Evidence of meeting #11 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was homes.
A video is available from Parliament.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Marc Garneau
Ms. Malek, could you kindly wrap up your presentation? Are you almost done?
5:05 p.m.
Councillor, Conseil des Innus de Pakua Shipu
I also want to point out that more than half the homes are in need of renovation or repair, not to mention the water system infrastructure associated with the construction of new housing. Our 2018 estimates put the cost at $22 million. Significant isolation exists today for the reasons you are familiar with.
With our current funding, the most we could build is two houses a year, when we actually need to build 10 houses a year.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Marc Garneau
Thank you, Ms. Malek.
We would now like to ask you questions. The Innu interpretation is now available, so you can answer questions in Innu.
My apologies for the difficulty.
Colleagues, we're hoping to have Ms. Clayton with us very shortly.
Alvina Paul will not be with us. There was a miscommunication of some sort, so we really only have two witnesses.
We can start now with the questions. You were looking for the other witnesses. I know Madame Gill would be interested in asking questions.
Mrs. Gill, you may start. You have six minutes.
5:05 p.m.
Bloc
Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[Member spoke in Innu]
[Translation]
While you are with us today, please feel free to interrupt me if I'm speaking too quickly for the interpretation.
You said in your opening statement that you wanted to come at the issue through a positive lens. I am very glad and proud to welcome you to the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs, along with my fellow members. We will benefit from your unique insight...
Mr. Chair, I'm hearing an echo, and it's making it hard to concentrate.
5:05 p.m.
Bloc
Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC
No, it's fine now. The problem is fixed. I like the sound of my own voice, but not that much, Mr. Chair.
That brings me back to you, Ms. Malek.
What are the positives you would like to share with the committee about communities like Pakua Shipu?
Also, could you tell us more about the community? You told us where it was located, but can you talk about all of the challenges your community faces? After all, those challenges have to be overcome if housing that meets the community's needs is to be built.
If I understood correctly, you have another major concern, the renovation work that a number of dwellings in the community of Pakua Shipu need.
[Member spoke in Innu]
5:10 p.m.
Bloc
Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC
You can speak in Innu, Ms. Malek. I believe Ms. Mesténapéo will be interpreting your remarks.
5:10 p.m.
Councillor, Conseil des Innus de Pakua Shipu
You want me to describe my community's situation, the current housing situation in Pakua Shipu. Is that correct?
5:10 p.m.
Bloc
Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC
Yes, that's correct.
Tell us what you'd like us to know. What do you think the answers are? What would you like to see? Feel free to answer how you wish, talking about what you see as important.
5:10 p.m.
Councillor, Conseil des Innus de Pakua Shipu
Right now, we are isolated. You have to travel a long way to get here. [Technical difficulty—Editor] the construction is really slow. Adding just one more house a year is not enough.
In the community of Pakua Shipu, you often have 15 members of the same family living in one house. It takes a long time to get new housing. It happens only once a year, and it's not a lot. We receive material every year, but it's really slow. We are isolated right now.
The ability to build a lot more housing units more quickly is very important to me, so that members of the community can settle in Pakua Shipu. There are 400 of us now. There are 60 to 70 houses in Pakua Shipu. All the kids go to school outside the community. We have a few students who have finished school, but we don't have enough housing for members of the community who return after they graduate. The biggest thing is that we don't have enough housing. We have nowhere for our college and university graduates to live. They are still living outside the community. They are working outside the community while they wait for us to find them housing.
Twelve community members wanted to return to Pakua Shipu, but we didn't have enough housing. The young people who finished their schooling are working outside the community, in English or French. The members who left want to return to the community to work here, to grow the village, to have a place to live; they want housing and all the rest.
I never really graduated. I was a slow learner, so the housing wasn't available for a long enough period and the school year wasn't long enough for me to finish. A lot of people gave up on school before 1990, and even before 1984. I dropped out of school. It wasn't possible to go to school without leaving the village.
We need housing because we don't have enough in the community. People complain because we can't provide housing. We need it desperately.
5:10 p.m.
Bloc
Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC
I don't mean to interrupt you, Ms. Malek.
If you want to hear the Innu interpretation, you can choose that option on your screen.
You talked about solutions. The most important thing for you is to obtain funding. I think it's helpful to talk about it here, in the committee. As a result of this problem, members are leaving the community because you don't have anywhere for young people to live when they return. You can't make the village bigger. There's no housing for people to start families.
I see you nodding. The first thing you need is money, and then, you can provide people with adequate housing. That said, the current pace of construction isn't working for Pakua Shipu, Unamen Shipu or other communities along the North Shore and in Labrador. Is that about right?
5:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Marc Garneau
Thank you, Mrs. Gill.
I notice that with us we now have our second witness, Eva Clayton, president of the Nisga'a Lisims Government.
Welcome, Ms. Clayton. Thank you for joining us. We'll try to get this back on the rails.
You were probably told that you would have five minutes to make an initial presentation. If you're ready to do that, please go ahead.
March 29th, 2022 / 5:15 p.m.
Eva Clayton President, Nisga'a Lisims Government
Thank you. My apologies to the committee for my late arrival.
First of all, good evening to the House of Commons standing committee. It gives me great pleasure to appear before you today to provide you some context on the issue of the housing shortages in indigenous communities and, in particular, the Nisga'a Nation.
By way of background, I'm here as the president of the Nisga'a Lisims Government, representing the Nisga'a Nation. The Nisga'a Nation will be celebrating its 22nd anniversary since the—
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Marc Garneau
Ms. Clayton, I'm sorry to interrupt you. We're not hearing you very well. It's difficult for the translation.
We see you speaking, but we can't hear you now.
Ms. Idlout, we're going to have somebody from IT call Ms. Clayton to see if we can resolve this. In the meantime, would you be interested in asking Ms. Malek any questions?
5:15 p.m.
NDP
Lori Idlout NDP Nunavut, NU
[Member spoke in Inuktitut, interpreted as follows:]
First of all, thank you and welcome to this meeting. It has been great to hear your stories and what you're doing.
Nina, when you talked about your work, I felt a lot of presence; it's like my hometown. You talked about my hometown, the same conditions. Our lives are all affected the way your community is when it comes to housing.
What feedback have you gotten from your nation members about the kinds of affordable housing their communities need?
5:20 p.m.
Liberal