Suitable housing for every Indigenous family in Canada
In Canada, in 2026, Indigenous people still live in unacceptable housing conditions. In 2021, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), nearly one in two Indigenous people lived in housing that did not meet at least one of the three basic standards: housing must be in good condition, sufficiently large, and affordable. Indigenous households are more than twice as likely as non-Indigenous households to live in substandard housing. These statistics may be underestimate given Indigenous peoples’ historical distrust of colonial government institutions.
Due to the housing shortage, many people—particularly those living in poverty—are forced to live in inadequate, uninhabitable housing that is often hazardous to their health and well-being. This housing shortage has concrete and brutal consequences: it drives many Indigenous people into homelessness. This is no accident—it is the direct result of systemic inequalities and discrimination.
According to the Auditor General of Canada, federal funding has been insufficient for at least the past 20 years. At the current rate, it will be impossible for the federal government to fulfill its commitments to meet First Nations’ needs for safe housing by 2030.
The federal government, the provinces, and the territories must, in close partnership with band councils:
Invest heavily, quickly, predictably, and over several years in housing funding programs to make up for the backlog and maintain the pace of construction, while ensuring that tools for assessing construction costs are free of bias.
Provide sufficient funding for specific programs aimed at adapting housing for people with disabilities to meet all their needs.
Incorporate an Indigenous perspective on homelessness to offer funding programs tailored to this reality.
Mr. Carney, you can do more!
Provide the necessary financial resources to all relevant ministries so that every family in Indigenous communities can have a home and live with dignity, peace, and security.