Evidence of meeting #38 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was funding.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My question is to the indigenous affairs office.
Someone made a comment earlier on about the pushback, the lack of reporting, or a desire not to report. I guess the question is, how do the funds from your office flow and get accounted for on first nation reserves? Who administers them? Just from recent conversations with individuals from the reserve in my riding, there is some concern about how those things are administered. They're concerned that their housing needs aren't being met, not because there are no funds available, but because the band themselves, the council, are not looking after them. Help me understand how that flows and how the accountability happens.
Director General, Regional Infrastructure Delivery, Regional Operations, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Thank you for the question. It's a very good one.
With budget 2016, as I mentioned, we got $416 million, and basically the profile for the first year was to issue $208 million. In addition to that at the department, we decided collectively to spend more money on housing because, as you will all agree, the needs are way higher than the allocation that we have collectively.
The projects were proposal-based, so we made three calls for proposals. We had three streams in the calls for proposals. The first one was the obvious one, the immediate needs. What are the immediate needs? The second one was capacity development, which is connected to some of the questions and comments today that it's not only building but that we also need to help first nation members improve their capacity to not only build the houses but maintain them. The other one was the innovation fund.
We did three calls for proposals, and why three? Well, we had to consider the construction season. It's because we were approached by some first nation leaders who said we were going too fast. Some of them weren't necessarily prepared, since it was a good surprise to get the money and the budget. Because of that, we worked with the first nations and basically we said we would have three calls for proposals. When we received the proposals, of course, we worked with our colleagues in the region, and you can imagine that we had a lot of proposals. I referred to the number of projects. As we speak now, 965 projects have been approved, but that translates to basically more than 3,000 units to be either renovated or newly constructed.
Conservative
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
My question, though, sir, is who administers the funds? If a project on my reserve is approved, who gets the money, and how is it paid out?
Director General, Regional Infrastructure Delivery, Regional Operations, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Exactly. My first point was that we had to add a process, basically, to get their proposals.
We receive the proposal. We work with our colleague in the region. We work with the first nation to approve the project. When the project is approved—to answer your question—the money from headquarters is transferred to the region and is transferred to the recipient.
To receive the money, the band council—
Conservative
Director General, Regional Infrastructure Delivery, Regional Operations, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Yes, the band council receives the money. The chief and the council receive the money, and after that, basically, they can go ahead with the project.
Conservative
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
They can start the project. What accountabilities exist to make sure that it gets done in the manner in which it was designed?
Acting Director General, Community Infrastructure, Regional Operations, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
That's where there is the scope of work with milestones and timelines. There are disbursements done based on the milestones.
Acting Director General, Community Infrastructure, Regional Operations, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
They don't get the total amount right off the get-go. They get a certain amount to do the soft costs. When we speak of soft costs, we mean pre-feasibility, feasibility, design. Then they'll go to tender. Once all these elements are verified, the disbursements are done.
Conservative
Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB
They have to meet certain requirements to get the money?
Acting Director General, Community Infrastructure, Regional Operations, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Absolutely. Then, after that, it's tendered and built.
Conservative
Liberal
NDP
Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet NDP Hochelaga, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Groups working in housing have sent me some questions to ask you. There are some that I haven't had the opportunity to ask. I will ask two.
Can you confirm that the forthcoming national housing strategy will contain investments to maintain and increase the supply of social housing in Canada?
That's the first one. I'm asking them one after the other, but I expect you to answer both.
Can you commit that the bulk of the forthcoming housing investment will be directed at low-income, vulnerable populations?
Senior Vice-President, Policy, Research and Public Affairs, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Thank you for the question.
As mentioned in my opening remarks and a couple of other times, what we've heard from Canadians is that we should focus the attention and the national housing strategy on the folks most in need, so definitely the strategy will likely be able to meet that requirement and target more low-income individuals and other vulnerable populations.
Your first question was...sorry?
NDP
Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet NDP Hochelaga, QC
Can you confirm that the investments will maintain and increase the supply of social housing?
Senior Vice-President, Policy, Research and Public Affairs, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
I can't comment on that at this point. I can't confirm that, yes or no.
Senior Vice-President, Policy, Research and Public Affairs, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Because we're still developing the national housing strategy. Obviously, the strategy will ensure that Canadians have a place to call home and have an affordable place. That's the vision. If the question is on whether we re going to extend the operating agreements or not, I can't comment on that at this time.
NDP
Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet NDP Hochelaga, QC
No, that wasn't the question.
First, we are losing social housing now because contracts are expiring and the housing units will be rented out to those who can afford not to use the rent supplement. We must not lose what we have right now.
Second, the waiting lists are long. So new social housing units must be built, such as the low-income housing in Quebec.
Senior Vice-President, Policy, Research and Public Affairs, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
What I can say is that definitely, the national housing strategy is going to be such that the outcomes for Canadians are improved and not worsened, hopefully. I hope that kind of answers your question.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Thank you very much.
I don't often do this, but I think this is an important question, so if you will indulge me for a moment, because I know we have about five minutes left....
Both Vancouver and Toronto have taken steps to waive all the development fees. In any of the research that you've seen, has this had an impact on making housing more affordable? I mean affordable housing, not necessarily social housing. There's a distinction there between those two that we haven't really discussed today. I think we tend to use those terms interchangeably. I think the term “affordable housing” needs to be addressed a little bit. However, in both of those cases, Toronto and Vancouver, has there been an impact that you've seen?