Notes for an address

the Honourable Jim Prentice, PC, QC, MP Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-status Indians
to the
House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development

on the Main Estimates of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
May 29, 2007

Check against delivery

 

Mr. Chairman, I thank you for inviting me to discuss the Main Estimates of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development with you and your colleagues.

I am grateful for the attention this Committee has given to my department’s agenda over the past year. I appreciate your consideration of such important issues as post-secondary education and housing, as well as legislative initiatives such as Bill C-34 and Bill C-44, now before you. I know we all share the same objective – improving the quality of life for Aboriginal peoples and Northerners.

You heard from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada’s Accounting Officer, Deputy Minister Michael Wernick, a short time ago regarding the Department’s Supplementary Estimates. I would like to speak today in the context of this year’s Main Estimates, the next step in the financial planning cycle, and how we are determined to move forward to make a real and positive difference in the lives of Aboriginal people and Northerners.

The current 2007–2008 Main Estimates includes $6.3 billion for my department. This represents a net increase of $36 million from 2006–2007.

The Main Estimates are of course the first step in the fiscal cycle, the starting point, which does not include resources that will be allotted through the Supplementary Estimates.

Mr. Chairman, funded by the Main and Supplementary Estimates, we are determined to move forward in clearly defined areas, through approaches and initiatives that will enable real change in Aboriginal communities and furthermore will give Aboriginal people the tools and the organizational structures they need to take charge of their own future.

First, we need to effect structural reform to protect women, children and families.

Whether the reform is legislative, as is the case with the repeal of Section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, or a change in policies and programs, we must ensure that Aboriginal women, children and families have the same rights and have access to the same quality of services as all other Canadians.

Our continued work to address the issue of matrimonial real property and our recent partnership with the province of Alberta and Alberta First Nations to implement a new approach to child and family services are recent examples of new and innovative thinking—new approaches to the existing challenges in First Nation communities.

I am confident that, working in partnership with the provinces, territories, and Aboriginal groups, we can build on successes such as these.

Second, we must consolidate economic development tools, to obtain the maximum efficiency from our programs and services and to enable First Nations to take charge of their own economic development.

That is why the Aboriginal Business Canada program and the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board were unified under my department in December 2006.

Furthermore, under the Aboriginal Workplace Partnerships Initiatives we have formalized partnerships with local governments, influential businesses, and trade unions to promote the employment of an Aboriginal labour force.

I am especially proud of the agreements that have been signed in the last several months with Siemens Canada Limited in Saskatoon, the City of Edmonton, the Calgary Health Region, the Nova Scotia Nurses Union, and the Nova Scotia Trucking Human Resources Council. All of these agreements will bolster the number of employment opportunities available to Aboriginal people.

To give you another example, this government allocated $300 million in Budget 2007 for the establishment of the First Nations Market Housing Fund. This fund will enableFirst Nation families and individuals to purchase, build and renovate on-reserve housing that meets their specific needs and tastes.

The program is expected to help finance the development of approximately 25,000 new housing units over the next 10 years, but the First Nations Market Housing Fund will not only encourage housing development. It will also help First Nation people living on reserve to obtain bank loans, build equity and generate wealth through home ownership.

Third, there is a desperate need to address the existing approach to the resolution of Aboriginal land claims.

I am happy to point to some recent successes. The Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement, for instance, was signed in December last year, resolving this country’s last major Inuit land claim. Bill C-51, ratifying this Agreement, has recently been introduced in this House. And last year three treaties were initialed with First Nations in British Columbia, the first to be initialed under the British Columbia Treaty Process.

But more, much more, needs to be done. I know that members of this Committee are eager to hear about our plans to address the current untenable situation presented by the specific claims process. Although I am not in a position to elaborate at this time, I am pleased to note that we intend to announce a new approach to the resolution of this long-standing issue.

Fourth, we must work to enable the participation of Aboriginal people in major resource development opportunities. The close proximity of many First Nation communities to resource development projects presents excellent opportunities for them to participate in these projects in a meaningful manner, and to share in the social and economic benefits that are generated by these initiatives.

For instance, this government recently passed regulations under the First Nations Commercial Industrial Development Act that will enable the Fort McKay First Nation, in partnership with Shell Canada Limited, to develop a multi-billion dollar oil sands mine in Northern Alberta. This project will attract investors from around the world and create hundreds of meaningful, well-paying jobs for community residents.

And we have also dedicated $500 million to the Mackenzie Valley Socio-Economic Impact Fund. Committed in Budget 2006, this Fund will assist those communities whose development is affected by the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project, should the Project proceed.

And fifth, we must continue to address the legacy of Residential Schools.

I am pleased to report to this Committee that the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement has received final Court approval. Now, former students and their families must choose whether to stay in the agreement or remove themselves from it. All parties to this historic agreement have agreed it is a fair resolution to the sad legacy of Indian Residential Schools.

Canada's New Government recognizes the importance of achieving fair and lasting resolution to the Indian Residential Schools legacy, and moving forward in partnership with Aboriginal communities across Canada. That is why we supported the motion for the House of Commons to apologize for the legacy of Indian Residential Schools.

We are moving toward the implementation of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, potentially as early as September of this year. In particular, we look forward to the important work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which is an element of this historic agreement and will provide a complete historic record of the unfortunate legacy of the Indian Residential Schools.

My department is not only responsible for First Nation, Inuit and Northern issues, but I am also Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians. My officials work with Métis, Non-Status Indians and urban Aboriginal people in order to assist them in realizing their full economic and social potential.

In this capacity, I announced a refocused Urban Aboriginal Strategy earlier this month that concentrates on job training and entrepreneurship for the nearly 50 percent of Aboriginal people who live in cities and towns across the country.

The strategy unites federal, provincial, municipal governments as well as Aboriginal and community organizations, and invests $68.5 million over five years to improve life and employment skills, promote entrepreneurship, and provide support to Aboriginal women, children and families.

Mr. Chairman, you and your colleagues are quite aware that the North is an important part of my mandate. Canada’s New Government is committed to working with Canada’s three northern territories to develop the North’s natural resources, and create jobs and prosperity for Northerners and indeed for all Canadians.

The North holds a significant percentage of Canada’s energy resources.  These represent an immense opportunity for exploration and development investment for generations to come. Resource-based projects in the North, including diamond mining and oil and gas exploration, have contributed to increased economic growth in the North over past few years.

This economic growth, besides being the means of improving quality of life for Northerners, also serves to bolster Canadian sovereignty in the North, raising the profile of Canada as an Arctic nation. We must do what we can to ensure that the current boom in the North continues, to the benefit of Northerners and other Canadians alike.

International Polar 2007-2008, which was launched on March 1st, will be another enabler of growth and development in the North. We expect that the research by Canadian and international scientists funded through the International Polar Year program will lead to new knowledge and environmental, health and economic benefits to Canadians in the North, and across our nation.

The two key themes for International Polar Year science – climate change impacts and adaptation, and the health and well-being of Northern communities – will be important to many nations, given the global effects of climate change.

In closing, I feel it is essential to note that while funding is a crucial element in the success of our programs and initiatives, it is not the only significant factor.  I have said before that simply continuing to fund existing programs without considering their validity or efficiency is not good enough. We must continue to consider whether the means by which we currently deliver services is truly producing the best results for Aboriginal people and Northerners.

The funding provided in the Main Estimates is essential to maintain and advance programs to improve the quality of life for Aboriginal people and Northerners.

I welcome any questions or comments you may have.