T’oyaxsut nüün, Brad. Thank you.
You know, for us it really comes down to the old cliché of nothing about us without us. To be clear, from my perspective and from that of the many organizations I work with...not just AHMA but the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association and their indigenous caucus. I have also sat with Leilani Farha as the previous UN special rapporteur on housing and her ad hoc coalition and the OFIFC. We've all had conversations about what that really looks like and what that means. It really means that we have an opportunity as urban indigenous people to sit at the design table and to actually speak with government as an equal partner in the creation of what that looks like.
Housing, as Henry spoke to, is more than just bricks and mortar. It's about giving a sense of home. It's about giving a sense of belonging. For the dispossessed and disenfranchised people who have been living in urban areas for a long, long time, that looks different from just your standard bricks and mortar.