Discussion · Government Orders
Sébastien Lemire Bloc Québécois
“The government promises billions of dollars to First Nations but never actually spends it. This happens because the government ignores local knowledge and band councils. The government needs to respect and build up the expertise of First Nations communities.”
“Mr. Speaker, I also want to point out that I am speaking on behalf of my colleague from Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan and the indigenous communities in her riding. In this context, my colleague is right. That is what the Auditor General’s many reports have shown, year after year, indeed decade after decade. One of the first things that fascinated me when I arrived in the House of Commons was this tendency to congratulate ourselves on a budget, to pat ourselves on the back for being so generous, yet a year later, balanced budgets often end up resting on funds that were never spent, effectively at the expense of first nations. All the while, they continue to be promised tens of billions of dollars. Why is that money not being spent? It is because local expertise is not being taken into account. Expertise on the ground is not being developed. The government is not respecting the expertise of band councils. The government thinks that all it needs to do is put money in a budget and everything will be fixed, but that is not the case. The same is true for housing. The same is true for so many files. The government needs to develop the expertise of first nations in a respectful manner.”
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Mr. Speaker, I also want to point out that I am speaking on behalf of my colleague from Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan and the indigenous communities in her riding. In this context, my colleague is right. That is what the Auditor General’s many reports have shown, year after year, indeed decade after decade. One of the first things that fascinated me when I arrived in the House of Commons was this tendency to congratulate ourselves on a budget, to pat ourselves on the back for being so generous, yet a year later, balanced budgets often end up resting on funds that were never spent, effectively at the expense of first nations. All the while, they continue to be promised tens of billions of dollars. Why is that money not being spent? It is because local expertise is not being taken into account. Expertise on the ground is not being developed. The government is not respecting the expertise of band councils. The government thinks that all it needs to do is put money in a budget and everything will be fixed, but that is not the case. The same is true for housing. The same is true for so many files. The government needs to develop the expertise of first nations in a respectful manner.