“Infrastructure is not just about bricks and mortar. Ageing, inadequate and poor infrastructure can have significant negative effects on the social and economic outcomes of communities. We visited several remote First Nations and saw first-hand the challenges they faced and heard the concerns of community members. While AANDC takes into account the increased costs of northern and remote communities through a remote and isolation index in their funding formula, the Committee heard from witnesses that this index is not reflective of the needs of these communities and that the amount allocated for the remoteness factor should be increased. That is why our report is recommending the development of a housing strategy for remote and isolated First Nations communities, which would include a review of the adequacy of the remote and isolation index to ensure that it reflects actual costs.”

“First Nations communities are diverse, so the tools to address their requirements must reflect this diversity. The Committee’s recommendations reflect this diversity, ranging from removing the 2% cap on annual increases in funding from AANDC, building First Nations capacity to manage housing, facilitating the ability of First Nations to prepare comprehensive community plans which facilitate economic development and introducing mechanisms to allow First Nations to leverage financing. All of these recommendations are derived from the testimony, but some, such as removing the 2% cap on annual increases in funding from AANDC, were solutions proposed by numerous witnesses.”

“One of the goals we set out to achieve with this report was developing innovative financing options. By recommending the creation of a new Ministerial Loan Guarantee program to help finance infrastructure on-reserve, the Committee has proposed a solution that would empower First Nations to meet the long-term needs of their communities. The Committee recommends changes to the current Ministerial Loan Guarantee Program for Housing on-reserve in order to improve the efficiency of the approval process. Additionally, we are recommending the expansion of the current Ministerial Loan Guarantee Program for housing on-reserve to grant First Nations governments access to the program, rather than just individual First Nations members. The purpose of these recommendations is to provide a new funding option to enable the construction of more infrastructure on First Nations reserves across the country.”

- Senator Scott Tannas, Committee Member