Evidence of meeting #6 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was board.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
4:40 p.m.
Liberal
Todd Russell Liberal Labrador, NL
Fifteen? Oh, my gracious.
On housing, there was a comment made when we were in Nunavut that there are some new units going up, with an increase of $100 million and that type of thing in certain parts of the economic plan, but there's no new money for operation and maintenance of the new units.
4:40 p.m.
Liberal
Todd Russell Liberal Labrador, NL
So you have the pressures of the old and now you're going to have the pressures of the new. What role would you play in that?
4:40 p.m.
Vice-President, Assisted Housing Sector, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
The federal government's role is on the new construction, so it is putting money in. Whether it's through the affordable housing initiative, through the stimulus measures, that's money for new construction. In terms of the operating costs, the intent is for those to be covered either by the groups themselves through other equity contributions or through the territories. So the federal government, not including the territories, has a cap of about $75,000 capital that it will put in. When you put in that capital, it's cost-matched by a province; $150,000. In most of the rest of Canada that can get you a pretty good affordable unit. Then the ongoing costs are fairly reasonable and can be carried by the revenues in terms of rent geared to income, what a tenant would be expected to pay.
In the territories there are none of those caps on the federal dollars, so that $200 million can be used and there is no application of that cap. So they can use more federal dollars for the capital contribution. So that would lessen some of the ongoing operating costs.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
Okay. We let that go a little farther, but I think it was important to get that on the record.
Thank you, Mr. Russell.
Let's go to Mr. Clarke for five minutes. Mr. Clarke, the floor is yours.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
Rob Clarke Conservative Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to thank the witnesses for coming in. Some of you have travelled many miles and have had some long days, but I appreciate your appearing before the committee here.
My first question is for CMHC, for Sharon Matthews.
When you were giving your testimony, I noted a couple of things. One is that I didn't see the financials for the year. I was curious about how the finances broke down. If you could provide a breakdown to the committee so that we could take a look at it for the financials, that would probably be very—
4:40 p.m.
Vice-President, Assisted Housing Sector, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Are you talking about the housing funding that's going to the territories?
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
Rob Clarke Conservative Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
That's correct. It would be very beneficial for the committee.
4:40 p.m.
Vice-President, Assisted Housing Sector, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
I've spoken of the $200 million.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
Rob Clarke Conservative Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Right. I'm just wondering how the breakdown is.
4:40 p.m.
Vice-President, Assisted Housing Sector, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Okay. You have the $200 million northern allocation—
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
Rob Clarke Conservative Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
Right. Let me finish, first.
I'm very curious about the yearly financials, but you also mentioned that this government invested $1.7 billion annually. Then I see in 2008 an additional $1.9 billion over the next five years.
I'm curious about the current financial situation that CMHC is in. Do you know what the surplus is? Is there a surplus in a bank account somewhere right now?
4:40 p.m.
Vice-President, Assisted Housing Sector, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
I think you're talking about the mortgage insurance side of our business. There is technically what people would refer to as a surplus. It's really important to understand that it isn't truly a surplus, because it actually is in the Government of Canada accounts.
That money is sitting there, it is Government of Canada, and it is part of what money is available for deficit reduction. There is no money per se that is unaccounted for in the government accounts, so there is no surplus per se.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Rob Clarke Conservative Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, SK
I'd like to share my time with Mr. Payne as well.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
LaVar Payne Conservative Medicine Hat, AB
Thank you.
I missed part of that. I'd like to go back to the planning boards. I wasn't quite clear, Mr. Quassa, on exactly the process for the nominations of residents and about who finally makes the appointment. Is it federal or territorial?
4:45 p.m.
Vice-Chair, Nunavut Planning Commission
The final appointment decision is made by the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
LaVar Payne Conservative Medicine Hat, AB
Okay. Thank you.
I guess the other question I have is around the boards. Feel free, Richard or Robert, if you want to join in. For these boards to make decisions and move forward, is some form of quorum required? How does it work?
Paul, go ahead.
4:45 p.m.
Vice-Chair, Nunavut Planning Commission
Very briefly, in our case we have a quorum. If there are seven of us who have been appointed and yet there are nine seats, we only count the seven who are appointed, and half of that is the quorum. So I'd say that four is a quorum, if there are seven who are appointed, but we're not counting the other two who are not appointed yet. It works according to how many have been appointed at that time.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
4:45 p.m.
Member, Sahtu Land Use Planning Board
It's very similar for a lot of the boards in the NWT. I'll use ours as an example.
It's a five-person co-management board. Essentially, that means that the aboriginal group—in this case, the Sahtu Dene and Métis—have 50%. SSI gets two appointments, and then governments get one each—Canada gets one and GNWT gets one—and then there's a chair.
It's a co-management board, with two by the aboriginal group, two by governments, and one chair.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
4:45 p.m.
Chairman, Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board
Yes, thank you.
We're similar too. Basically our quorum is four: two government and two non-aboriginal government claimant groups. Right now we have the Gwich'in Sahtu as claimant groups, and the Tli Cho, and we also have a representative from the Deh Cho; they're also claimant groups. We have two federal that are filled and two have just expired, so if one of the two feds fall sick, then we don't have quorum. This is one of the reasons why we stress to government that it's important to fill these positions right away.