I think that the solution and the answer really rest with the fact that the Assembly of First Nations did a tremendous amount of work over the last number of years to identify what those needs are across this country. What we haven't had an opportunity to do yet is to sit down with government to discuss how we can go forward in addressing those needs, because surely there is a need for continued investment for social and affordable housing. However, as I mentioned earlier, we also need to take into consideration that there are other aspects of housing that we feel need the investment, and that, in terms of private home ownership, is absolutely an essential part of discussion.
It's fundamentally key that the Government of Canada sit down with first nations, whether it be through the Assembly of First Nations or inviting chiefs, like the chief from Treaty No. 6, to come, represent his constituents, sit down and work with us to find a solution. Clearly, government is not going to be able to pony up $135 billion to meet our housing needs, so we need a combination of government investment and private financing, and we absolutely, at some point, need banks to stand up, take a chance, put their risk aversion aside and invest in our communities. Indigenous financial institutions are prepared to do that work if the banks won't do so, but we need to have that conversation so that we can find a solution to the overall housing needs that exist in our community, from shelters right through the whole continuum to home ownership and also the importance of renovation.
I also need to talk about the fact that, look, it's not simply housing. If you give us $135 billion to build housing, we're not having the right conversation, because there's a significant amount of infrastructure that is required. Lot development, water treatment plants and sewer treatment plants are all part of the equation, so we need a fulsome approach, and we can only get that through direct dialogue and discussion with the rights and the stakeholders, like first nations.