The Liberals and NDP are each accusing the other of killing Bill C-61 – the First Nations Clean Water Act.
With the Liberal government’s decision to prorogue the House of Commons last week, all legislation still on the order paper died including Bill C-61.
But in an interview with APTN’s Nation to Nation, Indigenous Services Canada Minister Patty Hajdu said the legislation could have been passed long before Parliament convened in December.
“You know the NDP talked a good game about working to get this bill through and yet put up a number of road blocks,” she said. “Even after the AFN (Assembly of First Nations) and other partners appealed with them to speed up the process.”
However, Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout said the Liberals are simply not being honest when it comes to the legislation.
“It was the NDP that was ensuring First Nations voices were being heard (in committee) by giving them as much time as we could to share their testimony as well as tabling amendments that they had submitted,” she said. “I submitted about 80 amendments from First Nations and that to me is not slow walking.”
Idlout said she asked ISC officials to provide information on how many First Nations had been consulted prior to Bill C-61 being drafted and what she received back was only 30 per cent had.
She also said the NDP was willing to be flexible on the legislation and when the AFN asked the party to withdraw amendments the organization itself had put forward, the party did so.
Hajdu said there is a remote chance the legislation could be revived and called on the NDP to reconsider its pledge to vote non-confidence in the government once Parliament resumes at the end of March.
“My hope is that when the Liberal leader is appointed and we come back, that the NDP will realize that bringing down the House of Commons is going to deeply hurt First Nations and maybe there will be a path forward to bring that bill back,” she said. “I know our government would certainly support that.”
But Idlout said the Liberals have passed the point of no return and there is next to no chance of that happening.
“I think they just became so desperate to cover up their failures and they don’t deserve another chance.”
In order for Bill C-61 to be resurrected, opposition parties would have to agree to a motion to resume debate on the legislation where it had been off prior to prorogation.
