Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on April 1st, 2022

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

[Member spoke in Inuktitut as follows:]

ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ ᑕᒪᑦᓯᓐᓄᑦ ᑭᐅᔭᐅᔪᒪᓪᓗᖓ ᐊᐱᕆᓂᐊᖅᐳᖓ, ᐋᒻ, ᒥᓂᔅᑐᕐ ᐃᓪᓗᓕᕆᓂᕐᒧᑦ ᑎᑎᖅᑲᕐᒥᒃ ᑐᓂᔭ-ᐅᓚᐅᕐᒪᑦ ᐳᕋᐃᒥᓂᔅᑐᕐᒥᒃ ᑎᓕᐅᖅᑕᐅᓪᓗᓂ ᑖᓐᓇ ᑎᑎᖅᑲᖅ ᐋ ᐅᖃᖅᓯᒪᓪᓗᓂ ᐋ ᓴᖅᑭᑦᓯᖅᑯᔨᓪᓗᓂᕉᒃ ᑲᓇᑕᓕᒫᕐᒥ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᐃᓪᓗᓕᕆᒡᕕᒻᒥᒃ ᐱᓕᕆᖃᑎᖃᕐᓗᓂᕐᒎᖅ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ, ᑖᓐᓇ ᐋ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᕆᔪᓐᓇᖅᐱᓯᐅᒃ ᖃᓄᕐᓕ ᐃᓱᒪᒋᕕᓯᐅᒃ ᐱᑕᖃᕆᐊᖃᕐᒪᖔᑦ ᐅᒡᕙᓘᓐᓃ ᐱᑕᖃᕆᐊᖃᓐᖏᒻᒪᖔᑦ ᐋ ᐱᑕᖃᕆᐊᖃᕋᓱᒋᒍᕕᐅᒃ ᖃᓄᐃᒻᒪᑦ ᐱᑕᖃᕆᐊᖃᓐᖏᑉᐸᑦ ᖃᓄᐃᒻᒪᑦ, ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ.

[Inuktitut text interpreted as follows:]

Thank you.

I'd like both of you to reply to this question. The mandate letter for the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion outlines a commitment to create a national indigenous housing centre with indigenous partners. Can you talk more about it? What do you think of it? Do you think a national indigenous housing centre is needed? Should it exist, and if not, why not?

[English]

[The Chair, Liberal, Marc Garneau]

Councillor Paul, do you want to start?

[Alvina Paul]

Yes. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Lori, for your question. I appreciate the opportunity to comment.

I would definitely need to become knowledgeable about what they would want to provide and how they would provide it, in what fashion, to all nations across Canada. If it's going to be of benefit for the communities, definitely, but if it's going to be just another level of application, I don't think I could support that.

[Eva Clayton]

Thank you for the question.

For me, the creation of a national indigenous housing group would be not very good—I say this with all due respect—because every indigenous nation has their own unique housing needs. When you think about the national housing institution, it would require funding. If it requires funding, you'd be cutting into the housing funds that would go to indigenous people.

[The Chair, Liberal, Marc Garneau]

Thank you very much, Ms. Idlout.

That concludes our panel today.

President Clayton and Councillor Paul, thank you for your testimony today and for answering our questions. You've provided us with some very important insights. We very much appreciate it.

This concludes the first part of the meeting.

I will now suspend the meeting.

Those attending the meeting virtually have been given the link that will allow them to join us for the second part of the meeting, to be held in camera.

We'll be back in a few minutes.

Thank you again, President Clayton and Councillor Paul.

[Proceedings continue in camera]