On Wednesday, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) released its long awaited report on urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing. The Committee received representations from dozens of witnesses over the past several months, including CHRA staff and members of the CHRA Indigenous Working Group.
The Committee’s report contained 9 recommendations that closely mirror the recommendations contained in the CHRA Indigenous Caucus’ “For Indigenous, By Indigenous” proposal. Among its key recommendations, the report calls for dedicated funding for urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing, the creation of an Indigenous Housing Centre, better data collection, support for culturally appropriate wrap around services, and that these actions be “founded on the For Indigenous By Indigenous principle.” The report furthermore recommends that CMHC be mandated with providing an interim report on progress as of June 2021, and a final report by November 2021.
CHRA and the Indigenous Caucus strongly support the direction and recommendations contained in this report. A response (.pdf) has been issued which calls on the federal government to quickly adopt these recommendations, and to begin work with the CHRA Indigenous Caucus immediately on their implementation. This report marks a positive step forward on the long path towards achieving an urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing strategy.
Visit the HUMA website to read the full report.