Human Resources Committee on March 7th, 2017

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

Can both of you comment also on how important you feel it is to have governments aligned? Obviously, one thing happens federally and we come forth to a province or a territory with monies, but then maybe we lose control. Can you talk about how important alignment of governments is, from federal to provincial to—

[Dr. Françoise Bouchard]

The second aspect, I would say, is exactly that. There needs to be a series of measures that develop the community's capacity to facilitate a transition towards a model of full jurisdiction by Inuit over all housing issues.

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

Okay. You say “a series of measures”.

[Dr. Françoise Bouchard]

Yes.

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

Can you elaborate on that?

[Dr. Françoise Bouchard]

In support of this, I am not the expert, but I would refer to this brief. Because I was not—

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

You can submit that.

[Dr. Françoise Bouchard]

We will deposit this brief, Mr. Chair.

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

Marie-Christine, could you also comment on the importance of the alignment of governments?

[Marie-Christine Vanier]

Housing in Nunavik is funded by both governments. We receive short-term funding. What may be beneficial and could help us reduce costs would be to have a long-term agreement with both levels of government. We receive money to build homes. We also receive some funding to manage the housing, and that is quite expensive.

We need the two governments to work together to be able to plan over the long term. A long-term agreement would enable us to reduce costs related to renovations, construction and purchase of materials. The idea is to plan all that several years in advance.

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Thank you very much.

Madam Boutin-Sweet, for six minutes.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good morning, ladies. Thank you for being here.

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Nunavik with my colleague Romeo Saganash. We visited five Inuit villages and a Cree village, so I saw the situation with my own eyes. It really affected me.

I remember two homes we visited in Whapmagoostui where the bathroom was black with mould. The home must have been shared by 14 people. As you said earlier, it is difficult for children to study in such an environment; there is no space. I understand how this may lead to mental health issues and violence. Housing is at the root of many things.

In Salluit, we talked to a woman who was the only wage earner in her household. Nine people lived in her home, and her weekly grocery bill was $1,000. You don't become wealthy like that.

You really emphasized the lack of housing. You said that population growth is forcing you to catch up in that area. Homes are being built, but you are unable to catch up because the population is growing. You also said that young people have more difficulty obtaining housing.

How long does an individual whose name is on a waiting list have to wait before they get a home?

That is my first question.

[Marie-Christine Vanier]

Certain criteria have to be met. The criteria grid is based on the one used in the south. The points are added up. If you have children, you get points. If your family situation is difficult, you get points. If you have a doctor's note saying that you may be depressed, you get points. The system is obviously designed to help the less fortunate families. The major criticism....

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

What is the average wait time for housing?

[Marie-Christine Vanier]

It varies from three to eight years.

[Linda Roy Makiuk]

It could take five to seven years to get a house for a person who has no social problems, no kids, and is a college graduate or student. It will be hard.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

Let's take for example a father and a mother with two children aged two and three. How old will those children be when that family gets a home of its own?

[Linda Roy Makiuk]

It all depends on the points. We all follow the applications of the points, because we're overcrowded with applications, too. Every year, they have to renew their applications, and each application will probably get more or fewer points biyearly, so it always depends on the scale of the points.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

So it can take at least three years.

[Marie-Christine Vanier]

Yes. There are some luckier cases where people obtain housing after a year, but those are not the majority.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

That is unfortunately what I saw. The waiting lists are long.

You also talked about long-term planning, and I will come back to that, but I want to pursue this topic right now.

How can the federal government help with those waiting lists? You said that you cannot catch up. What do you expect from the federal government to resolve the housing crisis in Nunavik?

[Marie-Christine Vanier]

Additional homes would definitely go a long way to helping improve things, as housing is lacking in all communities. Some communities are more overcrowded than others. Adding new homes would certainly help reduce overcrowding in other homes.

As for renovations, they are the responsibility of the province. Renovations are also important, as some of the homes are in deplorable condition.

[Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP, Hochelaga, QC]

I was actually told that there is a preference toward building housing rather than renovating existing homes. Keeping the money for building more homes is preferred, and there is not enough money to renovate other homes.

I was also told that smaller villages are having trouble because fewer homes are built there. People have to wait even longer for housing. Is that something you have noted?

[Marie-Christine Vanier]

I am not sure, but I could get back to you on that.