Indigenous Infrastructure Rights

put an end to the catastrophic war on Gaza. The Arab Group calls on the Security Council to take immediate action to bring an end to this horrific war and Israel's inhumane blockade on the Gaza Strip. Most urgently, we demand the lifting of all restrictions on humanitarian aid and its distribution. Based on humanitarian principles, the Council cannot stand by starvation is used as a weapon of war. The Arab Group categorically rejects Israel's proposed aid mechanism, which violates

basic humanitarian principles and international law. At the same time, we reiterate our long standing demand for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire and the immedia an unconditional release of all hostages and the release of detainees. The Council must shoulder its responsibility and take decisive action to this end, including by adopting the draft resolution on Gaza that is

currently being advanced by the E ten. As we look toward the upcoming Conference on the Two State Solution co chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, it is critical that member states take concrete actions to advance sustainable peace. Those countries that have recognized the State of Palestine and strongly encourage others to follow their example. Recognition is not just a symbolic gesture, It is a concrete step towards a just and lasting piece. The time for half measures has passed.

The Security Council must fulfill its responsibility to maintain international peace and security and to protect civilians. Palestinian lives are not less valuable than any other lives, and the Council must act accordingly. I now turn to Ambassador Margit Bamia of the State of Palestine.

the starving of children. So we need to know what we are talking about. There is international outrage, but our outrage is not good enough. It's not good enough for the people of Gaza to know that the world condemns this action, condemns these crimes, stands against them.

from continuing on this course. Our demands are clear, they are simple, they are aligned with international law and honestly, with the bare minimum of human decency.

Israeli forces from Gaza. And that should be the foundational rock on which we can build further and end to the assault against the Palestinian people throughout the occupied Palestine territory. What we've seen, these scenes of displacement and killing in the West Bank, the breach of the sacredness of our holy sites, all these attacks have to cease, and Israel needs to understand it is not true massacres that they

will achieve anything. We are confronted with an attempt to liquidate the Palestinian question by force, to end the Palestinian people and to end the Palestinian cause, and that attempt will.

Slip while providing all the safeguards that are required. There is no explanation to why we would need a different mechanism, except that we want to prevent people throughout the Gaza slip from the receiving the aid they desperately need. These are our asks and they are very clear. Is actually read and a whole tlmate to a halt and a calimtres the tech fee Lita nder the issue una and

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So we continue to do everything that we can to ensure that this catastrophic situation doesn't continue.

until now does not feel deterred. You would have seen it in their statements or in their actions had they been deterred. So what we need are the actions that would deter them, that would hold them accountable for the decisions they make, and that would make sure that if they continue on this course, they understand the consequences that they will have to face, and that will be the only way for them to finally stop what they are doing.

This is the life and future of the Palestinian people today and of our region tomorrow that is at play. So what we expect is we need to elevate our response since still now there is the international response has not.

So the draft resolution is being discussed as we currently speak. It is an ETN effort and you will see it once they complete the consultations they are doing and as we said, are Demand's eye formulated them very clearly, and they were mentioned by the chair of the other group regarding the ceasefire and ending the starvation policy that is at play, and we said also we will go further in the General Assembly.

stronger to prevent such policies from moving forward. What we are in front of an Israeli government that has an extremist ideology, and I'll add to that the political ambitions of its prime ministers, very opportunistic ones that are yielding what we are seeing in Gaza, a full fledged assault against the Palestian people, but also what we are seeing in the West Bank in terms of settlements forcible displacement, and the will of Israel of this is Raidly government is very clearly.

And I expect until now that given whether Israeli government is, it's not in agreement with any of the fundamental those of international law, all the fundamental premise.

willing even to come close to them. That doesn't mean the world needs to change and adapt to Israeli crimes and Israeli extremism ideology. It means the world needs to enact a change in Israel whereby such policies by such Israeli governments will come to an end.

provider of humanitarian assistance. We've been operating field hospitals, desalination plants, and you know, these efforts have never stopped and we will continue to work to scale up humanity and assistance in every way that we can and through every channel that we can.

major issue. It's a major global issue. And ensuring that Palestine, the people of Palestine, get to return back to their home is also a major thing. And ensuring that Israel just doesn't have the right to expand itself into the into those areas of Gaza that were destroyed and as they rebuilt and limit the territory that the Palestinian people themselves have had over time is probably not the right

way to go about things. All that will do is cause more tension and in lead to possibly more fighting. There has to be a better solution, a better way of getting at things so that both they it's rarely government and the Palestinian people feel that that they have gained some ground and and lost very little ground under the idea of peace. Okay, So moving forward, and since we're on the topic of which which is actually Palestinian rights,

are also Indigenous rights. Uh, since we're on the topic of Indigenous rights, and uh, we're going to hear from today from the a f N, the Federation of of of First Nations as the National Chiefs speaks about the throne speech that happened here in Canada and some of

the things that were said about reconciliation. But more importantly, there is out there which is called a Infrastructure Report, and an Infrastructure Report for First Nations talks about the shortfall of things that happen in First Nation territories on the reserves as they're called here in Canada, and how things like clean water, adequate housing, schools are not provided. But as it's going to be mentioned, in a first world country, why is there third world conditions held for

the First Nations people? Why are the indigenous people kept in poverty, kept away from from schools that have all of the all of the the basic tools that other

school other public schools are afforded. Why can't that be a standard and bring the First Nations and Indigenous schools to that standard, ensure first that they have met that those schools that meet that standard, make sure that Indigenous communities meet the standards of other neighborhoods across Canada, that there is adequate housing and housing that isn't that is more than just a falling down shack. I'm sorry. I don't mean to degrade the homes of people who were

on this land before fourteen ninety two. I don't mean to degrade them, but they in you. When you listen to what the AFN chief has to say, you'll she's going to use a similar language.

able to see. We're going to hear from Mark Kearney as he addresses the Federation of Municipalities and he talks about infrastructure. He talks about helping municipalities seriously, not just offering classes and talking big about giving help for infrastructure. He's talking about actually doing the work and helping municipalities build stronger and build better. Then that also should be

afforded to the First Nations people. Everything he talks about for the for municipalities, for everyone who is not First Nations should be afforded to them. And then and then some under the idea of reconciliation. Marcarnie's gonna be talking about a couple of key issues here. He's talking about affordable housing. And I still say this that we need to define what affordable actually means. What is that price tag and how does that convert to the average income

of the Canadian How does that actually work out? What is affordable because what's affordable in one area is not necessarily going to be affordable in other areas. A three hundred thousand dollars condo is not affordable to someone who lives out in the middle of Saskatchewan, and it's there's going to have to be some sliding scale kind of reality on that. How do we determine what is affordable

and what isn't affordable? How do we determine that that we need to build a multi unit homes and given and give away along with those multi unit homes give away what amounts to be kind of a government subsidy to build multi union homes over building a single family home. How does that actually work out? What about the single family home? What about the Canadian dream of having your own home just for your family? What about that? Is that dream now going to change because they're because of

this quote unquote housing crisis. Is that housing crisis truly trulli an issue or is it something that they have made up in order to give us smaller spaces to live in? Some interesting questions that maybe we should think about as we listen to what the AFN has to say, and as we listen to what Mark Karney has to say at as he speaks to the leadership of municipalities. Okay, there are some things that are unquestionably very much so true and very much so needed, And there are some

infrastructure items. They ensure clean water, they ensure power, that ensure internet service, they ensure ensure that we can live our modern lives securely. And Mark Karney is actually going to get to those sort of things without rhetoric, without anything more than let's just get the job done. And hats off to Mark Karney for saying, let's just get the job done. Forget the rhetoric, forget the all the

rest of it. Let's get the job done. And that is what Canada needs right now, is someone to actually stand up and say, let's get the job done. Hats off to the First Nations chiefs who want to get the job done, and let's untie their hands so that they can get the job done and get their people First Nations people on board with everything else. So that in the schools, instead of limiting education, that we open

education doors. So that we understand the cultures of everyone who lives on this land right now, not just the European cultures that came across the ocean, but also the cultures of the people who were deep rooted in this community before first contact. That we all find a way to celebrate all of our cultures, celebrate all of the people and support everyone so that we can all have

a prosperous country. So why don't we listen with that sort of understanding as we listen to the National Chief of the AFN as she speaks about First Nations issues and issues around getting our federal government to do just simply what they say they're going to do in helping people live better.

for attending. We are pleased to be here to release the af n's third report regarding Canada's First Nation's infrastructure gap. As you know, the Assembly of First Nations has released a series of reports over the past last year with the federal government and the Conference Board of Canada to highlight the First Nation's infrastructure gap as a nation building project. Our first report last April captured the scale of investments required to close the gap by twenty thirty. With the

Government of Canada. We concluded that was three hundred and fifty billion dollars. In our November twenty twenty four report, the Conference Board estimate estimated the economic benefits to Canada of closing the infrastructure gap over seven years at six hundred and thirty five billion dollars and three hundred and thirty thousand jobs across this beautiful country. And that's for

all Canadians, including First Nations. The third report, which we released today, concludes that massive economic benefits are the tipping of the iceberg when it comes to the socioeconomic benefits for First Nations, particularly related to housing, education, and water. Sadly, the First Nation's infrastructure gap has perpetuated and deep rooted inequality in our country. This disparity has led to poorer health outcomes, limited education, opportunities and much less prosperity compared

with other Canadians. So the benefit of addressing this discriminatory infrastructure gap cannot be overstated. Beyond moral obligations and economic returns, these investments will provide safe and healthy living conditions, improve education outcomes, strengthen mental health, stabilize families, and empower First Nations to be all that we can be, among other things. The Conference Board report highlights housing as a top priority.

Poor housing conditions post serious health risks to First Nations. According to the twenty twenty one Census, First Nations are four times more likely to live in crowded housing than other Canadians and six times more likely to live in a home that needs major repairs. Crowded and unsafe housing creates negative outcomes beyond poor physical health, family violence, substance abuse,

barriers to education, and the loss of our culture. So we welcome the Prime Minister Prime Minister Carne's commitment to get Canada back into the business of building houses. But to be successful, they must reflect First Nations perspectives from the start. That includes the new the new initiatives that were referred to yesterday in the speech from the throne, the Build Canada Homes initiative, the twenty five billion dollars for prefabricated homes, and the ten billion dollars of low

cost financing for home construction. First Nations need to be at the table as these are developed over the coming weeks, and the benefits related to job training and construction must flow to First Nations people and businesses. In addition to housing, education infrastructure is another key element of this report that we would like to see and that we would like to touch on briefly here today. The late Justice and former Senator Murray Sinclair often said education got us into

this mess, and education will get us out. So if we know this in a beautiful, rich country like Canada, Canada, why are half of our First Nation schools either overcrowded or in need of major additions or in need of immediate replacement. The Conference Board makes it clear that the benefits of investing thirteen billion dollars to close this education gap go beyond the twenty two billion dollars of financial return for the economy with safe, modern schools fully connected

to the Internet. As if we're having this talk in twenty twenty five, First Nations can leverage our own resources, create self sustaining economies and real hope for a more prosperous future. Thinking ahead of this upcoming parliamentary session, we will conclude by welcoming the conference boards focus on clean drinking water. As we did with Senator Prosper last week, we call on the new government to introduce a First Nation's Clean Water Act into the new session of Parliament

as the four first order of business. Inadequate access to housing and sanitation systems have been long standing issues. Prolonged advisories eroad trust and often lead to First Nations seeking unsafe alternatives even after boil water advisories are lifted. It is a shameful situation for a country as rich as our beautiful country Canada. Alongside clean water legislation, we call on Canada and the Province is to make the investments

required to close the First Nation's water infrastructure gap. In addition to a dollar seventy nine return on every dollar that's invested, Canada will benefit from increased productivity and reduce rates of illnesses and disease in First Nations communities. We lift up chiefs and tribal council leaders struggling with these unfair infrastructure gaps and for all that they are doing each and every day to help our people in these circumstances.

During the recent election, on behalf of chiefs across the country, the Assembly of First Nations published a priorities document titled Prosperity for All. Like the report we are releasing today, Prosperity for All was intended to be a roadmap to reconciliation for the next government. It includes a strong focus on economic reconciliation and closing the First Nation's infrastructure gap

to drive Canada's collective prosperity for generations to come. These investments were needed before Trump to two point zero, and they are even more important now. The truth is that over five hundred and sixty billion dollars of projects are forecast to be launched on First Nations lands over the next decade. The potential benefit is in the trillions of dollars. Together, they represent a cornerstone of Canada's future economic growth, but

they won't advance without First Nations support. If the government's version for First Nation's infrastructure is focused exclusively on building access to natural resources on First Nations territories, they have another thing coming. We can't talk about natural resource development and expanding the Port of Churchill, but let's get the basics right first. We can talk about it, but we have to get those basics. So let's start with clean water,

quality housing and modern schools for our kids. We welcome the new government's interest in identifying large scale infrastructure projects to move ahead. But that is why, with the new parliament and economic followed from the US tariffs, we propose that the Prime Minister and his cabinet start with closing

the first nation's infrastructure gap in this country. With the commitments and yesterday's speech from the Throne related to reconciliation and nation building, the sixteen findings in this report are very, very timely. Combined, they provide a blueprint for the mother of all Canadian infrastructure projects looking ahead to the next federal budget. We will send copies of this report to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, other new ministers

and members of Parliament from all parties. We look forward to engaging with them in the days ahead to keep this country's journey to reconciliation moving forward in a good way. Later this year, we will commemorate the tenth anniversary of the historic Truth and Reconciliation Commissions calls to action. Yesterday the King said, we need it to honor the Truth and reconciliation in both words. Indeed, what better way for Canada to reafform support for reconciliation than making the First

Nation's infrastructure gap the country's top national infrastructure priority. So let's honor the calls to action, Let's beat Trump and get on with building this beautiful nation. Let's get on with building the high quality homes that First Nations need, schools, water system, power supplies, all seasoned roads and internet connections for our kids that have been promised to First Nations for generation. So thank you so very much, Maywich. Hi Karen.

withholding consent doesn't stop development, what's the point. So I'm wondering if you know there's been any indication from the Prime Minister that will be done on defining free prior to conform informed consent as was promised when they passed the even drip bill.

But certainly, absolutely there's a there's a big question on that that we do have to get through with this government and if they want to do things right, like I said, start with the basics. Make sure that our kids have access to internet, two schools, to homes, to access to food, and poverty shouldn't be administered. And so I know that we have a lot of work to do, but I look forward to meeting with the Prime Minister, and that will be one of the first orders of business.

make sure that the regions. We've got regional chiefs across this country that we always seem to have problems with every year that they don't put enough investments into our regional offices. And you know, I'd like to see the federal government help our regional chiefs across the country to make sure that they're well, you know that they're they're doing okay and right now you know the AFN is holding them up. But of course we do need support for our regional chiefs and our regional offices.

I know sometimes during transition periods things have been chaotic, and they have been I mean, I went to the you know, I've done a few things with them during right before the election that was really difficult without a government there. So I'm glad that they're there, and I hope that they come together quickly and there's always room for improvement, and we'll be there to tell them and remind them when they're shorting First nations in any way.

Is there a change. I'm sure there's obviously going to be a change, I think from one government to the next. But I think, you know, I want to I've spent some time with Prime Minister Carney last weekend all weekend on on weekend, and you know, we had deep discussions on many of these issues, and we do want to make sure that water legislation is that those discussions on water that we begin to work on those very quickly.

I also want to make sure you know if there's something as a mother and a woman every time that we have babies, and no other group in the world is legislated the way First Nations are. We're the only group around the entire world that is legislated. And every time I have a baby that the government wants to know if my child's eligible to be First Nation, and I think that that's something that we have. There are

uncomfortable con versations that need to be had. But the second generation, the government keeps losing in court because they keep discriminating against us. We have a baby and they ask who's the father? Very intrusive, Right is your baby first Nation? Very intrusive? And I think that's another discussion that I want to have as a mom and a because you're seeing it right. They come at First Nation so hard, and I think that we have to have

that uncomfortable conversation with Prime Minister Carney. Of course, there's always there's policing, and you're right, the unfinished business of child welfare, so lots of work to.

It's happening again next week. They always leave out First Nations people, They always leave out Indigenous people and Indigenous voices, and so, like I said, if they you know, we want to move forward to in this country. First Nations want to move forward. But you can't do that without having those voices at the table and thinking we know what's best. That hasn't worked for one hundred and fifty years, it's not going to work for the next one hundred

and fifty years. So let's let's get down to business. Let's asked this country, are you really ready and are you really ready to make space at your table to make sure that the rights holders are at that table.

they are grounded in their communities. And if you're grounded in your community, the issues that you are facing, the issues that you tackle every day, are front and center. And so it should be front and center in all of our minds, from the newly minted MPs to the Prime Minister to the senators. What can we do to build stronger cities, stronger communities, safer communities.

are threatening our sovereignty. The global trading system, which has helped power Canada's prosperity for decades, is undergoing the biggest transformation since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and closer to home, our long standing weak productivity is beginning to strain government finances. It's certainly making life less affordable for Canadian families, and it's threatening to undermine the vital social programs,

including childcare, on which Canadians rely. It's very important, it's all They're welcome here at the FAAM is good.

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new homes across the countries. So because we listen, we will reinforce the Housing Accelerator Fund, and we're taking these measures and more at scale, at scale, because we recognize that business as usual just won't work. That young Canadians can't wait any longer to have the same opportunities to own a home that previous generations such as mine enjoyed. Now, those opportunities for young Canadians must include great careers in the strongest economy in the.