Michael McLeod

[Indigenous Affairs, April 27th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, Inuit communities in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and across the north all agree that self-determination is an essential step toward reconciliation. This is the best way to promote prosperity and support communities' and individuals' well-being throughout Inuit Nunangat, with the goal of socio-economic and cultural equity between Inuit and other Canadians.

Can the Prime Minister inform the House about the latest developments in ensuring the government properly supports Inuit self-determination?

[Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, April 6th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, 600 years ago, when the Europeans claimed the Americas as their land, part of the justification they used came from the doctrine of discovery, which was a statement from the Pope at the time. It advocated for the superiority of people on the basis of national origin or racial, religious, ethnic or cultural difference. Why should that matter now? This seems like ancient history, yet it was addressed in both the UNDRIP and in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report. Surely, we are well past the time to throw these types of racist, illegal, immoral and false ideologies where they belong.

We need to continue to advance the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report recommendations 45 to 47, to develop the royal proclamation of reconciliation, and to ensure that these concepts are not reflected in any Canadian law or policy. Hopefully, in addition to the apology from the Pope, there will be movement on eradicating this doctrine from the church as well.

Mahsi.

[Indigenous Affairs, April 1st, 2022]

Madam Speaker, in 2017, the Prime Minister met His Holiness Pope Francis and invited him to Canada to deliver a public apology to indigenous people. For decades, first nations, Inuit and Métis families, survivors and communities have been calling for a papal apology, recognizing the harm done and the ongoing impacts of residential schools.

Today, after meetings with indigenous delegations, Pope Francis apologized to indigenous people in Canada from the Vatican. Could the parliamentary secretary inform the House about this?

[Indigenous Affairs, February 17th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, this Tuesday, 54 potential unmarked graves were found at Keeseekoose First Nation. Three weeks ago, Williams Lake First Nation announced that a survey had identified 93 potential unmarked graves on the site of the former St. Joseph's Mission residential school. Nearly a year ago, Canada was rocked by the discovery of 200 probable unmarked graves on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Despite all of this evidence, some still deny the actual legacy of residential schools and claim the number of unmarked graves is exaggerated. I find this very troubling and unacceptable.

Could the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations comment on what our government is doing to support the survivors of these residential schools?

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 15th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, the Gladue principles, in part, recognize that there is overrepresentation of indigenous peoples in the criminal justice system and that there are complex issues based on systemic discrimination that should be considered in sentencing.

They now have been used in the courts in sentencing for quite some time. However, in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls—

[Housing, February 2nd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, in communities across the Northwest Territories, access to affordable housing is one of the biggest issues my constituents face. That is why I was so pleased last month to join the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion and local leaders for three announcements that will help more people in NWT have a safe place to call home.

With a $9-million federal investment, the Borealis Housing Co-operative will be able to improve the quality and energy efficiency of its 50 units in Yellowknife. We also announced a $5-million top-up to our government’s contribution to the Avens Pavilion project. This brings the total federal contribution to this 102-unit seniors facility to $38.7 million. Finally, the communities of Fort Good Hope, Lutselk'e and Fort Providence will have 29 new units thanks to $9.8 million in funding from the Government of Canada.

Our government is making real progress on making housing a reality for more northerners, and I look forward to adding to this list of investments throughout the rest of 2022 and in the years to come.

[Indigenous Affairs, June 17th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, a person's name is fundamental to who they are. Indigenous names are endowed with deep cultural meaning and speak to indigenous peoples' presence on the land since time immemorial. However, the impact of colonialism means that many indigenous people's names have not been recognized.

Could the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship please update the House on the progress the government has made in responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's call to action 17 to enable residential school survivors and their families to reclaim and use their indigenous names on all government documents?

[Indigenous Affairs, June 14th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, today the Minister of Canadian Heritage announced the appointees to the first Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages.

The Indigenous Languages Act is historic and demonstrates this government's commitment to support the efforts of indigenous people to reclaim, revitalize, maintain and strengthen indigenous languages. The establishment of the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages achieves a concrete milestone in the implementation of the act.

Could the minister tell us how the commissioner and the directors will support the efforts of indigenous peoples?

[Truth and Reconciliation Commission, June 2nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, today marks the anniversary of the release of the TRC's 94 calls to action, which was an appeal to mobilize all levels of government, organizations as well as individuals to advance reconciliation through concrete changes in society.

Today, we acknowledge the courage of the former students and families that came forward to share their truth and leadership, and the guidance of the commissioners who provided us with a path forward.

The commission's findings revealed the heartbreaking details of the role that residential schools played in the unacceptable colonial history of Canada and the tragic legacy that continues today. While almost 80% of the calls to action under the sole responsibility of the federal government, or a shared responsibility with provinces, territory governments and other key partners, are completed or well under way, we are committed to accelerating progress on these essential steps toward reconciliation.

Today, we honour and support the survivors and reflect on how all Canadians can support reconciliation.

[Residential Schools, June 1st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the definition of genocide has, since its outset, been debated on many stages at the world level. When I look at the terminology and when I look at the boxes that define genocide, I think we check all almost every box. I certainly will not hesitate to say that this was genocide. We still have a long way to go.

My focus is not to debate whether it was genocide, however. It is time to move forward. It is not time to have more hearings. It is not time to set up more panels. It is not time to discuss whether this clearly fits in that box of genocide. It is time to move forward. It is time to take action. We have to start moving and get all the TRC recommendations done. We have to work on reducing the socio-economic gap between indigenous people and other Canadians. We have to work at eliminating the systemic racism.

There is a lot of work to be done. I have been waiting for a long time to get this going. We have some momentum now, and I want to see it keep going.