Today, the Minister of Northern Affairs, the Honourable Daniel Vandal, announced new federal investments in housing.
Through Budget 2022: A Plan to Grow Our Economy and Make Life More Affordable, the Government of Canada makes targeted and responsible investments to create good jobs, grow our economy and build a Canada where nobody gets left behind.
New investments in housing build on historic housing and infrastructure funding made in Budget 2021. Budget 2022 proposes $150 million over two years to support affordable housing and related infrastructure in the North. Of this amount, $60 million would be provided to the Government of Nunavut. This flexible funding will allow partners to continue to advance their immediate and most pressing housing and infrastructure needs.
Access to safe and affordable housing is critical to improving health and social outcomes and to ensuring a better future for Indigenous communities and children. Building on more than $2.7 billion to support housing in Indigenous communities since 2015, Budget 2022 proposes $4.3 billion to improve and expand Indigenous housing in Canada, and specifically includes $845 million to support housing in Inuit communities.
Targeted infrastructure investments in Inuit communities and distinctions-based funding represent another important step on the path of reconciliation between the government and Indigenous Peoples.
Budget 2022 takes significant steps that will help build more homes and make housing more affordable for Indigenous Peoples, regardless of where they live, which is why it further proposes to invest $300 million to co-develop and launch an Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy.
Everyone should have a safe and affordable place to call home. Budget 2022 housing measures are the most ambitious plan that Canada has ever had to solve this fundamental problem, and these measures include critical investments to address the unique challenges faced by northern and Indigenous communities in accessing safe, adequate and affordable housing.
Through Budget 2022: A Plan to Grow Our Economy and Make Life More Affordable, the Government of Canada is making progress on its commitments to close gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada, help build strong and resilient northern communities, and provide the homes that all Canadians need.
