Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the opportunity to appear before the committee on the important subject of the effects of the housing shortage on indigenous peoples across Canada.
First, I should make it very clear that I'm not appearing in a representative capacity for indigenous peoples but as a minister of the Government of the Northwest Territories, a government representing a population in which over 50% of our residents are indigenous.
I can also speak from my personal experience and observations as an indigenous person who grew up in Fort Good Hope in the Northwest Territories, a Dene community of about 600 people located near the Arctic Circle.
In my role as the minister responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and also minister responsible for homelessness, I see the effects of the housing shortage on indigenous people in the north every day. Whether this is looking at the long waiting list for public housing in most small communities or meeting under-housed people on the streets of Yellowknife, by far the majority of these people are indigenous.
Our population distribution alone does not fully explain this. The impact of the residential school system, including intergenerational trauma, is one good reason. The Northwest Territories as a jurisdiction had the highest participation rate in residential schools of any Canadian province or territory. We continue to work with indigenous governments, communities and other partners to address these impacts through actions such as the implementation of the truth and reconciliation calls to action, but there is no quick fix.
Distribution of economic opportunities is another reason many Northwest Territories communities suffer from the lack of economic opportunities, which increases reliance on public housing. This is especially true in many of our smaller communities where the population is almost entirely indigenous.
As a territory, our reliance on public housing is greater than that of any other Canadian jurisdiction, other than Nunavut. While important progress is being made in adding new public housing units with the help of the federal government in recent years, the need is vast and requires a sustained effort.
Yet another reason is the cost to build, maintain and heat housing in Canada's north. These costs can be multiple times the cost of a unit in southern Canada. Over the life of the unit, these issues are not easily fixed either. They are the result of a combination of the remoteness of communities, harsh weather conditions and limited reliable transportation infrastructure.
What can be done to address these impacts and their impacts on the public of the Northwest Territories and, in particular, the indigenous population? I will offer a few suggestions specific to housing.
The federal government needs to continue to be our partner in addressing the Northwest Territories housing gap. This means sustained multi-year capital funding to increase the stock of new public housing in our territory.
The federal government needs to revisit its policy choice to wind down operating funding for public housing. This decision, made in the 1990s, had a disproportionate effect on northern jurisdictions because of the much higher costs of operations and maintenance in the north and the territory's much heavier relative reliance on public housing.
Work with the indigenous partner governments. We welcome Canada's recent efforts to ensure distinctions-based funding flows to the Northwest Territories indigenous governments for their housing priorities, as it does in the south. This can help the overall situation in the Northwest Territories. The Government of the Northwest Territories is taking steps to ensure that we support collaboration with indigenous governments for the best combined positive effect.
Finally, federal government housing funding to the GNWT needs to be flexible enough for the GNWT to determine its own priorities, which may be different from those of southern jurisdictions. We are seeing some encouraging signs that it is understood by federal partners, and we would like that to continue.
I look forward to hearing the committee's questions. I wish you well with your work, as the context of this study is very important.
Mahsi, Mr. Chair.