forensic audit into how their chief and council spent federal funds. They know there was money that was supposed to be going into programs, such as suicide and gang violence prevention, but they see very little change on the ground.When will the government respond to their plea for a forensic audit and also start to enforce the First Nations Financial Transparency Act?

Mr. Speaker, the minister's first legislation dealing with gender equality for first nations is seriously flawed, and the minister must go back to the drawing board. It has really been mishandled, quite frankly from the beginning. In drafting the bill, she did not talk to the litigants and she did not do proper consultation. She was forced to apologize, publicly admitting that she was embarrassed at how her staff handled the file.Will the minister end her paternalistic approach and withdraw this piece of legislation?

Mr. Speaker, when we look at the history of the Liberal Party, it paid little attention to grassroots indigenous community members. The Liberals did not support protecting women and children through matrimonial real property rights, and they refused to ensure that basic financial information is easily available. This is a track record of paternalism. We now have band members being forced to go to court. Why is the minister refusing to empower community members who just want to know how their money is being spent?

Mr. Speaker, we have been counting and it has been 25 months since the minister gutted the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. Band members continue to be forced to take their leadership to court to get access to basic financial information. The Liberals met for a year with the AFN, a year. Their so-called new fiscal framework does nothing to improve accountability for the vast majority of first nations.When will the minister stop ignoring band members like Charmaine Stick, Harrison Thunderchild, and so many more, and actually come up with a plan?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals need to ask for a refund from their deliverology expert because they sure cannot get things done. They have also left indigenous Canadians and job-creating industries in the dark about the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In May, the justice minister said that they would adopt UNDRIP “without qualification”. Now she has said that it is simplistic, unworkable and cannot be done word for word. Why is the justice minister misleading indigenous Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, last Friday, the parliamentary secretary indicated that she had no problem gutting the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. Does she not realize that transparency and accountability mean readily accessible information? It does not mean having a report sitting in the basement of the department of indigenous affairs.How can the minister justify to band members that they must plead or go to court to get basic financial information?

Madam Speaker, the government is denying disability tax credits to people with mental health illnesses, diabetes, and autism. Thousands have relied on that support for many years.Someone reviewing paperwork in Ottawa has no business overturning physician and nurse practitioner decisions made as a result of clinical examinations.Will the minister stand up and commit to ending this latest tax grab targeting our young vulnerable Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, the fix was in. This minister gave millions of dollars' worth of fish quota to Liberal Party insiders. He claimed it was about reconciliation. How well did that work? He has the first nations taking him to court. This is an insult to reconciliation. He is pitting one first nation against another after a sham of a bidding process. What will the indigenous services minister do to make sure that there is fairness for all bidders, not just party inside donors?

Mr. Speaker, The Globe and Mail recently published an editorial and called UNDRIP “drip, drip of Liberal native rights policy”. The Minister of Justice has gone from promoting the declaration on the world stage at the UN to saying at home that it is simplistic and unworkable. She is saying one thing on the world stage and saying another thing back in Canada.Is the confusion being created by the minister deliberate, or does she not know what she is doing?

Mr. Speaker, the benefit of the financial transparency act was that it allowed band members to monitor and understand how their money was being spent. A perfect example was in Kashechewan, where there was an alleged theft of $694,000 from the breakfast program.Band members with easy access to financial information would have noticed the lack of scrambled eggs and orange juice at the table. Would the minister explain to the people of Kashechewan why they do not deserve guaranteed access to the basic financial information that every other Canadian enjoys?

Mr. Speaker, a majority of Canadians are really worried about the rising price of gas. In my riding, in my province, they are looking at tight budgets already and deciding what essentials need to be cut.The Liberals' handing out millions of dollars to their billionaire friends at Loblaws is doing nothing for affordability. Meanwhile, we have the Prime Minister and the environment minister jet-setting around the world with abandon.When will the Liberals finally admit that their carbon tax is hurting those who are the most vulnerable?

Mr. Speaker, on the front lawn of this building is a $5.6 million example of the Liberals' outlandish abuse of taxpayers' dollars.The Prime Minister commissioned this arena, and it will be open for a very short period of time. The public is only going to have access for 45 minutes, which, quite frankly, is going to be a bit of a relief, because according to the rules, all one is allowed to do is go around, around, and around.How can the Prime Minister justify this expense that will be on the backs of our grandchildren and children?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals brought in a new player all right; they brought in the minister's family to be the new player.First, the fisheries minister awarded the multi-million dollar contract to a group that did not have a boat, did not have multiple first nations partners, and was not incorporated. Second, most of the contract is not owned by first nations but by the brother of a Liberal MP. Third, the cousin of the minister's wife is heading up the company that won the bid. This is blatant nepotism and abuse of this position. Will the minister commit to restarting this process?

Mr. Speaker, we are hearing from band members across this country who want to know that the Prime Minister's $8.4 billion in the budget is going to have a real meaningful impact on their lives. We are also hearing that they are very concerned about the gutting of the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. When the Liberals refuse to allow first nations to access spending information on reserves, it does impact their lives. Why will the Liberals not allow first nations community members to have the same access to information of all Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, construction season is upon us, but the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion lays dormant.As of today, there are no shovels in the ground, no jobs have been created and no community benefits. Gas prices are soaring sky-high and people are hurting. The government spent $4.5 billion to buy a pipeline and now it cannot even guarantee that it will be approved. This is insulting and the constituents do not like to be played for fools.On what date will construction begin?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the community of 100 Mile House received very difficult news about the closure of Norbord and the 160 jobs that will go with it. This is 10 days following Canfor in Vavenby, with 180 jobs, and the government is partly to blame. The Liberals had four years to resolve the softwood lumber issue, and they have had no progress. They could have attached it to the NAFTA negotiations, but they did not seem to care. Instead, we have an industry that is moving en masse to the United States. Can the Prime Minister tell us his plan to support these communities?

Mr. Speaker, the community of Vavenby received devastating news on Monday when the Canfor sawmill closed and 178 people were out of work. This follows the Tolko Industries closure, where 240 people in Quesnel are out of work. This is the second major shutdown in the last 30 days. We have an industry in crisis. Why did the government fail to make resolving the softwood lumber issue a priority when it renegotiated NAFTA?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice's father, the esteemed Chief Bill Wilson, called out the Prime Minister for the failed missing and murdered inquiry. He actually called it a farce and urged the Prime Minister to fire the commissioners and start all over. He wrote, “8 months, $6 Million and nothing has been done except pay salary and expenses.”Victims and families are threatening to boycott. Will the minister stand and tell us what she will do today to fix this mess?

Mr. Speaker, in the past few weeks, the communities of Vavenby and 100 Mile House have been devastated by sawmill closures. We have an industry in crisis and it is moving en masse to the United States. Despite this urgency, the government failed to even consider it as part of the NAFTA negotiations. The Prime Minister is heading to Washington next week to meet with the U.S. President. Will he commit to addressing the softwood lumber dispute with President Trump?

Mr. Speaker, last June I asked the Prime Minister why he approved Anbang's billion-dollar takeover of B.C. care homes. “If the company dissolves, who will gain control of our seniors care facilities? Are seniors in my riding going to find out that their landlord is the People's Republic of China?”On Friday we learned the answer. It is yes. Communist China is now their landlord. How could they ever have thought that this was an acceptable outcome for our seniors? How will the minister explain this mess to our vulnerable seniors?

Mr. Speaker, last year my constituents went through the worst B.C. wildfire in history. In the aftermath, residents tried to salvage what they could, harvesting some of the wood on their property. It is now tax time, and the capital gains from selling their wood are putting them into a higher tax bracket. We have seniors losing their OAS and GIS. Months ago, we asked the finance minister to create a simple fix. We have not even had the courtesy of a response. Will the government do what it said, stand by the victims, and commit to fixing this failure today?

Mr. Speaker, Marina owns a family farm and ranch in the 100 Mile House area, which just went through the worst B.C. wildfires in its history. She was already on the hook for an increase from the carbon tax and small business payroll taxes. Last week, she got a letter from her accountant telling her about the changes that the Finance Minister is proposing to investment income. She has been through a really difficult time this summer and feels like she has been kicked when she was already down. Why is the Finance Minister going to make Marina pay 73% while he continues to shelter the family fortune of the Prime Minister and himself? Why is that fair?

Mr. Speaker, life is very expensive in northern Canada, and residents simply do not have an option to hop on the O-Train or the Canada Line. The cost of housing, the cost of infrastructure, the cost of food and heating their homes in the winter is extraordinarily expensive. Two hundred communities have diesel only, so the Liberals' little 10% rural addition is nothing.What are the Liberals going to do? Why are they imposing a tax on northerners that is going to do nothing but make life more expensive?

Mr. Speaker, The Globe and Mail recently published an editorial and called UNDRIP “drip, drip of Liberal native rights policy”. The Minister of Justice has gone from promoting the declaration on the world stage at the UN to saying at home that it is simplistic and unworkable. She is saying one thing on the world stage and saying another thing back in Canada.Is the confusion being created by the minister deliberate, or does she not know what she is doing?

Mr. Speaker, despite all of the money they spent on deliverology, they clearly did not learn any lessons. We have something here that is absolutely absurd. We have someone who is a murderer who is in a facility where children play. It has been less than nine years since she committed her offence. Instead of hiding behind excuses, other ministers have taken action in other governments. It is time for the government to act.

Mr. Speaker, a headline in today's Globe and Mail reads, “Bungled start to missing, murdered inquiry is insulting to Indigenous people”. Just yesterday, the Native Women's Association of Canada gave it a failing grade, and said that the intake process is cruel and unusual. The association has gone so far as to recommend that it be boycotted until the intake process is fixed.The Prime Minister has said there is no relationship more important to him. This inquiry was a cornerstone of his campaign pledge. It is Wednesday, will he stand up and tell us what he is going to do to fix the mess?

Mr. Speaker, we are hearing the minister defending that band members have to go to the basement of her department or go to a secret website to get information.This reality was described by Loretta Burnstick, who said: you take those concerns to Indian Affairs. Indian Affairs says you have to go back to the chief and council. You bring it back to chief and council it gets swept under the rug. You go to the RCMP, you've got to have proof. So they spin our people around. How can the minister justify creating this runaround for community members?

Mr. Speaker, a year ago, B.C. suffered the worst wildfires in our history. The government said it would be there for us, but it did not last much past the photo-op. We brought to the attention of the finance minister a very important issue around salvaged woods and their capital gains treatment, and the local government brought the same issue to him, but after six months of phone calls and letters, there was not even the courtesy of a response in terms of this issue.Can the finance minister stand up and tell us and the victims what he is going to in terms of at least responding to a very simple request for options?

Mr. Speaker, in the last three days the Prime Minister has broken so many of his election promises. He promised transparency and yet shut down the only public investigation into this scandal. He promised to respect committees. After what happened at the justice committee, we know that is not happening. He promised a balanced budget; that is certainly not going to happen under his watch. Today we learned that he misled Canadians across this country when he said the government needed to protect 9,000 jobs. It was clearly, according to the CEO, false. Liberals themselves are telling me how disappointed they are. When is he going to—

Mr. Speaker, two Labrador chiefs are calling out their Liberal member of Parliament for a very misleading housing announcement. She went there and promised 40 new units, but it turns out they will only get half of what was promised. This is either an example of misleading or incompetence.Will the member stand and apologize to the 20 families that will be severely disappointed by the parliamentary secretary?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals consistently misinterpret, do not calculate things properly, and they do not know how to explain things. They are leaving confusion in their midst. Whether it is unable to explain what a nation-to-nation is, a missing and murdered inquiry going off the tracks, the file is a mess. What will the Liberals do to get things back on track and give indigenous communities the clarity they deserve instead of misleading information?

Mr. Speaker, after discussing the deal at a cash for access fundraiser, the Prime Minister agreed to sell B.C. care facilities to a Chinese company with questionable ownership. Yesterday, a Chinese-language media asked if our concern was about state-owned enterprises, to which we responded that we did not know to whom he sold these homes. Is it Chinese billionaires? Is it the Chinese government. Is it simply a friend?Therefore, again, whatever the answer is, it is unacceptable that the Prime Minister is not sharing it with Canadians. Who owns their homes?

Mr. Speaker, we have no faith in the minister at all. He said he did his due diligence, but he did not even know who owned the company that is going to be taking care of our seniors. We want to know who owns Anbang Insurance. Two weeks ago, he said it was Canadians. Who owns it? Will he put the sale on hold until he assures people throughout Canada that he has done his due diligence and this is not a hasty political sellout.

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP is investigating how a chief and his family allegedly took $4.2 million over three and a half years. This money was to be used for bands to improve life on reserve but instead went to trips to Cuba and Vegas. The information sat in the department for years, where people noticed nothing amiss. Members only found out about this outrageous abuse through the First Nations Financial Transparency Act.When will the minister ensure that basic information is easily accessible to band members?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the government took our advice and declined to allow the sale of Aecon to a Chinese state-owned enterprise. However, in spite of numerous other requests, the Liberals have arrogantly refused to do the same due diligence with Anbang and our senior care facilities. As we now know, Anbang has collapsed, the chairman was arrested, and our seniors' homes are owned by communist China. Will the minister now commit to fixing the Anbang mess?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the innovation minister provided inaccurate information to the House. He said that the company buying seniors care facilities in British Columbia would be “owned and operated by Canadians”. He knows that this is not true. If it was being sold to Canadians, he never would have had to approve the sale.Will the minister now stand up and tell seniors in my riding that their homes are being sold to a Chinese company with unknown ownership?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Justice has failed to reassure Canadians. She refused to state whether the Liberals will protect private property from declaration of aboriginal title. Both the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs say that they are negotiating, that they are settling, and that they are working nation to nation. Where does that leave the private land owner? Where does he fit into this equation? Does that mean they are not at the table and they do not matter? Could she please stand up and say that private property does matter?

Mr. Speaker, if empowering first nations is like Bill S-3, where they did not even bother to talk to the chief and defendant, that is a very poor example. Band members are having to take their leadership to court to get basic financial information.On this side of the House, we are with people like Charmaine Stick, who the minister is forcing to go to court for this information. The Liberals should be ashamed. Why is the minister forcing Charmaine to go to court instead of showing some leadership and enforcing the law?

Mr. Speaker, last February, we warned the government that putting our senior care facilities in the hands of Anbang, a company with murky Chinese ownership, was dangerously naive. Wall Street even had concerns about it but the government just blindly went ahead and did it. What has happened? Anbang has collapsed, the chairman was arrested, and our senior care facilities are now in the hands of communist China. We warned the Prime Minister and our fears have come true.Does the minister believe that it is appropriate that our senior care homes across British Columbia are owned by communist China?

Mr. Speaker, three years ago, a young Cree girl was suffering chronic pain and was taking daily medication for a jaw misalignment. She simply needed $6,000 in dental work. Instead of showing compassion and common sense, the government decided to take Josey and her family to court, for over $110,000 in costs, to fight. Seven months ago, we suggested that it was time to quit the fight and show some compassion and change the policy.Can the Prime Minister tell us how this represents using taxpayer dollars for reconciliation?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has confused this issue for both industry and first nations. During the election campaign, he said that no meant no. More recently, he backtracked from that commitment. Uncertainty hurts both prospective development and indigenous communities. Can the minister stand in the House and provide clarity? Does no mean no, yes, or maybe?

Mr. Speaker, this morning we learned that the five major Inuit organizations pulled out of the government's working group on food security. It was clear from the start that the Liberals had no intention of listening. The consultations were “just tokenism and optics...so they can justify the changes that they want to make”.The government's failure has real consequences. Tokenism does not feed children. When will the Liberals get back to the table and take this issue seriously?

Mr. Speaker, the situation in Onion Lake is about to get worse. Charmaine reports that the leadership stopped development of dozens of new housing units, claiming that there was no money. How would they know? They do not have access to basic information. They have not seen the books.This paternalistic approach of the minister is deplorable. The community members deserve to be empowered and know what is going on with their money. When will the minister enforce the First Nations Financial Transparency Act and provide basic information that all other Canadians enjoy?

Mr. Speaker, here is another victim of the Liberals' summer jobs attestation requirement. One of Nova Scotia's must-see attractions, the Bangor Sawmill Museum, has had to close its doors. This has been a staple of the community since before Confederation. The member for West Nova has been shamefully silent while the landmark and the jobs that go with it are lost.How can the Liberals not see the absurdity of their Orwellian policy and the impact it is having on communities across the country?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals need to ask for a refund from their deliverology expert because they sure cannot get things done. They have also left indigenous Canadians and job-creating industries in the dark about the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In May, the justice minister said that they would adopt UNDRIP “without qualification”. Now she has said that it is simplistic, unworkable and cannot be done word for word. Why is the justice minister misleading indigenous Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, a Liberal government of the past was always willing to say that private property is not on the table, and that was a value of Canadians. The Minister of Justice stated that she might be changing the approach when it comes to declaring aboriginal title over private property. The B.C. premier has firmly shut the door. Again, I will ask this. Yes, it is before the courts, but can the Liberals stand up and say that they will protect private property rights?

Mr. Speaker, again, more platitudes and a lack of transparency for the people who are desperately asking for it. It is unacceptable. The Liberal government chooses to enforce the laws that it wants and not the other ones. Liberals have no trouble saying 15,000 youth can go to jail for marijuana possession because that is the law. There is a law on the books. The Liberals either need to have the guts to get rid of it, or enforce it.

Mr. Speaker, healing lodges are for criminals who are getting ready to transition back into society. It is job training, language, culture and household maintenance. Healing lodges are not appropriate for Tori Stafford's murderer who is not eligible for parole until 2031. Her crimes are heinous and she belongs behind bars.Why can the Liberals not see this? Why can they not act? They are hiding behind a lot of excuses and they just need to actually do something appropriate and take action.

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are a lot of talk, but they are no action. Friendship centres provide vital services to urban first nations, including counselling and suicide prevention support programs.Our House of Commons committee was told yesterday that promised base funding is delayed, facing layer after layer of new Liberal red tape: two months, no money, laying off staff, and shrinking necessary programs. What is the hold up? Why is funding for vital, life-saving programs being delayed?

Mr. Speaker, Ron Tremblay, a grand chief in New Brunswick, stated that with the UNDRIP implementation, energy east would be subject to a veto. Once again, confusion over this issue mounts. Canadians do not know if the declaration on indigenous rights is, as The Globe and Mail says “scary, exciting or just a muddle”.Could the minister please explain, without her usual platitudes, will veto be part of the implementation of UNDRIP, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, in spite of recent lofty commitments, the government has increased the burden on our businesses. In my riding, Absorbent Products, a three-decade-old family business that manufactures food grade additives for use in animal feed, has been fighting with CFIA officials for over two years. They have introduced arbitrary new regulations that will imperil not only the owner's operations in Canada but his ability to export to foreign markets.How can the Liberals claim to be helping business, when they are forcing people like the owners of Absorbent Products out of my riding?

Mr. Speaker, let us review the Liberals' actual record for indigenous people.In spite of a ruling from the Human Rights Tribunal, they have put children in jeopardy by not implementing Jordan's Principle. Three months and friendship centres are still waiting for operating funds, and apparently there is no interest in resolving long-standing land claims.Now we hear the northern Manitoba Dene, who were almost at the finish line, are now back at the starting point. Why will the minister not commit to sit down with the Dene and resolve the north of 60 land claim?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was found guilty of violating four sections of the Conflict of Interest Act when he took a private vacation on a billionaire's island in the Caribbean. We have been asking a very simple question for the last four days. The responses have been inadequate. They have been shameful and have been disrespectful to this place. The Liberals are saying, “There is nothing to see here. Oh, the Prime Minister broke the law, but it does not matter, move on.” This is important. Why will the Prime Minister not pay back the money to Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, the minister's first legislation dealing with gender equality for first nations is seriously flawed, and the minister must go back to the drawing board. It has really been mishandled, quite frankly from the beginning. In drafting the bill, she did not talk to the litigants and she did not do proper consultation. She was forced to apologize, publicly admitting that she was embarrassed at how her staff handled the file.Will the minister end her paternalistic approach and withdraw this piece of legislation?

Mr. Speaker, seniors in my riding are writing and phoning my office every day. They simply want to know who is responsible for these facilities. If families and patients have complaints, they are lost in an accountability fog. Either the government does not know the answer, or it knows the answer and it is not willing to tell us. If he will not stand in the House and tell us who owns the homes, will he table the documents that were done with respect to that due diligence around the ownership of Anbang Insurance?

Mr. Speaker, on a Friday afternoon right before Christmas, the government gutted the First Nations Financial Transparency Act by removing all compliance measures. Without consequences, the law is useless and band members are now denied access to basic information.How does the minister explain to band members that the Liberal government's commitment to transparency is empty rhetoric?

Mr. Speaker, there are only 14 weeks left in this Parliament and yet the government continues to over-promise and under-deliver. How can we trust the Prime Minister's new commitments at AFN this week while his previous promises go unfulfilled? Additions to reserve are buried in a budget bill with no consultation, the languages act is nowhere to be seen and on the child welfare act, why the delay?Can the minister tell us if any of his promised legislation will be law before this Parliament rises?

Mr. Speaker, we learned last week that the government is rushing to build 520 housing units for illegal border crossers. These will be heated and ventilated, and they will have easy access to showers, drinking water, and toilets. Canadian northerners are desperate for this kind of housing, which has been postponed until post-2022. Many are calling my offices, and they have a simple question: Why are the Liberals responding with such urgency to illegal border crossers and ignoring the plight of the north?

Mr. Speaker, part of my riding is rural. There is no public transit. The sky-high gas prices are forcing them to make very difficult decisions about essentials. We have single mums who cannot afford to fill their tanks. We have seniors who are having difficulties making ends meet. We have small businesses that have no choice but to cut jobs or cut wages. The Prime Minister says this is exactly what he wants. Could the minister explain exactly what he wants? Why sky-high gas prices for rural communities?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians were very hopeful that the inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women and girls would lead to a brighter future, but families are losing patience. It has now been eight months, and we now hear that the commissioners only have 90 names in their database, yet hundreds and hundreds of families are waiting to hear from them. The minister needs to take action. There are some very simple fixes to this issue. She needs to break down bureaucratic barriers and ensure that the inquiry gets the necessary information to do its job.

Mr. Speaker, Canada needs the inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women to be successful. There is no excuse for it to take over a year before it even begins to hear from families. As Maclean's noted this week, it is falling apart before it even begins. A communications director was fired, and another senior adviser has resigned. It appears to be in complete disarray.If this inquiry fails, the minister is responsible. If it takes years for the families to be heard, she has failed. What immediate action will the minister take to get this inquiry back on track?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked the minister why she was forcing band members from Onion Lake to go to court to get financial transparency. She indicated that she was very happy to have a meeting with me. This is not about me. This is not about the chief. This is about empowering community members and giving them the information they deserve.When will the minister stop this fight against band members and transparency?

Mr. Speaker, in Winnipeg, the Prime Minister doubled down and repeated the same comments that he made in Saskatoon. Rather than funding community-led initiatives for aboriginal youth, he basically said, “Ottawa knows best, I know best”. What was his solution? Aboriginal youth really only want and need a place to store their canoes and paddles.I will again ask the Prime Minister to retract these condescending and out-of-touch comments.

Mr. Speaker, last week the Minister of Indigenous Services gave a great speech about her commitment to improving health services for first nations. The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs went on Twitter to encourage people to call Health Canada if they know a child who needs care. What they did not say was that then the government was going to fight them in court all the way.It was $110,000. How can the Prime Minister explain to Canadians again that a convicted terrorist he had no obligation to pay gets $10.5 million, but he is going to fight Josey and her family all the way in court?

Mr. Speaker, three years ago, this was a key election promise by the government. We know that food costs in the north are absolutely staggering. After going through the process and withdrawing from the consultations, an Inuit leader told CBC that she had lost all hope. Listen to this. She was told by a government employee that if they do not want to be at the table, it is just going to move forward anyway. This is a government that said that no relationship is more important than that with indigenous peoples in Canada. Is this how it treats this most important relationship? When is the government going to stop being so disrespectful and move forward in terms of this important initiative?

Mr. Speaker, the minister guaranteed that all was fine with the Chinese takeover by Anbang Insurance with its senior care facilities. Let me share one of the most recent inspection reports from a facility: non-compliant in restraint and fall prevention plans; non-compliant in having certified staff available to deal with critical emergency situations; and non-compliant with sanitation procedures.Do the Liberals still guarantee that communist China is the best caretaker of our seniors?

Mr. Speaker, the First Nations Financial Transparency Act also provides insight into successful band management practices. I think there is a great example that was reported in The province, where the Osoyoos first nations is one of the most business-minded in Canada. There is virtually no unemployment. The chief's salary has been frozen for two years and is at a reasonable level.Thanks to the transparency act, other bands and other people can look at the financial statements, see how they are structured and perhaps look at some of the best practices.Does the minister not realize that shared information is a benefit to one and all?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised several important pieces of indigenous legislation before the next election. Three years in, there is nothing to report. The rights and recognition framework has stalled. The language act is nowhere to be seen. On the child welfare act, today they proudly announced that someday they are going to table some legislation. Additions to reserve is buried in a budget bill, with no consultation. They have over-promised, with no delivery. Can the minister tell us if any of the promised legislation will be law before the end of this Parliament?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the AFN chief said that more than 130 first nations were dead set against pipelines and energy development. The rest were demanding an absolute veto over any proposed developments. As can be imagined, this creates great uncertainty for investors.Could the Prime Minister clarify for all Canadians whether first nations have the right to veto, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely clear that the Liberals have no plan to make gas more affordable. The Prime Minister himself said that the carbon tax being high is what he wanted to change behaviour. Well, changing the behaviour of cancer patients who have to drive to their treatment is not acceptable. There are many, many impacts for everyday Canadians that the Liberals do not seem to understand.We have a plan to make life more affordable, eliminating the carbon tax and getting Trans Mountain built. Why will the Liberals not just admit that they do not care about the price of gas in British Columbia?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister stated that he knew better than the chiefs and the top priority for indigenous youth was a place to store their canoes and paddles. That is unbelievable. We have a suicide crisis. Two 12-year-olds from Saskatchewan took their lives. Our committee travelled across the country with panels listening to youth. They talked about safety, security, education, and hope. Canoe storage did not come up.Will the Prime Minister retract these condescending and out-of-touch comments?

Mr. Speaker, the rules state that the Prime Minister must not discuss government business at Liberal Party fundraisers, but on November 7, the host of that event said that he did just that. He proudly told The Globe and Mail that he discussed the need for Chinese investments in Canadian seniors homes with the Prime Minister. The review process has been fast-tracked by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and the sale approved, so what we would like to hear is this. Was this issue actually discussed at this fundraiser? Canadians deserve to know.

Madam Speaker, residents in B.C. continue to flock across the border to fill their tanks with gasoline. They are saving $25 per tank, and that matters. It matters to Canadian families, it matters to small business, it matters to tourism operators and it matters to so many more.This minister does not seem to understand what a difference that makes in people's lives. Increasing the carbon tax without a deadline on getting Trans Mountain started is a problem.When will they get the pipeline built, and when will they get rid of this carbon tax that is hurting so many?

Mr. Speaker, we are hearing from band members across this country who want to know that the Prime Minister's $8.4 billion in the budget is going to have a real meaningful impact on their lives. We are also hearing that they are very concerned about the gutting of the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. When the Liberals refuse to allow first nations to access spending information on reserves, it does impact their lives. Why will the Liberals not allow first nations community members to have the same access to information of all Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, the Trans Mountain pipeline is critical to the 43 first nations with benefit agreements and many others. Yesterday, the leader of Canada's Conservatives announced a comprehensive plan that makes use of every tool in the tool box to get this pipeline built. This includes meaningful consultation with indigenous peoples, which the Liberals did not do when they simply sent a note-taker. When will the Liberals show some leadership and announce a real plan instead of dithering along like they have been?

Mr. Speaker, the fix was in. This minister gave millions of dollars' worth of fish quota to Liberal Party insiders. He claimed it was about reconciliation. How well did that work? He has the first nations taking him to court. This is an insult to reconciliation. He is pitting one first nation against another after a sham of a bidding process. What will the indigenous services minister do to make sure that there is fairness for all bidders, not just party inside donors?

Mr. Speaker, in March 2016, the Prime Minister promised to resolve the softwood lumber dispute. He said, “I’m confident that we are on a track towards resolving this irritant in the coming weeks and month.” That was three years ago. Yesterday, the third mill in my riding in two weeks closed its doors. The Liberals have lots of time for their millionaire friends, but when it comes to B.C. workers, they cannot lift a finger. Will the Prime Minister finally make good on his promise to resolve the softwood lumber dispute and save jobs?

Mr. Speaker, the Daniels decision by the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that 600,000 Métis and non-status Indians are under federal jurisdiction. This decision will create profound fiscal obligations, and any prudent government would have analyzed the full implications. Will the minister share with Canadians what the projected costs of the decision will be?

Mr. Speaker, 31 aboriginal communities are partners, equity owners, in the northern gateway project. As they wrote in statement last September, “Collectively, our communities stand to benefit from more than $2 billion directly from this Project.” That is going to be $2 billion for jobs, for businesses, for educational opportunities, and for long-term benefit.Will the minister follow the court order and immediately start consultations with the indigenous communities?

Mr. Speaker, in response to the Daniels decision, National Chief Dorey stated that the 600,000 Metis and non-status aboriginals should have access to the same resources available for decades to those with status. He also noted that the government always had pools of money set aside for unexpected events.Any prudent government would have analyzed the full implications of this decision. Again, would the minister share with Canadians what the projected costs will be?

Mr. Speaker, recognition of rights is incredibly important, but so is recognition of private property in those areas. If this case is successful, it would include private lands within the city of Kamloops, as well as other municipalities, Sun Peaks Resort, and the university. This is huge. The premier of the province is very concerned. The Liberals need to step up to the table and be part of that suit. Again, I will ask, and do not talk about the court case, will he just stand and say that he cares about private property rights and that he will protect them?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is perhaps not aware that a whole number of those seniors immediately received a notice that they had to be removed from their facility. It was absolutely shameful. The Liberals approved the sale of our seniors' care to Anbang. They cannot tell us who owns the conglomerate. The only face of that business was a chairman who of course is now in jail with these accusations. The Liberals say everything is so fine. The minister says, “I am going to keep watching. I'm okay.” We are not convinced that things are okay. Would he stand and tell us who owns the homes of the seniors of Canada?

Mr. Speaker, I know many of the people who live in these facilities, and they deserve to know who owns their home. Our seniors are concerned about the quality of care, of food, and the credentials of the people caring for them. This transaction is clearly not about charity; it is about profit. Why would the Prime Minister put the care of our parents and grandparents at the mercy of profiteers pulling strings from Beijing?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is on another swanning trip at the UN, where he is sprinkling taxpayers' dollars around like fairy dust.Meanwhile at home a new study has shown indigenous Canadians are losing limbs, their vision, and even dying from diabetes, a preventable, treatable disease. This is totally unacceptable and immediate action is required.When will the Liberals stop neglecting business at home and ensure appropriate programs and medical care are available for indigenous Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, I have a very simple and straightforward question.Did the national security adviser give classified information to the media, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, as members can see, both the minister and the Prime Minister continue to do a dance on this issue of a veto.When they promised to implement the UN declarations, the expectation of first nations, clearly, was they would have a veto over resource development. As Chief Bellegarde said, “...the right to say yes, and the right to say no...”. The Liberals are creating confusion.Again, we need a simple answer, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, in a technical briefing, the parliamentary secretary said that 100% of the B.C. first nations supported the tanker ban. She neglected to mention the very many who count on energy as an opportunity for their future.This is a government that committed to free, prior, and informed consent. This is hardly an example of getting that free, prior, and informed consent.Is the minister prepared to table in this House a list of the coastal first nations that support the tanker ban and the dates on which they were consulted?

Mr. Speaker, as of this month, 88% of B.C. first nations have filed financial disclosures, because they recognize that empowering their members is the right thing to do, and that means giving them access to information.Since the Liberals stopped enforcing the act, many more are falling very far behind in their filings, including the Semiahmoo, Popkum, and Skatin. How can the minister defend her disregard for grassroots members, and why will she not start empowering community members and enforce the law?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals talk about being concerned about transparency. They and the minister just spent three days at AFN meetings. The word “transparency” and how we can be accountable to the membership did not come up once.According to Karen McCarthy: And the system where we file grievances and allegations to INAC [Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada] — it doesn't really go anywhere. Further, we heard from Charmaine Stick: They (INAC and AFN) need to help us. We need help instead of taking our own leadership to court. It has been over a year now. They have done nothing. When will the minister put actions to those words and show these women some respect?

Mr. Speaker, today the CBC posted an article by Charmaine Stick of the Onion Lake Cree Nation, which was titled, “I starved myself for financial transparency at Onion Lake Cree Nation”.She stated: For 13 days in June 2014, I went on a hunger strike. In actuality, the First Nations Financial Transparency Act — which the [Liberal] government stopped enforcing last December — was good for people. It was somewhere for the grassroots people to go to get answers...We need equality. Without the First Nations Financial Transparency Act, there's no equality for the membership in our community. When will the minister start empowering these courageous women and enforce the act?

Mr. Speaker, this weekend a powerful video featuring Charmaine Stick of Onion Lake Cree Nation was released on social media.The video shows Charmaine's reaction to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs dismissing her plea, her plight, her quest for financial transparency. She described the minister's comments as “very hurtful”. She said the minister has no idea what she is going through and makes it sound so easy to access the band's financial information.When will the minister finally empower Charmaine Stick and enforce the act?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have been engaging for over a year, and they have done absolutely nothing.The First Nations Financial Transparency Act showed that the vast majority of first nations expenditures were reasonable and appropriate. Unfortunately, we now have a list of bands where there is significant concern, from Alexander to Samson Cree. In the words of Sherry Greene, the grassroots people are the ones suffering in the end.When will the minister get the records out of the department's basement and enforce the transparency act?

Mr. Speaker, the chair of the First Nations Financial Management Board said last year that the need for housing and infrastructure is between $20 billion and $30 billion. Then he said: Where is all of that money going to come from...if we don't engage in business and economic development? The Liberals' response is tanker bans, drilling moratoriums, taxes, and increased red tape. Investment is fleeing and they have impeded the opportunity for investment.Why are the Liberals putting up so many roadblocks for indigenous economic prosperity?

Mr. Speaker, Alberta cancelled the carbon tax and gas prices have fallen across the province. The same thing cannot be said for rural British Columbia.Yesterday, in Vavenby, Canfor laid off 178 workers. There is no employment, but the Prime Minister is happy to have them pay extra for gas because that is exactly what he wants.When will the Prime Minister stop punishing rural Canadians and take real steps to address the high price of gas?

Mr. Speaker, people do not have to go to a public meeting to see what the minister or her department spends. It is easily accessible. It is easily available to all.The minister, like me, has been getting hundreds of emails just in the last two days from Canadians who think this is wrong. This is about basic transparency. This is about basic good governance and it should be available to all.When will the minister start ensuring and empowering first nations communities and enforce the First Nations Financial Transparency Act?

Mr. Speaker, first nations were always welcome to be part of the process, but the minister of the past government made sure he kept his hands out of it.This is just wrong. The Prime Minister tasked his cabinet with living up to “the highest ethical standards”. Clearly, the minister has not lived up to these expectations. He is failing indigenous communities. He is failing Canadians. He is failing the people of Grand Banks.It is time for the minister to acknowledge that it was an inside job. It is a sham, and we would like to hear him stand up today and commit to restarting this process.

Mr. Speaker, Morneau Shepell has a subsidiary registered in Barbados, where corporate tax rates are rock bottom. In clear conflict, the Minister of Finance is also responsible for overseeing tax treaties, including the one with Barbados.While he is wandering around telling small business owners that they are tax cheats and not paying their fair share, his wealth is growing in the sunny south.I have a quick and simple question. Did the Minister of Finance recuse himself from all discussions regarding the tax treaty with Barbados?

Madam Speaker, the current government's paternal and top-down approach to financial transparency for first nations must come to an end. If the Liberals are not enforcing the First Nations Financial Transparency Act, they are breaking the law. The minister told the House on Monday that if band members want to know how their chief and council are spending the money, they just have to ask her office.Why are the Liberals forcing band members to go to a government department to receive information that should be readily available in the community?

Mr. Speaker, it has been over a year. I do not think it takes that long to consult and come up with a plan. We have now learned that the Liberals have set up a secretive four-person club that is concocting ways to transfer billions of dollars directly to the chiefs of first nations. The minister has stripped financial transparency protections for grassroots band members. Band members need more information, not less, so they can be empowered to hold their leadership accountable. When will the minister stop her attack on financial transparency and grassroots first nations?

Mr. Speaker, today, the innovation minister was forced to stand in this House and acknowledge that he had misled when he said that the company he is selling our B.C. retirement homes to was Canadian. He confirmed what we have been saying all along. It is going to be under Chinese ownership.In the minister's desire to be transparent, will he confirm who owns Anbang Insurance? Is it the Chinese company he agreed to sell our facilities to or , as one of the residents in my riding says, “Who will own my home?”

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's staff said, “it's just a bit ironic that she wants an alternative justice process to be available in one sense, but not one for SNC.” It seems like the entire Liberal government has been seized with getting bribery charges dropped against SNC. As a little reminder, that included $30,000 for Gadhafi's son for prostitutes in Canada.The finance minister believes that this company should get a special deal. I have a simple question: Will the Liberals let him come to the justice committee and explain to Canadians why?

Madam Speaker, it has been two years since the minister gutted the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. Now, Harrison Thunderchild has reluctantly taken his leadership in the community to court around their lack of disclosure. He told the National Post, “Every level of government has that expectation to be transparent and accountable. First Nations should not be any different..”.The minister promised a new system two years ago. When is she going to deliver?

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order. During question period, the member for Kanata—Carleton indicated that she had specific documents in terms of the coastal first nations that supported the moratorium ban and the dates the consultations happened. I would ask that she table those documents, as per the question.

Mr. Speaker, the benefit of the financial transparency act was that it allowed band members to monitor and understand how their money was being spent. A perfect example was in Kashechewan, where there was an alleged theft of $694,000 from the breakfast program.Band members with easy access to financial information would have noticed the lack of scrambled eggs and orange juice at the table. Would the minister explain to the people of Kashechewan why they do not deserve guaranteed access to the basic financial information that every other Canadian enjoys?

Mr. Speaker, we have been counting and it has been 25 months since the minister gutted the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. Band members continue to be forced to take their leadership to court to get access to basic financial information. The Liberals met for a year with the AFN, a year. Their so-called new fiscal framework does nothing to improve accountability for the vast majority of first nations.When will the minister stop ignoring band members like Charmaine Stick, Harrison Thunderchild, and so many more, and actually come up with a plan?

Mr. Speaker, indigenous support for the northern gateway continues to grow, but the Liberal government has thrown up its hands and walked from the table. I would like to quote from the 31 first nations that are equity partners. They said: [This] project is a new way of doing business and sets a precedent for collaborative partnerships between First Nations and Métis communities and the resource industry. Our ownership...will ensure a sustainable, prosperous future for generations to come. Is the minister going to betray these first nations that have negotiated in good faith?

Mr. Speaker, we learned after Christmas that since gutting the Financial Transparency Act, the compliance measures, of course, the reporting rate has gone down. The minister had to know that was going to happen. It is no surprise.The National Post wrote that about 90 bands had not been fully compliant with the act, and, of course, for the community members, that is 90 too many. It has been over a year. First nations communities, 90 of them across this country, do not have access to basic information.When will the minister listen to the grassroots band members and respect them, and enforce the act?

Mr. Speaker, the new government was not given a blank cheque. Canadians expect due diligence.On June 2, when the truth and reconciliation report was released, the current Prime Minister pledged his unwavering support for all 94 recommendations, the full list, no exceptions. Could the Minister of Indigenous Affairs give us the full cost of keeping this promise?

Mr. Speaker, last week, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations stated at a press conference that pipelines will need an indigenous licence to proceed. I would like to ask the minister this. Does she agree with giving a veto over the development of Canada's natural resources?

Mr. Speaker, not only will there be significant costs from the decision, there will be increased complexity in the development of our natural resources.Once again, any prudent government would have anticipated the implications of the decision. Will the minister explain how this will impact our critical natural resource development and the processes?

Mr. Speaker, families need the murdered and missing inquiry to be successful. We recognize that the hearings are happening this week in Whitehorse, but after that they are shutting down for the summer. Does the minister not recognize what so many others recognize, including the justice minister's father, that there are serious problems with this process? What is she going to do to fix it?