Engagement Report – May 2022

Participants

The Federal Housing Advocate met with in chronological order:

• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) departmental staff
• Patricia DeGuire, Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission
• Members of the Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU)
• Tim Richter, National Housing Council Co-Chair
• Department of Justice staff focussing on the realization of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’s Act
• Kelly Benning, President of the National Association of Friendship Centres
• Justin Marchand, President of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, Indigenous Caucus
• Natan Obed, President of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami
• Leilani Farha, Global Director of the shift
• Gina Wilson, Deputy Minister of Women and Gender Equality Canada
• Tim Ross, Executive Director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada
• Elmer St. Pierre, National Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples
• Margaret Pfoh, Chief Executive Officer of the Aboriginal Housing Management Association
• Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
• Minister’s staff, Department of Women and Gender Equality Canada

Summary

These sessions took place in the form of small to large virtual meetings and conferences in an introductory capacity, as well as bilateral meetings with key partners, rights holders, and duty bearers.

The Advocate had the opportunity to: establish relationships with several key partners, including federal Ministers and global housing rights advocates, who are developing the right to housing as core mandate items; to solicit the engagement preferences of several National Indigenous Organizations and begin working relationships; to continue to be briefed on the program work of colleagues at the CMHC; and spoke at a Town Hall-style conference by the FRAPRU, with the aim of introducing their mandate and duties to an audience of lived-experts and front-line housing program administrators in Quebec, as well as to hear direct feedback from those most experienced in dealing with the harshest systemic housing issues.

Key themes

Advocate introduction of mandate and duties:

• Met with key partners to present mandate and duties, and to establish working relationships.
• Continued to engage with front-line workers and lived-experts, raising awareness of the upcoming online submission tool.

National Indigenous Organizations:

• Took first steps in learning from Indigenous organizations how best to engage with them, and to begin taking stock of the systemic housing issues that most affect their constituents.
• Follow up meetings will take place to help improve understanding of ongoing realities faced by Indigenous people.