2024 Reports 2 to 4 of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of Canada—Federal government failing to improve housing conditions for First Nations communities

2024 Reports 2 to 4 of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of CanadaFederal government failing to improve housing conditions for First Nations communities

Ottawa, 19 March 2024—A report from Auditor General Karen Hogan tabled today in the House of Commons found that Indigenous Services Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation have made little progress in improving housing conditions for First Nations. This is the fourth time since 2003 that the Office of the Auditor General of Canada has raised concerns about unsafe and unsuitable housing in First Nations communities.

Over the past 5 years, Indigenous Services Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which are responsible for working with First Nations to meet their housing needs, have spent $3.86 billion on housing in First Nations communities. The Assembly of First Nations estimated in 2021 that $44 billion would be needed to improve housing, and needs will continue to increase. This has led to a situation where the percentage of homes needing major repairs or to be replaced remains essentially the same, despite the organizations funding the construction of new homes and repairs to existing homes.

The audit found that neither the department nor the corporation had prioritized their limited funding for communities with the greatest housing needs. As a result, First Nations communities with the poorest housing conditions received less funding than communities of the same size with better housing conditions.

Mould in First Nations homes is a long-standing health hazard, and Indigenous Services Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation had still not identified the magnitude of the problem. The organizations are not currently implementing the mould strategy that they developed in 2008. Neither the department nor the corporation could explain why the strategy is no longer used.

“Adequate housing is a basic human need,” said Ms. Hogan. “After 4 audit reports, I can honestly say that I am completely discouraged that so little has changed and that so many First Nations individuals and families continue to live in substandard homes.”

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The 2024 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada, Report 2—Housing in First Nations Communities, is available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada website.

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