Senator Mary Jane McCallum

Hon. Mary Jane McCallum, pursuant to notice of December 13, 2022, moved: That the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples be authorized to examine and report on the misrepresentation of Indigenous ancestry, inadequate self-identification standards and the profound effects that such identity fraud has on further marginalizing Indigenous people, in particular Indigenous women; and That the committee submit its final report no later than December 31, 2023. Honourable senators, I rise tod…

Honourable senators, I am compelled to rise again today to speak to Bill C-32, with specific reference to Division 3 of Part 4, that being the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management Act. My focus today will be on how the pre-study process commits an injustice to First Nations. I have witnessed that with pre-studies we, as senators, cannot and do not attend to our matters as thoroughly as we should, and, therefore, are unable to apply proper sober second thought. Yet, as stated by o…

Honourable senators, I am going to quote a submission of Grand Chief Garrison Settee, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, Inc., or MKO, to the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance on Bill C-32, with specific reference to Part 4 of Division 3, framework agreement on first nation land management act: The efforts by the MKO First Nations to make and enforce laws and By-Laws to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic uncovered and starkly illuminated that the previous two attempts by Parliament to c…

Honourable senators, I rise today to speak in support of Motion No. 81. I would like to thank Senator Verner for having the courage to speak truth to incidents of sexual violence in the Senate workplace. This is not a race issue. This is not a religious issue. This is an issue of violence against employees, and specifically against women, in the Senate. I would like to acknowledge the survivors for persevering for over 10 years, living trauma-inflicted lives because of inadequacies within our w…

Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to Bill C-31, An Act respecting cost of living relief measures related to dental care and rental housing. I would like to thank Senator Yussuff, Senator Seidman, Senator Omidvar and Senator Simons for their previous speeches, which have increased our awareness and knowledge about dental care in Canada. As many of you will know, I have been invested in the provision of dental care for 48 years of my life. Dental care is near and dear to my heart, and t…

Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to Senator McPhedran’s Inquiry No. 6, which calls the attention of the Senate to various instruments and concepts to be explored as options for increasing accountability, transparency and fairness in the context of the Senate’s unique self-governance. This is an important and timely discussion, and I would like to thank Senator McPhedran for bringing this forward. In my remarks, the matter that I will be focusing upon is parliamentary privilege. I will…

Honourable senators, I rise today to speak in support of Senator Patterson’s Bill S-228, An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (property qualifications of Senators). I note that Senator Patterson has a sister motion before the Senate as well, Motion No. 19, which deals with the same subject matter, and I will be ardently supporting both initiatives. I would first like to commend Senator Patterson for reintroducing this legislation. I note this is our colleague’s third time bringing such a…

Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to Bill C-28, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (self‑induced extreme intoxication). As is true with many in this chamber and many in the general public, I, as a First Nations woman, have substantial concern and misgivings about the haste with which we are dealing with this legislation. I do not know if there are those in this chamber who can honestly say that the Senate has done due diligence on Bill C-28. I, for one, cannot make that assertion. It i…

Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to third reading of Bill S-5, the strengthening environmental protection for a healthier Canada act. I want to acknowledge my brothers and sisters of the Tataskweyak Cree Nation. This is for you; this is your voice. Thank you to James and Anna for all their work, spirit and energy in working alongside me. I would like to begin by registering my concern on the continuous assault of the water and lands surrounding vulnerable populations and vulnerable e…

Honourable senators, I rise today to speak at third reading of Bill S-7, An Act to amend the Customs Act and the Preclearance Act, 2016, so as to register the serious misgivings that I have about this bill. I would first applaud the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence for their work on this legislation. Specifically, I would like to acknowledge their amendment to remove the arbitrary and vague threshold of “reasonable general concern” to the current iteration “reasonable…