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Mr. Speaker, last year this House voted unanimously to declare June as National Aboriginal History Month.

A declaration without action to back it up would be an empty promise, so I followed up on the original NDP motion by contacting relevant federal departments and asking how they would observe Aboriginal History Month.

Indian and Northern Affairs is promoting the month on their website and at National Aboriginal Day events and promises to further develop new initiatives for June 2011.

Question: Mr. Speaker, the refusal of the Conservatives to sign the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was an international embarrassment and an insult to aboriginal peoples in Canada.

Other countries that made the same mistake are now making the right choice by signing on to this important human rights document. This week at the UN, New Zealand reversed its position and now supports the declaration with no conditions.

Will Canada finally tell the UN that we support the declaration, without conditions, and will a formal date for its adoption by Canada be announced?

With regard to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) staffing levels and use of contracts for each fiscal year since 2004-2005: (a) what is the total number of staff employed at Headquarters, full time and contract; (b) what is the total number of staff employed in each of INAC’s Regional Offices, full time and contract; (c) what is the total number of staff employed by INAC organization, directorate and sector; (d) what is the total number of contracts awarded, their value, contact persons and the names of those organizations that received contracts all broken down by both province and co

Ms. Jean Crowder (Nanaimo—Cowichan, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development snubbed aboriginal financial institutions when he failed to include them in the loan loss reserve program.

For years no banks wanted to invest in on reserve businesses, so the AFIs shouldered the risk by themselves and made it profitable. Now the big banks want to move in and the government is helping them, but leaving out the AFIs.

OTTAWA – Today’s report from the Native Women’s Association of Canada on missing and murdered aboriginal women is further evidence of the need for $10 million in promised funding, say New Democrats.

“It is essential now, in light of this report, that the government be forthcoming about its plans for the $10 million promised to this issue in Budget 2010, and how it will be used to raise awareness and implement new policies,” says Irene Mathyssen, New Democrat Critic for the Status of Women.

Ms. Jean Crowder (Nanaimo—Cowichan, NDP): Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to speak to Bill C-9, the jobs and economic growth act. As the member for Outremont, our finance critic, has indicated, the New Democrats will be voting against this particular piece of legislation.

When pieces of legislation come before the House, we have responsibilities as members of Parliament to give them full consideration. Although we do support pieces of this legislation, there are other pieces of it that we are fundamentally opposed to. The Conservative government has decided to jam into this piece of legislation things that should properly be considered by other parliamentary standing committees and should have stand-alone legislation.