Madam Speaker, the member raised the issue of housing. He is exactly right, in the sense that housing costs went up over 70% under the Harper government and by another $300,000 under the Liberals.
With respect to urban indigenous housing in my own riding, we are the third-largest urban indigenous community in the country. The $300 million that has been committed will not even address the housing crisis in my own riding. The PBO actually said that we are short over $600 million to meet that gap.
How could it possibly be that the Liberals refuse to see reality? Why are indigenous people's lives always put on the back burner?
Daniel Blaikie (NDP) Elmwood—Transcona, MB
Madam Speaker, the member for Vancouver East makes an excellent point. I cannot speak to why this continues to be such a blind spot of the government, and “blind spot” is putting it too lightly, because it is a desperate need. It is an issue of justice for indigenous people in Canada that they should have the right, just as everyone in Canada should have, to a decent home. That is going to require investment. We can tell that $300 million, if we do some quick math, is not going to build enough units to get the job done.
