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Windbreaker: Housing by Indigenous, for Indigenous turns page on colonial approach

NICHI, formalized in January, is a coalition of more than 50 Indigenous-led housing, homelessness, and housing-related organizations from across Canada. The aim of the organization is to deliver on housing for those Indigenous people no longer living in Indigenous communities.

The New Democratic Party (NDP) is taking credit for moving the Liberal government along on the matter.
East Vancouver NDP MP Jenny Kwan, who was also at the announcement, said the NDP had prioritized significant investments to address the housing needs of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples as part of its confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberal government. The NDP also “demanded that it be for Indigenous and by Indigenous,” she said.

The confidence-and-supply agreement was signed between the Liberals and NDP in March 2022. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was operating with a minority Liberal government after the 2021 election. The agreement with the NDP brought about stability. The NDP agreed to support the Liberals if the Liberals advanced certain NDP priorities. The agreement is set to last until 2025.

“(Indigenous-led housing) would not have happened had it not been for NICHI and the NDP in collaboration, yes, with the government. This is what cooperation looks like. This is what the confidence-and-supply agreement is meant to do. To make things happen for the people,” said Kwan

Seniors facing homelessness need federal help now

NDP Critic for Finance, Daniel Blaikie, and NDP Critic for Seniors, Rachel Blaney, made the following statement:

"It's encouraging to hear that the Liberal government has finally decided to listen and address the problem they created when they cut the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) seniors rely on. For months, New Democrats have been calling on the government to correct the problem. NDP MPs across the country received hundreds of emails, calls and letters from desperate seniors who were abruptly cut off from the GIS support they need simply for taking the pandemic help like CERB and CRB that they were eligible for.

IN THE NEWS: Globe & Mail - Critics still worried about immigration backlog after feds pledge $85M

The NDP had called for more resources to be dedicated to the backlog, but the government did not move quickly enough to put those funds in place, she said.

“We were already seeing the backlog delays last year, and as it stands right now the severity of the backlog would take at least three years to catch up to pre-pandemic levels,” Kwan said in an interview.

All immigration streams have been impacted by the delays at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Kwan said, and she’s concerned the money will only be used to process new applications.

IN THE NEWS: Toronto Star - Government’s massive visa backlog leaving lives in limbo

The current processing times for work permit visas at the High Commission of Canada to India is listed at 35 weeks for individuals and a year for spousal visas.
But that does not reflect reality, said Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan, the NDP Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. She estimates that it will take at least three years to make up for the lost processing times as a result of the pandemic in 2020.

“I am hearing daily from applicants desperately trying to learn why approval for their application is still pending when it is well passed the standard processing, while in other cases people who have applied long after them are much further in the process,” Kwan said in a letter addressed to new Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Minister Sean Fraser.

“There is also a greater need for transparency in all aspects of immigration. Applicants are struggling to get information on their application as lack of resources at IRCC has resulted in IRCC greatly reducing access to inquiry services,” Kwan states. She also asks for detailed information on the current state of backlogs and anticipated timelines for getting back to regular processing times.

IN THE NEWS: Global News West Block - Opposition MPs say Auditor General report highlights failures of border safety measures

The Auditor General found the Public Health Agency of Canada does not know whether 75 per cent of air arrivals followed quarantine rules in early 2021. ‘The West Block’ guest host Abigail Bimman is joined by Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman and NDP MP Jenny Kwan to discuss the government’s response and reinstated travel rules due to the Omicron variant.

IN THE NEWS: CTV News - Minister predicts two-year timeline to fulfil promise to get 40,000 Afghans to Canada

The NDP criticized the bureaucracy imposed on desperate Afghans, with leader Jagmeet Singh telling a news conference that making Afghans fleeing the Taliban fill out an online form during a time of crisis was not the right response.

Jenny Kwan, the NDP's immigration critic, said there is no guarantee that Afghans in hiding from the Taliban -- including women and children, human-rights activists, and interpreters who helped the Canadian military -- would still be alive in two years.  "We need to cut the red tape. People's lives are at risk right now. People's lives hang in the balance. They may not be standing in two year's time," she said.

IN THE NEWS: Globe & Mail - Members of Parliament to probe government’s handling of Kabul evacuation

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said people in Afghanistan do not have two years to wait.

“Afghans are in a dire situation and urgent action is required,” she said. “Some may not even have two days, two weeks or two months, let alone two years.”

IN THE NEWS: Ottawa Citizen - Brockville refugee takes her case to PMO

NDP Immigration Critic Jenny Kwan attended the event at the PMO to show support. She called on the Liberal government to address the backlog of refugee claims.

“If they don’t put additional resources into the system, we are three years away to get back to pre-pandemic levels,” Kwan said.

IN THE NEWS: Indo-Canadian Voice - NDP urges Liberals to take immediate action to address Canada’s nursing shortage

“Nurses are overworked and it is hurting them and their patients. When hospitals don’t have enough nurses, wait times increase and surgeries get delayed,” said Kwan. “Meanwhile, there are qualified internationally educated nurses waiting for their applications to be processed. The Liberals need to recognize that they can fix this crisis, rather than being a roadblock. We are demanding that the government adequately fund IRCC so that qualified health care workers can be granted permanent residence.”

NDP call for emergency debate on GIS cut crisis facing Canadian seniors

OTTAWA – Seniors in Canada have faced difficult challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with the pandemic still ongoing and the cost of living rising, the Liberal government is turning its back on our most vulnerable seniors by cutting the Guaranteed Basic Income (GIS) that they rely on to pay their bills and buy groceries. New Democrats know that’s not right and are fighting back. Today, the NDP’s Critic for Seniors, Rachel Blaney (North Island-Powell River) and the Critic for Employment and Workforce Development, Daniel Blaikie (Elmwood Transcona), sent a letter requesting an emergency debate on these cuts that are hurting seniors.

IN THE NEWS: Indo-Canadian Voice - NDP MPs urge Liberals to stop cutting help Canadians count on

“The cost of everyday essentials is skyrocketing and families in my riding were already struggling to get by, even before the CCB was clawed back,” said NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East). “Vulnerable families need to be supported, and that’s why we’re calling on the Liberal government to give families the benefits they deserve.”

Statistics Canada on Thursday indicated that the cost of living is rising across the country – the price of gasoline rose a massive 41.7 percent from last October. New Democrats are saying that this will make it even harder for Canadian families to afford the things they need.