Evidence of meeting #44 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was homes.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:10 a.m.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
Okay.
I ask because I think it's important that that be corrected because most people think that, based on the track record, you don't have a magic wand.
10:10 a.m.
Chair, First Nations Market Housing Fund
No, no. And far be it from me to, all of a sudden, wave this magic wand and get all those houses.
You're right, honourable member, that certainly we need to be realistic. There was some over-enthusiasm at the very beginning because it was something new. It was something that many first nation members, during the consultations, had a lot of good thoughts about. The realistic, on-the-ground approach showed that it was overly optimistic.
10:15 a.m.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
What are Canadians to think? What's your pitch in terms of what Ms. Ashton said? How do you explain that it is really important to have this fund? You work on this and the administrative costs are paid from the interest, but we aren't getting any homes right now, or very few.
10:15 a.m.
Chair, First Nations Market Housing Fund
Well, I hate to talk about patience, but certainly patience is one of the things that we do have to talk about with this. When we are out there, we hear the good stories. It was only yesterday that we heard the that the Siksika Nation nation has 12 applications they're going to be sending in to us. We've heard of another for rental housing that is coming in within the next couple of weeks.
We know that it's building up. We know that momentum is happening. We know that they're coming in. It's just that they're not coming in by the thousands; they're coming in by the fives and tens. We have to look at realistic expectations to really change the philosophy and the way of thinking with our first nations citizens and the first nations themselves.
10:15 a.m.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
So you would say that compared to what the minister used to be able to do in administering a fund that would back up a mortgage and to what CMHC used to do, the existence of your fund is necessary and that it is working. How are Canadians supposed to trust that this is going to work?
10:15 a.m.
Chair, First Nations Market Housing Fund
It's doing a number of things. Actually, the number of houses on the ground is an important statistic, and I'll never denigrate that, but what we also have to look at is the first nations that are becoming involved in getting housing plans and policies. Social housing people are now starting to pay rent in many communities, and we have many communities across the country where no rent is being paid on CMHC social housing units.
10:15 a.m.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
Just as somebody who knows what's happening on reserve, rather than you in your present role, the idea that this was going to fix the shortage of 25,000 that was deemed to be urgent.... You are saying clearly the government still has to invest in social housing and build housing on reserve. There is a responsibility of the federal government to do that at the same time that we ramp up to the goal that was set by your organization.
10:15 a.m.
Chair, First Nations Market Housing Fund
Poverty is slow to change on first nation communities. There are a lot of poor people who can't afford First Nation Market Housing. There's no question about it.
This is for those people I would consider middle class, who have year-round jobs and can afford their own housing. There are still a lot of people that can't afford these. You have a continuum of housing need on first nation communities.
10:15 a.m.
Liberal
Carolyn Bennett Liberal St. Paul's, ON
In the continuum, the federal government still has a responsibility to get those homes for those 17 people living in one house with no running water. We need to get some stuff built in terms of actual government-funded infrastructure
10:15 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Blake Richards
Thank you.
We'll move now to Mr. Seeback.
You have seven minutes.
May 28th, 2015 / 10:15 a.m.
Conservative
Kyle Seeback Conservative Brampton West, ON
Thank you.
I think we've finally started to get some understanding at this committee table among some members about what the fund is supposed to do. The fund is not to have $300 million to go and build houses. It's to leverage them, right? It's to allow a first nation to leverage to build certain types of houses on reserve. That's what the fund is supposed to do.
10:15 a.m.
Conservative
Kyle Seeback Conservative Brampton West, ON
I'm not going to fault you for being overly ambitious about 25,000 units. I think it's important to set high goals.
One of the things I see when I look at it is the access criteria. When you say that you have 183 first nations that have partnered with the fund, does that mean they have an expression of interest? Are they saying they're interested in having access to this capital and then have to go through the three pillars in order to qualify? Or are these 183 first nations that have gone through the three pillars and have qualified?
10:15 a.m.
Chair, First Nations Market Housing Fund
There are 183 first nation communities that have provided a band council resolution saying that they believe in market housing for their communities.
10:15 a.m.
Conservative
Kyle Seeback Conservative Brampton West, ON
It's like someone who is interested in getting involved in the FNLMA. They pass a band council resolution to say they would like to try to enter into the program. Is that kind of how it works?
10:20 a.m.
Conservative
Kyle Seeback Conservative Brampton West, ON
How many first nations have gone through and successfully completed the three pillars?
10:20 a.m.
Conservative
Kyle Seeback Conservative Brampton West, ON
Of those 79, how many have accessed the fund to try to build housing?
10:20 a.m.
A voice
Thirteen.