INAN Committee Report

BLOC QUÉBÉCOIS SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT

COVID-19 AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES: MOVING FROM CRISIS TOWARDS MEANINGFUL CHANGE

INTRODUCTION

In February 2020, Yves‑François Blanchet, Leader of the Bloc Québécois, stated that Indigenous Peoples “are nations, much like Quebeckers make up a nation and Canadians make up a nation.”[1] For decades, our party has consistently reiterated its willingness to be an ally to Indigenous Peoples. We fully supported the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples from the beginning, long before the Canadian government chose to do so, and we continue to support it. These are the broad principles guiding the Bloc Québécois’s actions on Indigenous affairs.

For this report, we decided to concentrate on the issue of housing, which the Viens Commission described as “the epicentre of many of the issues faced by the First Nations and Inuit.”[2] We believe that the recent pandemic has shown the need to focus our efforts on this issue, because the poor housing conditions Indigenous Peoples must endure only heighten their vulnerability to infectious diseases and contribute to outbreaks, as we are currently seeing. The pandemic has demonstrated how hard it is to correctly implement public health measures and self-isolation and physical distancing guidelines. What is more, since the pandemic seems to be coming to an end, we believe that it is all the more important to focus on this issue, given the long-term benefits that significant investments and robust government intervention could have for these communities.

CONSULTATIONS AND ADDITIONAL RESEARCH

Many of the witnesses who testified during the Committee’s study stressed the need to do more about housing. As the Committee report notes, Mickel Robertson, Executive Director of the Economic Development Commission at the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL), outlined the housing needs of Quebec’s Indigenous Peoples.[3] Mr. Robertson also said that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation would be reducing the budget for its social housing program by 8% starting this year. He added, “This reduction is difficult to justify in the context of a pandemic. The housing crisis places First Nations in a situation of vulnerability exacerbated by the pandemic.” The Bloc Québécois believes in exploring all avenues to expand First Nations housing capacity.

A document entitled Assessment and Outlook: First Wave of the COVID‑19 Pandemic in First Nations in Quebec – March 13 to July 31, 2020, prepared by the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, provides many relevant observations and recommendations that would help the government improve its response to the challenges the current pandemic presents for Indigenous Peoples. In this supplementary report, we are reprising a few of the recommendations that do not already appear in the above report. In our view, the fact that the housing problems in First Nations communities are mentioned so many times in this document underscores the urgency of this issue. The more the government cuts corners in this area, the more harm will be done to the public interest and First Nations’ living conditions. Change is imperative. The AFNQL document also highlights frustrations with the delivery of support programs. The lengthy delays between the announcement of a program and its implementation have created considerable uncertainty for Indigenous businesses and for organizations that provide social services to these communities. Despite the good intentions of Indigenous Services Canada, the document notes that clear answers are hard to come by and various aspects of the new programs remain ill-defined. Lastly, the document rightly points out that “jurisdictional issues should not be factors that limit the response to needs.”

ADDITIONAL recommendationS OF THE BLOC QUÉBÉCOIS

The Bloc Québécois is of the opinion that the government should consider the following recommendations, in addition to those included in the report, because we believe that implementing them will substantially improve the socio-economic living conditions of First Nations and Inuit people in Quebec and Labrador and help resolve many of the systemic issues that these nations face.

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BLOC QUÉBÉCOIS

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada invest $4.3 billion over five years in renovating, decontaminating and building the approximately 11,000 housing units that First Nations and Inuit people in Quebec need in order to permanently address the widening housing gap.

Recommendation 2

That the Government of Canada draw on the strategy used by the Government of Quebec in Bill 66 to expedite the construction of the infrastructure and housing needed to improve health outcomes in Indigenous communities, such as elders' homes.

Recommendation

That the Government of Canada reconsider its decision to reduce funding to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s On-Reserve Non-Profit Housing Program by 8% for 2021.

Recommendation 3

That the Government of Canada shorten the time between the announcement and implementation of pandemic response programs in order to improve predictability for Indigenous businesses, individuals and decision-makers.

Recommendation 4

That the Government of Canada give greater consideration to the unique characteristics of First Nations when implementing economic support programs for individuals and businesses. This may include considering appointing liaison officers chosen for their knowledge of Indigenous Peoples’ realities to liaise between Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), Indigenous communities and other federal government central agencies, such as the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada, and any other agency that delivers programs with a significant impact on Indigenous communities.

Recommendation 5

That the federal government, while respecting First Nations’ right to self-determination, local, regional and national First Nations and Inuit organizations, and the provinces’ autonomy and jurisdiction, take action to develop a common statement on the roles and responsibilities of each agency that delivers services to Indigenous communities and individuals in the areas of crisis management, implementation of measures, and communication of information to ensure that the organizations’ roles and responsibilities are complementary. This statement should be developed collaboratively and without jurisdictional disputes.

Recommendation 6

That ISC and other federal departments and agencies be required to collaborate with First Nations to determine which federal teams will be assigned to crisis management based on the nature of the crisis. This would avoid situations where the services offered to First Nations fail to meet their needs or interfere with the achievement of their objectives.