Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his interest in this important issue.
The study made several recommendations aimed at strengthening first nations' capacity and autonomy to invest in housing. I could talk about recommendations 8, 15, 16 and many others, but I want to focus on recommendation 9, which concerns one of the important needs that complements what I have mentioned. I am referring to the whole matter of recruiting, retaining and training indigenous staff who work on housing. Two housing units are made available by the government every year, if that. At the same time, these units have to be built in a ridiculously short amount of time. Quite often, money intended for indigenous peoples is returned to the federal treasury because of the many bureaucratic requirements and standards that indigenous communities are unable to meet.
An initiative like Yänonhchia' also provides indigenous leadership in the fields of architecture, engineering and advising communities on plans, specifications and urban development. It is about making it easier for indigenous people to settle on their own land. I would add that this government must be more generous towards indigenous communities through autonomous funding, but it must also give much more realistic deadlines so that indigenous people can keep the expertise they have, particularly in housing, within their communities.