Thanks, Chair.
AG Hogan, thank you for another depressing and dismal report.
I want to start by quoting the AG's opening comments from the emergency services report, which was equally as dismal.
She stated that Sheila Fraser, the former AG, “summed up her impression of the [indigenous services department]'s actions after 10 years of audits [as]...'unacceptable'”. Keep in mind that this was in 2011. She continued, referring to the Auditor General at the time and to 15 years after the original audit: “Five years later, my predecessor, Michael Ferguson, used the words 'beyond unacceptable'”. AG Hogan herself then said, “We are now into decades of audits of programs and government commitments that have repeatedly failed to effectively serve Canada's indigenous peoples.”
With regard to this report, the AG says, “This is the fourth time since 2003 that we have raised concerns about housing...and—20 years later—many of these concerns persist.” Indigenous Services and CMHC “have made little progress” on improving first nations housing conditions.
When you were here with us, Ms. Wilson, for the emergency services disgrace— and I will use those words—I asked this question: Why should we not be calling for the termination of you and all the other executives from your department? There were repeated failures, repeated failures, and all we hear back is, “There's much more to do”.