Debates of May 15th, 2023

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation—Main Estimates, 2023-24

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Madam Chair, I would encourage the hon. member to learn more about the national housing strategy because he is isolating one program among many and then extrapolating that and saying those are the only investments we made in the Niagara region. That is inaccurate. I am happy to provide details to him on all the different programs in the national housing strategy.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Madam Chair, again, according to Niagara Regional Housing, the answer is 4,500 households as of July 2022.

Does the minister know how many households and Niagara residents are on the Niagara region's affordable housing wait-list?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Madam Chair, what I know is that, through the rapid housing initiative, we have invested $900 million in Ontario, resulting in 2,800 deeply affordable permanent housing units, and that is just one program among many.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, in 2021-22, the CMHC provided $29 million to Nunavut under the national housing strategy. This is half of what the investments were in previous years. Why is that?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Madam Chair, we do recognize that many northern communities face unique housing challenges. That is why, since 2015, we have invested close to $1.1 billion to help over 18,000 families in the north.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, I would like to also say that I will be splitting my time with the member for Kitchener Centre.

According to Inuit-Crown partnership, $845 million was provided in housing for distinctions-based funding in previous years. How much of that was for Nunavut?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Madam Chair, I am happy to provide detailed numbers on federal funding in Nunavut since 2015. The affordable housing innovation fund got $3.2 million. The national housing co-investment fund got $17 million. The rapid housing initiative got almost $5 million.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, the minister did not answer my question, but I will move on.

Forty per cent of Inuit live in overcrowded housing. When will the government uphold the housing rights of Inuit in Nunavut?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Madam Chair, I do agree with the hon. member that we have to prioritize funding for housing in the north, and I am happy to provide more details in subsequent questions.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, the minister still has not answered my question, so I will ask again. When will the housing rights of Inuit be protected?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Madam Chair, we are protecting housing rights for Inuit in partnership with the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, as well as investments in Nunavut.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, as I said, 40% of Inuit are living in overcrowded housing, but I will move on.

There have been reports that 90 evacuations of first nations communities have occurred. There are many first nations communities that have been evacuated for over four years. When will the housing rights of these first nations communities be upheld?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Madam Chair, we know that there are long-standing housing gaps in indigenous communities. We will continue to work with first nations, Inuit and Métis nation partners to co-develop and implement community-led housing strategies. Out of a number of different investments, I will just point to a few: $400 million over 10 years for Inuit-led housing and the new $4-billion commitment for the urban, rural and northern indigenous housing.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, it has long been known that communities such as Kashechewan, which will most likely have to be evacuated again, have been evacuated for longer than four years.

When will their housing rights be upheld?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Madam Chair, we are committed to making sure we address the needs of indigenous peoples through a co-developed indigenous, distinctions-based housing strategy. We have provided significant investments over—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, commitment is not reconciliation. Commitment is not action. When will the government act to uphold the rights of indigenous peoples' housing needs?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Madam Chair, we do uphold those rights, as evidenced by our co-development approach for the urban, rural and northern indigenous housing strategy.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, the urban, rural and northern housing strategy the minister mentioned will not happen until next fiscal year. How much of these funds will go toward Nunavut, Yukon and the NWT?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Madam Chair, that is not quite accurate. In fact, the $4-billion allocation builds on the existing money of $300 million, which is going to urgent needs while we build on the larger strategy.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, urban, rural and northern housing funding will go toward urban, rural and northern communities that are not in the territories. How much of the urban, rural and northern housing strategy will be outside of this funding and will go toward the NWT, the Yukon and Nunavut?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Madam Chair, the total amount outside of the funds that the hon. member mentioned is $400 million as part of the northern housing strategy.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, when will these funds be available to the territories?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Madam Chair, they have been available. It is a long-term commitment that flows through different streams. One is through the bilateral agreements. Another one is through the northern—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member.