QUESTION PERIOD — Infrastructure and Communities

My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.

In Manitoba, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization is leading Indigenous economic reconciliation and revitalization in downtown Winnipeg through the Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn project. This includes the transformation of the iconic Hudson’s Bay building in Winnipeg through partnership with their federal, provincial and municipal treaty partners. In April 2022, the federal government committed $65 million to the project through the National Housing Strategy and the National Housing Co‑Investment Fund.

Up to this day, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization has itself financed millions of dollars in pre-construction work while the federal government commitment is still pending and the rest of the development hangs in the balance. Senator Gold, when will the Southern Chiefs’ Organization receive the committed federal funds in advance of the next stage of this important historical project?

Thank you, Senator Gold. The reclamation of the Hudson’s Bay building has been called one of the most significant developments for downtown Winnipeg in decades. The Southern Chiefs’ Organization’s visionary plan will turn it into a space for economic and social reconciliation. The plan includes affordable housing, culturally safe living units for First Nations elders; high-quality, licensed child care and a health and healing centre.

Senator Gold, can the Southern Chiefs’ Organization count on the federal government as a long-term treaty partner to ensure the success of the project?