SoVote

Hon. Ahmed Hussen (Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, Lib.)

Dec/7/21 2:48:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that it has been a long time since the member opposite has spoken about affordable housing. He has found it fashionable to talk about it, but here is the record. Every time we have put forward measures to help first-time home buyers access affordable housing, help the most vulnerable in our communities to access permanent housing solutions, or help women and children fleeing domestic violence to get rental support, he has voted against these measures.

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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21

Hon. Ahmed Hussen (Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, Lib.)

Dec/7/21 3:09:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our national housing strategy has a rural lens to it. That is why 38% of the rapid housing initiative projects are in rural and indigenous communities where the need is the greatest. We make sure that in the National Housing Council there are representatives who bring a rural lens to everything that we do through our national housing co-investment fund and other investments that we make in affordable housing in Canada.

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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21

Hon. Ahmed Hussen (Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, Lib.)

Dec/7/21 10:47:37 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for Vancouver East for highlighting the deep and urgent levels of housing needs among indigenous peoples. As the member noted, indigenous peoples are overrepresented among the homeless population. This is the case in virtually all of Canada's major cities. I can assure the member and all Canadians that we are fully committed to co-developing an urban, rural and northern indigenous housing strategy. This will include a national indigenous housing centre. With this centre, indigenous peoples will oversee federal indigenous housing programs once fully realized. In our discussions with first nations, Inuit and Métis partners, they have told us that they want a strategy that will advance reconciliation, a strategy that is for indigenous peoples and led by indigenous peoples. Our government agrees, and that is what is driving our work with our indigenous partners to develop this urban, rural and northern strategy. Even as we work toward this strategy, we continue to respond to the deep and urgent needs for housing across the country. For example, we prioritized funding to indigenous peoples through the $2.5 billion rapid housing initiative. In fact, in the first round of this program, close to 40% of all units created under the rapid housing initiative will benefit indigenous peoples. We will soon be able to share news on the second round of this program, which will ultimately create at least 9,200 permanent, affordable homes for our most vulnerable populations. We have also responded to the urgent need for more shelters and transitional and supportive housing for indigenous women and children fleeing gender-based violence. Earlier this month, our government announced more than $724 million to build and support the operation of at least 38 shelters in addition to 50 transitional homes across Canada, including in urban areas and the north. This follows the previous initiative we announced last June to build 12 shelters across Canada. In addition to these most recent investments, we continue to track strong progress through our national housing strategy programs. More than $72.5 billion in investments have been delivered through this strategy, and, as I said, we have prioritized indigenous and northern housing needs across all aspects of the national housing strategy. In addition to that, we have earmarked $638 million in specific funding to ensure indigenous peoples living in urban, rural and northern communities have better housing outcomes now and for generations to come. We will continue to deepen and expand our investments in housing. In the recent Speech from the Throne, we have also announced plans for new programs that will be designed to give more access to housing wherever families are on the housing continuum. This includes a proposal to set up a $4 billion housing accelerator fund to help municipalities clear up development backlogs so that projects can get off the ground more quickly. It also includes a rent-to-own program that would give more families a chance to make their dream of home ownership a reality. This is an important part of our commitment and we will continue, as I said, to prioritize housing for indigenous peoples through the national housing strategy. In fact, it is through that lens that we make these investments. However, I agree with the hon. member that we have to make more progress to ensure we have a distinct urban, rural and northern indigenous housing strategy, and that can only be done with and led by indigenous peoples.

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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21

Hon. Ahmed Hussen

Dec/7/21 10:52:47 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, we have shown action. The hon. member only has to look at the projects that have been approved through the first round of the rapid housing initiative. She can look at the fact that 38%, almost 40%, of all the successful projects under the rapid housing initiative went to indigenous people. The hon. member chooses to ignore the $638 million dedicated to urban, rural and northern indigenous housing. She chooses to ignore the fact that we are the government that has invested the most amount of money in affordable housing in the history of the Northwest Territories and unlocked federal dollars for the Yukon and Nunavut. We will continue to do more, but absolutely we have made a lot of progress as well.

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