North Island-Powell River MP Rachel Blaney says the new federal For Indigenous By Indigenous (FIBI) housing strategy will “build more suitable, secure homes” for Indigenous people in Canada.
On Dec. 13, the government announced the next steps in its Urban, Rural and Northern Strategy. That step is to establish a For Indigenous By Indigenous (FIBI) National Indigenous Housing Centre. The government will be launching a Request for Proposals process in January. From there, the government will finalize an agreement with the selected candidate and establish the centre, “whose key role will be to provide funding to address core Indigenous housing needs in urban, rural and northern areas,” a release says.
The future National Indigenous Housing Centre will help First Nations, Inuit, and Métis find a place to call home that is safe, secure, and affordable,” said Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. “This is the next step to addressing the gaps that exist, so we can move forward on the path of reconciliation. More to do.
Blaney said she supported the move, and that it will help with “channelling the funds through both national and regional Indigenous-led housing organizations. Through the Confidence and Supply Agreement, the NDP used their power to secure $8.3 billion in federal funding to address the urgent, unmet housing needs of Indigenous people living in urban, rural and northern areas.”
“We’ve been working alongside Indigenous groups to make sure that Ottawa works to build more suitable, secure homes and supports Indigenous people who are living outside of their community,” she said.
The 2023 federal budget committed $4 billion over 7 years starting in 2024 to the implementation of a Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy. The Government of Canada will also work with First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and Modern Treaty Self Governing Indigenous Government partners on their distinctions-based housing strategies to support their people living in urban, rural and northern areas and discuss interim approaches for those who may not be ready.
The procurement process will be managed by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, in collaboration with Indigenous Services Canada, Crown-Indigenous Relations, Northern Affairs Canada and Infrastructure Canada.
For too long, Indigenous Peoples from coast to coast to coast have not had the same access to housing that’s affordable as other Canadians,” said Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs “This request for proposals for a National Indigenous Housing Centre led by Indigenous Peoples for Indigenous Peoples represents a crucial next step, not only to close the housing infrastructure gap, but to also continue our shared path towards reconciliation.
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