Regional Tripartite Housing Committee (RTHC)
Minutes
Meeting of June 12, 2025
Facilitator: Guy Latouche
1. Welcome and Introduction
The agenda is accepted without modification.
2. Action Item Follow-up
All actions recorded in the minutes of the March 2025 meeting and in the action tracking table are receiving the expected follow-up. The insurance file, Unifor’s engagement, and the response to the recommendations of the Auditor General’s report are included in the 2025-2027 Action Plan. As for the future of the Indigenous Housing Echo bulletin, it is the subject of a specific point on the agenda for this meeting.
3. National and Regional Environment
AFNQL
Revision of National Fund Allocation for Section 95 and ERPAP Programs
The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) is taking leadership on this very concerning issue and will present a resolution at the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Annual General Assembly in September. As a reminder, after suffering a 40% decrease in its share of the budget, the Quebec region could face another major reduction if the allocation formula is revised as envisioned by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Three other regions will face the same fate. We request that the revised formula does not cause a decrease in the budget of the regions. The solution therefore lies in the injection of additional funds into the programs.
This is an issue that we raised extensively at the last meeting of the Chiefs’ Committee on Housing and Infrastructure, in which the CMHC Housing Vice-President participated.
Transition of the First Nations Market Housing Fund to First Nations Control
When the First Nations Market Housing Fund (FNMHF) was created, it was intended that control of it would eventually be transferred from the federal government to First Nations. The Fund’s Board of Directors and the President and CEO are all First Nations citizens who have worked on reforming the Fund to significantly improve its services and results for First Nations.
The AFNQL will present a second resolution to the AFN General Assembly, this time urging the federal government to honor its intention to transfer control of the Fund to First Nations, as provided for in the trust deed that established the FNMHF.
2025 Federal Election
The appointment of the former Grand Chief of the Cree Nation, Mandy Masty-Gull, as Minister of Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is certainly good news. She is well-acquainted with the housing issues of First Nations in the Quebec region. She should be present at the Chiefs’ meeting on June 18.
We do not have a clear indication of the new government’s intentions regarding First Nations housing, but it remains a fact that shortly after his election, the Prime Minister stated that he wishes to implement “the most ambitious housing plan in Canada since World War II.” It remains to be hoped that this plan will include a specific component for First Nations.
Urban, Rural, and Northern (URN) Indigenous Housing Strategy
The AFNQL held two engagement sessions on March 27 and 28. Participation was very good. The goal was to inform and consult First Nations and potential stakeholders on the short-term Action Plan, which includes three components: mobilizing, documenting needs, and funding shovel-ready projects.
As a reminder, for the first two of the seven years of URN funding, the AFNQL will call upon the services of the Société immobilière du Regroupement des Centres d’amitié autochtones (SIRCAAQ), an off-community housing provider that is 100% First Nations. The goal is to quickly implement projects aimed at meeting pressing needs. no decision has yet been made regarding the orientation to be adopted for the subsequent five years.
Closing the Gap in Housing and Infrastructure
In April 2024, the AFN published the report entitled “Closing the Infrastructure Gap,” which estimates the cost required to close this gap at $349.2 billion. Later in the year, a first report produced with the help of the Conference Board of Canada (CBoC) entitled “Benefits for All Canadians” presented the return on this investment: $635 billion in economic output, $308.9 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, and more than 338,000 jobs per year, including more than 31,000 for First Nations members. More recently, a new report, again with the help of the CBoC, goes beyond economic aspects. It shows how closing the infrastructure gap promotes broader and long-term benefits in areas such as mental health, school success, workforce qualification, culture, etc.
A Highly Valued Resource Leaves the AFN
Dan Gaspé, Senior Policy Advisor in Housing at the AFN, has announced his retirement. He left his position in May. He was for a long time an important player in advocating for the rights and needs of First Nations in the field of housing. He held a similar position with the AFNQL for several years. He leaves with an invaluable wealth of experience.
ISC
Human Resources News
Ministerial Appointment: The Honorable Mandy Gull-Masty was appointed Minister of Indigenous Services. She served as Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Crees from 2021 to 2025, becoming the first woman to hold this position. She is also the first Indigenous person to be appointed Minister of Indigenous Services.
New Arrival: Hélène Aubé joined the team on June 19 as Fire Protection Coordinator.
Ministerial Budgetary Context
Since April 1, 2025, ISC has been applying a ministerial strategy aimed at ensuring long-term financial sustainability. This strategy notably includes the introduction of salary caps.
At the regional level, the conversion of Operations and Maintenance (O&M) funds allowed for the maintenance of jobs by balancing salaries. However, this measure reduces the availability of funds for travel, currently limited to essential travel. The duration of application of these measures remains to be confirmed.
On the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) side, operational travel is not affected by the new restrictions.
Infrastructure and Housing Budgets
2024-2025 Highlights
- Infrastructure: The majority of planned projects were funded, which testifies to the efficiency of the prioritization approach.
- Housing: The sector supported projects promoting First Nations governance, notably through:
- local capacity building;
- financial innovation;
- home ownership;
- construction and renovation; Ø land preparation.
2025-2026 Planning
Important considerations must be taken into account to achieve the objectives of the Capital Facilities and Maintenance Program, which aims to close infrastructure gaps on reserves. The main issues concern the stability and predictability of funding as well as the adaptation of funds to long-term planning.
First Nations Children’s Housing Fund
The Quebec region has received, to date, three of the five announced years of funding, for a total of $79,824,406. This funding is intended to support housing projects aimed at improving the well-being of children and families.
- 2023-2024: $19,258,197
- 2024-2025: $29,381,055
- 2025-2026: $31,185,154
The region has adapted the fund allocation formula at the regional level, taking into account variables such as the number of children, the housing occupancy rate, and a geographic remoteness index.
Emergency Management
Update on Extreme Weather Events
- Flooding – Spring 2025: No major events to report for the period.
- Wildfires – Current Season: A few fire centers are active in northern zones, without requiring intervention at this stage. Forecasts indicate a later fire season this year.
- Wildfires – 2023 Season: The claims processing remains underway.
Smoke-Free Spaces
ISC (Regional Operations and FNIHB) continues the implementation of smoke-free spaces in existing buildings. Once operational, these locations allow for limited evacuations in situations where the threat concerns air quality rather than fire progression.
Update – State of Emergency in the Cree Nation of Chisasibi
Following a failure of the water treatment plant, more than 16,000 liters of water were delivered to the community. The management of this emergency situation was handled by the community, with the support of the ISC operational reserve and its partners.
CMHC
Section 95
Subsidies as Collateral
Within the framework of the Section 95 program, a new loan security option is now available to communities. In addition to the ministerial loan guarantee (MLG), CMHC can accept, if the criteria are met, that the loan attached to a Section 95 project be guaranteed by the Section 95 subsidies of the same project.
This option should meet the needs of communities that might have certain issues preventing them from accessing the MLG, such as land issues, or to meet the needs of communities that do not want an MLG. Finally, this option should decrease the pressure placed on the ever-growing budget attached to ISC’s MLGs.
Note that this new flexibility is not intended to bypass ineligibility for the MLG due to financial issues.
CMHC specialists will explore this option with communities once the 2025-2026 Section 95 fund allocation has been confirmed.
Atlantic Pilot Project
A collaboration between ISC (Atlantic) and CMHC is exploring how to integrate MLG requests into the current Section 95 approval process. In doing so, after receiving community consent, CMHC will apply for the MLG directly to ISC on behalf of the communities. This pilot project is being implemented starting this year; fiscal year 2025-2026. We will provide an update later this year on the progress of this project.
2025-2026 Allocation of Section 95 Funds
Allocation letters were sent to eligible communities on June 13, 2025. Overall, an envelope of $11,050,000 was shared among communities in Quebec. A total of twenty communities will share 33 units. The complete fund allocation list will be shared shortly.
Housing Internships for Indigenous Youth (HIIY)
This year, as a result of the ISC-CMHC collaboration, a total sum of $1,409,779 for 56 internships was approved. CMHC invested $219,588 for a total of 11 internships and ISC invested $1,190,191 to support 45 internships.
National Update
Elections
The minister responsible for CMHC, the Honorable Gregor Robertson, has not received a specific mandate letter. On the other hand, we understand that he will have to follow up on the Prime Minister’s mandate letter by informing how he will support it. We have not yet been informed of the response.
We are still waiting for details surrounding the creation of “Build Canada Home (BCH).”
4. RTHC Report 2024-2025
The Annual Report for the year 2024-2025 is reviewed and accepted by the RTHC authorities.
5. Action Plan 2025-2027
The Action Plan is reviewed and accepted by the RTHC authorities. This plan replaces the previous one (2023-2025) which had come to an end. It is suggested to add the year of completion for realized actions that remain in the Plan.
6. Strategic Discussions: Section 95 Allocation
In our actions aimed at avoiding a substantial budget decrease, we must emphasize the region’s performance in program delivery. We want to avoid depreciating other regions; that is not the goal. Regardless, there has been no reallocation of Section 95 funds between regions in recent years (this may be due to the fact that costs are increasing, therefore fewer units are delivered). On the other hand, it sometimes happens that regions do not deliver the renovation budget. We are comfortable demonstrating that the region is efficient, that returning funds to the Treasury Board must be avoided, that needs are increasing, but that the Section 95 program budget is not keeping pace. We have reliable data demonstrating the needs in Quebec.
7. Review (Results) of One-Off Initiatives
ISC and CMHC have prepared and shared a portrait of the achievements of one-off initiatives over the past 5 years. These are budgetary injections that are added to regular budgets. Tens of millions of dollars were thus invested in communities in Quebec by the 2 partners since 2021 to meet proven needs, such as the construction and renovation of housing, lot servicing, capacity building, and innovation.
For more details, see the presentation documents available via the following link:
https://apnql.com/comite-regional-tripartite-en-logement/
8. Communications Update: Indigenous Housing Echo
The results of a survey show that the bulletin is little consulted by First Nations. The production of the bulletin represents considerable work. On the other hand, the section on the distribution of CMHC funds among communities seems to generate more interest. We have other effective means of communication, notably email blasts by the AFNQL and the Housing Community of Practice (CoP) platform. They are very suitable for disseminating all important information, including the distribution of CMHC funds. After discussion, it is agreed to end the production of the Indigenous Housing Echo bulletin.
9. Next Meeting
October 22 is the date selected for holding the next RTHC meeting.