Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank the witnesses for being here again.
Minister Hajdu, again we're here on a Friday afternoon. I think we did this together not too long ago.
The study we're embarking on today as a committee obviously is in regard to the effects of housing shortages on indigenous peoples. Over the past several months, the communities of Black Lake, Fond du Lac and Pelican Narrows in my northern Saskatchewan riding have announced tuberculosis outbreaks.
Minister Hajdu, you talked a bit about that in your comments.
We're talking about dozens of outbreaks and over a hundred cases. That's nearly double what it was a few years ago, and much higher than it has been in over a decade. Rates of tuberculosis in Saskatchewan are continually above the national average, but northern Saskatchewan, where we make up 3.6% of the province's population, is responsible for half of the province's cases, according to a study from 2021 that looked at outbreaks of tuberculosis.
The recently released departmental results report from Indigenous Services Canada for the year 2020-21 admitted that “the development of [the] tuberculosis reduction action plan for First Nations was not completed” as planned. What's more concerning is that in the 2022-23 departmental plan for ISC, I don't see any mention being made of any measures to prevent these outbreaks.
I guess my questions are threefold. I'll throw all of them out right away for Minister Hajdu.
Why is it that in a developed country like Canada in 2022 we continue to face tuberculosis outbreaks? What can I tell my constituents in northern Saskatchewan about when they can expect the government to release its action plan, and will it include targets? Finally, will this plan include some actual measures to deal with the overcrowded, unhealthy housing in these communities?