Finance Committee on June 11th, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

Thank you very much, Mr. Longboat.

We'll begin this round of questioning with Mr. Morin from the Conservative Party.

You have six minutes.

[Billy Morin, Conservative, Edmonton Northwest, AB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you to our guests.

It really hits home for me when you talk about distinctions-based funding. You kind of answered my questions on the principles of what you're seeking. Indigenous people are first nations, Métis and Inuit. Getting a look under the hood of government and reading the departmental plans and all the things that they do was something I never got to do as a chief, but now I have to as a member of Parliament and the shadow minister for ISC.

I was surprised to learn that there are 8,000 employees and 22,000 administered programs across 600-plus first nations, Inuit and Métis communities. That is purely a broken system that is inefficient. I hear the communities when they say they want distinctions-based funding, because what I have seen in my first year here is that it's a churning of mishmash and non-statute-based funding, and we're talking about the rights, when it comes to section 35, of these communities.

President Obed, you said you struggled for 10 years when it came to distinctions-based funding. Is that correct? Is that how long you've been in negotiations with the current government?

[Natan Obed]

We've made gains through the Inuit-Crown partnership committee, through the adoption of the Inuit Nunangat policy and through distinctions-based sections within federal budgets, but those gains have not lasted. We've spent all this time, all this energy and all this money to be more efficient and to get to the outcomes that we're looking for. Unfortunately, over the past three to five years, we have lost some of the gains that we have made, and now we're back in a space where we are asking for the same thing that we thought we fixed in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

[Billy Morin, Conservative, Edmonton Northwest, AB]

I find that the government is really good at making announcements and putting numbers on the board. Are you aware that even in their own departmental plan for ISC, one of their KPIs noted that the percentage of Inuit adults living within the Inuit homeland who reported being in excellent or very good health was 36.9% in 2023? For 2024, it was also 36.9%, and for 2025, it was 41.6%. When you go to the caveat there, these results are from 2012 to 2017.

Does it say that the government is serious when it comes to doing distinctions-based funding when they're using results from over 10 years ago?

[Natan Obed]

We are challenged every day by having the same type of conversation. The StatsCan indigenous people survey is being replaced gradually by the Qanuippitaa? national Inuit health survey. We want the best possible policy framework from the statistical information available. Unfortunately, we don't have that at this moment, but it is coming.

[Billy Morin, Conservative, Edmonton Northwest, AB]

I share your desire for distinctions-based funding, because I think there is a mishmash of non-statute-based funding. In a $25-billion budget, $130 million is statute-based funding for rights, and that has nothing to do with rights holders. That has to do with employee salaries. If we're going to honour section 35, which includes all indigenous people, we have to go to statute-based distinctions funding. Thank you for emphasizing that.

This question is for my friends at the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres. You mentioned program funding. You said your core funding was sustainable and was okay, but your program funding and your distinctions-based funding were going down. Is that correct?

[Sean Longboat]

Yes, the core funding has been stabilized through the urban programming for indigenous peoples program, but that program in particular funds the operations of centres. It keeps the doors open, the lights on and an executive director employed, but there are many gaps related to programs and services today. Many of those programs are at risk of not being in a position to continue, so we're asking the federal government to address those gaps and continue to invest in what's working.

[Billy Morin, Conservative, Edmonton Northwest, AB]

There's a saying that's kind of a cliché or a cheeky meme in modern times: “Off-reserve lives matter.” People from the rez or from indigenous communities like saying that, and you provide a specific service, because as with Jordan's principle...that's what led to the court case where the province said it wasn't their jurisdiction and the federal government said it wasn't their jurisdiction.

Talk about how your centres fill that gap, not just for the Jordan's principle scope but for all other scopes, and how important it is that your program funding be sustained as well as possible.

[Sean Longboat]

It's so important. You mentioned Jordan River, and in that case, there was a jurisdictional dispute where the young person was not serviced because jurisdictions couldn't agree on who was to serve the individual.

Friendship centres are very much community-focused and human-focused in their service delivery, and oftentimes when individuals come into cities, friendship centres are their first point of contact. We offer a range of programs and services across mental health and addiction supports, housing and employment, and many others, for the vast majority of indigenous people who are living in cities and towns today.

[Billy Morin, Conservative, Edmonton Northwest, AB]

I want to commend you on the “I am a kind man” program and its work to end violence against women. We just heard the Minister of ISC say that the goal of the department is to lower intimate partner violence from 16.9% across indigenous communities to 16%. We pushed back and said the goal should actually be zero. I commend you for putting in programs and getting results, as opposed to just throwing out KPI numbers that come from we don't know where on such things.

My final question is for the Métis National Council.

You talked about distinctions-based funding, but can you reiterate what you were saying about economic development and housing and about how Métis-distinct housing is working, as opposed to it being thrown in with other programs in the ISC ministry in particular?

[Victoria Pruden]

Thank you so much. I'm so glad that you brought this up.

For us, [Technical difficulty—Editor] pan-indigenous housing application-based rollouts simply do not work. Métis governments know how to respond to communities with housing funding in particular. I'll use as an example the sub-accord on Métis housing, which allowed section 35 rights-holding Métis governments to receive and administer housing programming and housing development on our own terms tailored to a holistic approach. It is absolutely the best outcome.

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

I apologize, President Pruden, but I'll have to end it there. That concludes the time for this round.

Thank you, Mr. Morin.

We're going to continue now with Dr. Martin for six minutes.

[Danielle Martin, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Thank you all so much for being here. It's an honour to have such distinguished guests at the committee this morning.

I wanted to begin by asking some questions of President Obed. Thank you for the work of ITK and the inspirational leadership that you provide.

I note that your budget submission from last year, like your budget submission from this year, as I understand, has a focus on, among other things, the elimination of tuberculosis. I think many Canadians still don't know that we have tuberculosis on these lands and specifically the extent to which it is a serious health threat in Inuit communities and in some of our more urban communities. Regarding the conditions under which tuberculosis spreads, it's not just about the infectious agent. It's about the housing and surrounding social environments that allow this lethal disease to spread in communities.

Could you describe for us the conditions that have made tuberculosis so difficult to eliminate among our Inuit neighbours and friends? Also, could you talk to us a bit about how you are able to price a solution so precisely? That speaks to me of a plan that underpins those numbers. Could you tell us what it's going to take to reach the goal of eliminating tuberculosis by 2030?

[Natan Obed]

We have four jurisdictions across Inuit Nunangat. Each has its own TB elimination plan. We do not have a blanket rate of TB across Inuit Nunangat. We have outbreaks currently in Nunavik and Nunavut that in the last couple of years have been really driving the rate of TB, which now is about 600 times.... In 2018, when we started our TB elimination work, it was only about 300 times.... Unfortunately, COVID interrupted the public health work, the identification of active TB in communities and the treatment.

We understand that TB is a social disease in many cases and that we can eliminate TB through specific targeted actions, such as improving housing, because our housing overcrowding rate is 51%; eliminating poverty, because we have a 41% poverty rate; reducing food insecurity, because we have a 70% food insecurity rate; increasing public health outreach, because we do not have a complete health system across Inuit Nunangat; and increasing primary care—the care and treatment of it.

We have a research component to understand how TB affects our communities specifically. Genomics will help us understand how to treat TB. There was a $125-million allocation in the spring update for basic capacity for TB work over the next five years. What these additional funds will do is unlock the public health upstream work to further identify TB, to treat active TB and to focus on the specific health components and Inuit societal components of TB elimination.

We still need housing. We still need health care facilities. We still need doctors. Those are parts of the larger whole. We are trying to do our part.

[Danielle Martin, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

That's helpful. Thank you.

I would like to move to our friends from the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres.

I have a wonderful friendship centre in my community, the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, that does a wide range of inspiring work, so I was really glad to see the announcement of stable and sustained funding that allows it and other friendship centres to plan for the future and properly compensate their staff. I agree with you that it was a really important announcement and commitment by this government.

There's, of course, always more work to be done. You speak in your submission about the importance of indigenous-led mental health and addiction services, particularly in urban communities. While these are resilient communities that have a lot of strengths, I know there are some very significant challenges around mental health and addiction in my own city, in Toronto.

What has been your experience of what works across the many friendship centres that you represent? Given that we live in an interjurisdictional world—that is the case for everyone at this table, for indigenous and non-indigenous people, particularly when it comes to health care services, many of which reside in provincial jurisdiction—what have you seen that works regarding partnerships between federal and provincial governments? What has been your experience with Ontario government policy vis-à-vis addiction services and mental health services? How has that affected indigenous people?

[Sean Longboat]

What works is simple: indigenous-led approaches to mental health and addiction services. Friendship centres are working.

In terms of Ontario policy, we've been a long-standing partner of the Ontario government in shaping public policy to improve outcomes for indigenous people. However, there's a lot of work to do in terms of funding and supportive policy.

We know that friendship centres, through their range of services, improve outcomes for the people who access services. Over the last two years, 332 individuals have improved life skills through community-based programs. Five hundred seventy-one individuals talked about improved family relationships, and 300 had a stronger cultural connection. Those who maintain stronger cultural connections—they understand who they are, where they come from and what their responsibilities are as indigenous people—show improved health outcomes, broadly speaking.

[Danielle Martin, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

You have about 15 seconds left.

[Danielle Martin, Liberal, University—Rosedale, ON]

I'll cede my 15 seconds. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Karina Gould]

Thank you very much, Dr. Martin.

Mr. Garon, you have the floor.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you again to all the guests and witnesses for being here today and for submitting briefs.

I'll start with you, Mr. Longboat. In Quebec, we have had great success with the Native Friendship Centre. The case we're familiar with is the one in Val‑d'Or. The work of Édith Cloutier and her team has made this a pillar of reconciliation, as well as a flagship institution among the associations that provide services to first nations. This is work that the general public often knows little about, and I'd like to give you the opportunity to make it known and tell us about it. I'd also like to know whether you think the current federal funding really makes it possible to meet the growing needs in urban areas, particularly in Quebec.

[Sean Longboat]

I would concur with your assessment that a lot of community members across the province ask all the time what a friendship centre is. I have to explain to them the history of the friendship centre movement. It goes back many decades, back to the late 1950s, in fact. We have a long history within this country. I believe friendship centres are an institution in this country.

In terms of the opportunity to grow, we have raised with the federal government that there needs to be a distinct set-aside for new and developing friendship centres. The funding we receive today allows us to maintain the 31 friendship centres we have in Ontario, but it doesn't allow growth.

We receive queries from time to time from community members who are interested in developing a friendship centre in their cities and towns. Unfortunately, as it stands, we're not in a position today to grow the movement.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Longboat. I don't necessarily have the statistics in front of me, but there have been new trends in urban areas for the past 10 to 15 years. According to the statistics, the indigenous population is growing in urban areas. However, most of the time, indigenous people are living in conditions that are not, to put it politely, ideal. For example, there's an increase in homelessness among indigenous people.

I would like you to tell us about these problems and the role that your centres or other stakeholders can play. Among other things, what are the causes of homelessness among first nations? Is it the lack of health services in communities or on reserves that leads people to move to urban areas, where they get less support? Can you explain to me how the problems faced by first nations people in urban areas have evolved and what the causes are? What role can you play to ensure that, in many cases, there's less human suffering among first nations?

[Sean Longboat]

There's a lot of work to do. You're right in your assessment regarding homelessness that indigenous people are disproportionately represented among those experiencing homelessness. We're seeing many issues around addictions and mental health, but there are also successes that we're seeing, such as improved educational attainment and increased levels of employment among people. It's not all dire in the situation today; however, your point is well taken, and friendship centres exist to address the very issues you're raising.

There's a lot of work to do. The population is growing, as you mentioned. In Ontario, 88% of indigenous people live in cities and towns. Many of those communities are underserved, and programs like friendship centres can lead to better outcomes for indigenous people, for families, for elders, for seniors, for children and for babies.

Friendship centres offer wraparound supports to people at all stages of the life cycle. By investing in friendship centres, we can get in front of some of these challenges before they reach a crisis. That's why many of our priorities are prevention-based, making sure that we're taking care of the problem before it becomes a crisis.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

I'd like to let this go on, but time is a scarce commodity here.

I would now like to continue with you, President Obed. You recently took a public stance in favour of abolishing the nutrition north Canada program. I'm interested in the issue, and I would like you to explain to me why that program isn't working.