INAN Committee Report
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Supplementary Report of the New Democratic Party (NDP)
The global coronavirus pandemic has had an enormous effect on all persons, all regions, all countries, and all nations. In Canada, it has stripped bare all our social safety nets and exposed the weaknesses in every system.
We are being told to wash our hands frequently, practice social distancing, and stay at home as much as possible. Yet, how can a person be expected to wash their hands frequently if there is no clean water available? How can a person be expected to practice social distancing if their home is overcrowded because of a lack of affordable housing? How can a person be expected to stay at home if they are homeless?
COVID-19 has highlighted these critical issues in Indigenous communities across Canada. While the title of this report expresses the hope of the Committee to see meaningful change happen for Indigenous peoples across our country, it is the view of the New Democratic Party that the current Liberal Government will likely not undertake all 42 recommendations contained in this report.
Prime Minister Trudeau has repeatedly said that the most important relationship of his government is with First Nations, but he continually misses the point. The most important aspect of Canada’s relationship with First Nations must be in demonstrating the will to change and ensuring the government takes the hard and difficult decisions that reconciliation requires.
Decades of federal underfunding for Indigenous communities has led to appalling conditions in housing, lack of access to clean water, and deteriorating infrastructure and social programs. As these recommendations indicate, it will require a huge investment of resources and funding to correct these complex issues. Most of all, it will take political will.
While the New Democratic Party fully agrees with all recommendations in this report, we strongly urge the Government to forego the usual 120 days to respond and instead get to work on solving these issues now.
If the Liberals truly agree that Canada’s relationship with First Nations is the most important, they will heed our call.