QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Indigenous Services—Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Emergency Management in First Nations Communities
November 24, 2022
Welcome, minister. Last week, the Auditor General of Canada tabled a fairly scathing report on your department’s poor performance in supporting First Nations communities with respect to emergency management. The report stated:
Overall, Indigenous Services Canada did not provide the support First Nations communities needed to manage emergencies such as floods and wildfires, which are happening more often and with greater intensity.
The report also found that the department’s approach was reactive rather than preventative which cost taxpayers 3.5 times more money as a result. First Nations communities identified many preventative infrastructure projects to mitigate the impact of emergencies, yet 112 of these projects that have been approved by the department have yet to be funded.
So, minister, who is responsible for this gross mismanagement costing taxpayers 3.5 times more money? Why is your government not acting on the 112 prevention-focused infrastructure projects identified by First Nations communities?
Thank you.
First of all, I take issue with the term “gross mismanagement.” In fact, the Auditor General found that the department was extraordinarily responsive to helping communities in times of crisis, which, as most of the honourable members in this place will know, is more expensive than prevention work, although prevention work is also expensive.
So the challenge the government has in front of it, not just on the Indigenous Services file but all infrastructure files, is how to both respond to increasing climate-related emergencies while also supporting the investments that we need in appropriate infrastructure and in community capacity to prepare and adapt to those climate-related emergencies.
It’s relieving to hear members of this house that are Conservatives talk about the need to acknowledge climate change and to address the ongoing onslaught of climate-related emergencies. I can tell you that this is the challenge in front of governments worldwide. Certainly, for the department, we will be seeking additional funds to help communities have the resilient infrastructure they need, which often means more expensive infrastructure, as well as the capacity to do that planning so that communities have the ability to withstand the onslaught of the primarily climate-related urgent incidents.
