Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on June 10th, 2021

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Once again, that falls within the mandate of the Department of Canadian Heritage or the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs.

Obviously, we all want things to go faster, given the events of recent weeks.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thank you very much.

Ms. Qaqqaq, please go ahead for six minutes.

[Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Thank you, Chair.

The budget allocates $25 million to Nunavut for housing construction. This would result in the construction of only 100 new homes across the massive territory. The Government of Nunavut has said that the territory needs 3,000 new houses immediately. In about 30 seconds, can you give me the rationale for this low figure?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Yes, and thanks, MP Qaqqaq. I want to thank you for your advocacy for your people.

I think we are currently in discussions with ITK regarding their infrastructure needs. Housing will be a huge amount of that. That's part of the $6 billion that was announced in budget 2021, so that number you quoted is only a small part of the discussion that's ongoing, and I believe there will be positive news in the near future, as there needs to be, absolutely.

[Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

As you and I saw on my housing tour, the reality of housing in the north is horrifying. Unsafe, overcrowded and mouldy homes are the norm. I was surprised to see that the supplementary estimates added an extra $40 million for Inuit-specific housing. Can you tell me why this extra funding was included? Again, if you could do that in about 30 seconds, it would be great.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

I don't have an answer on that particular line item, but perhaps Philippe does.

[Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Do you have any idea then how this money might be distributed or whom it might be funnelled through?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Yes, as you know, we announced $400 million in housing in partnership with the territory. Those are the monies we have dedicated throughout our governmental budgets, but as for that particular line item, I don't have an answer for you.

[Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

NTI, or Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, requested $500 million in the budget to fund housing development for Inuit housing in Nunavut, and yet this government offered a measly $40 million for Inuit across Canada. NTI said that Inuit needs for housing are as great as all Inuit Nunangat combined.

The $500 million was a short-term emergency ask. It's a bare minimum ask, and even though you included more money for Inuit housing, it would still be less than a fifth of what was requested. That's like needing five dollars and getting a quarter. That's an outrage. Why didn't this government at least budget the requested $500 million for housing in Nunavut?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

I want to highlight the work that NTI and ITK have done towards putting a number in the ask. They've done amazing work in trying to quantify that housing need, and infrastructure needs generally. We are currently working with them to work on allocations in the context of the $6 billion that was announced for infrastructure as part of budget 2021. That is transformative, but we will continue those talks with them. I hope to have some good news in the coming months.

[Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

That still doesn't really explain the rationale behind the less than a fifth of the funding that's needed. It's an emergency ask. It really doesn't capture the true nature of what is really needed in the territory. It's a band-aid solution for what's needed even right now, and so even $500 million, you could say, is too low within Nunavut, and then this government decided to ballpark it even lower.

Have you read the housing report that I put out from last year?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

I only read the highlights of ITK's proposal on how they would like to deal with housing. I'm sure my team has, but I would just add the qualification to the numbers you were citing that it's a very small part of the picture of what we will be announcing for the north. That said, I will acknowledge that in terms of the 10-year plan, the amounts in the budget are not sufficient to close that gap, and that is work we will have to be relentless in investing in over the future.

[Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

I guess, then, you wouldn't be able to tell me what the title was or what communities were involved, or I guess anything that stood out particularly, because I travelled for three weeks and did a lot in that time. Would you be able to recall anything like that from the report?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

What I did watch, in particular, was your social media in and around your tour, and some of what you highlighted. Certainly I've read the reports that the partners have put together as to the dire housing needs, and I will readily acknowledge those. From anything I've heard from our COVID deployment and the contacts that I've had, all of that rings true. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to visit when I would like to.

[Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Since you followed and may have looked at things briefly, you might remember some quotes from it. One unit had 14 people living in it with only four bedrooms. A child was so frequently sick due to mould that they were placed in foster care.

Minister, how would you tell me to respond if instead of Naujaat or Kugluktuk my report had referred to, say, Nuns' Island or Griffintown? If I were the minister in charge and told you to keep waiting, how would you respond to that? What would you tell me to do? How would you take that?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

With great respect, MP Qaqqaq, I know what you're asking me, but I would never try to place myself in your shoes. I think your words speak for themselves.

[Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

That's not what I'm asking, but thanks for avoiding the clear relation I'm trying to make.

I think that's my time, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

It is. Thanks very much, Ms. Qaqqaq.

Now, to complete the round of questioning, we'll have each of the parties speak. We'll have Mr. Viersen, Mr. Battiste, Sylvie and Mumilaaq once more, and that will take us to the time.

Arnold Viersen, you have five minutes.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister Miller, I have just been looking over the TRC report once again, and it strikes me, driving around my own riding, that the amount of money spent on residential schools was not the problem. Some of these structures are the most imposing on our landscape in northern Canada. It's not a matter of the money; it's a matter of the outcome.

Your government continually touts the amount of money that it spends and yet what we see is very much a lack of outcomes. Are you still committed to implementing the TRC report recommendations?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Yes.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Are you satisfied with the nine recommendations that you've achieved so far in the last six years?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

I won't be satisfied till they're fully complete.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

What has been the holdup?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

I would qualify your earlier question. There are a great number that are under way currently. The legislation under Bill C-91 and Bill C-92, the immigration notes, currently the movement on the national recognition date, as well as UNDRIP, which your party opposed, are all key to transforming the relationship.

I think one of them is trust. Certainly you mentioned money, but you put forward a false dichotomy. Obviously, we want to see progress from the money, but we have to be relentless in our investments. This is about closing socio-economic gaps. The record shows that has moved. It's about closing the financial gap in education and in all the other investments in infrastructure and housing investments. These are all things that have happened and we want to continue on those.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Actions 71 through 76 were actionable five years ago. Why are we not working on it till today?