Executive summary
Across what is now Canada, Métis face long-standing challenges to accessing all elements of the human right to adequate housing.
The Federal Housing Advocate was invited by the Métis Nation – Saskatchewan (MN-S) to conduct a systemic review of the housing and homelessness conditions experienced by the Métis in their homeland. This review was undertaken as part of the Federal Housing Advocate’s role as an independent, nonpartisan watchdog – someone who holds government decisionmakers to account for their human rights obligations related to housing and homelessness. This systemic review has been carried out pursuant to subsection 13.1(1) of the National Housing Strategy Act.
The Federal Housing Advocate spent time in various communities and met with organizations working to address pressing housing needs in the homeland of the Saskatchewan Métis. She had a firsthand view of the Métis experience with housing conditions, housing precarity and homelessness in Métis communities across the province.
The Advocate’s visit to the traditional territories of the Métis in Saskatchewan used a right to housing lens to reveal the intersection of history, present day circumstances and future opportunities. The history of Métis in Saskatchewan is not commonly known and often, the role of the Métis in the creation of the province is overlooked.
This review is unprecedented and is the first comprehensive report on Métis housing conditions. Métis in Saskatchewan need a housing supply that that fulfills their right to adequate housing. It must be affordable, habitable, accessible, available with supports, and culturally relevant.
Métis communities experience disproportionately higher rates of homelessness and housing precarity compared to the non-Indigenous population. Additionally, they experience higher rates of addiction and mental health issues. Causes for these disproportional rates can be found in a history of a denial of rights, racism and systems that perpetuate harm.
This report shows that the Métis have experienced historic barriers to adequate housing that date back to the 1800s. This is the result of government policies and actions that sought to disempower the Métis. Originally, thriving Métis communities located across what is now northern Saskatchewan pre-dated or existed concurrently with the Red River Settlement. The lives of the Métis dramatically changed with Confederation and the opening up of the country for colonization.
In addition to a unique role in history, the Métis have a distinct identity and way of life that focuses on the relationship between generations, the importance of Elders, and the prioritization of healthy, thriving communities. It is critical that decision-makers at all levels recognize and embrace these unique Métis ways of knowing and doing in order to find culturally appropriate, responsive, and effective solutions to housing and homelessness.
It was clear during the Advocate’s visit to Saskatchewan that many gaps still exist for Métis when it comes to their fundamental right to adequate housing.
Remote and northern communities lack the basic infrastructure of affordable housing and safe and secure communities. In northern communities, housing lacks availability of basic services, with the cost of utilities making affordability a major barrier. Houses were not built or maintained to current standards, which impacts habitability. The Advocate identified a need for a compliance system to uphold standards and ensure accountability so that housing is safe, accessible, and adequate. That means implementing by-laws that better account for northern climate and geography, as well as developing building codes and enforcement mechanisms to ensure that housing meets national and provincial building standards.
A lot of the homes are aging and in need of expensive maintenance and capital repairs. The exorbitant cost to heat these homes compared to those in the province’s large urban centres are the result of two issues: the cost of electricity is much higher for people in the province’s remote areas, and the homes themselves are in dire need of capital upgrades to minimize heat loss.
The ability to afford and obtain adequate home insurance is also a major barrier, especially in remote communities. In addition, for individuals with physical mobility challenges, housing that is adapted to their needs is limited and often makeshift. Finally, there are limited economic opportunities in remote locations to ensure that these communities grow and thrive.
Meanwhile, shortcomings in the provincial and federal systems exacerbate the barriers to adequate housing experienced by the Métis. Provincially, the current model of income assistance, Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS), is contributing to homelessness and leaving people trapped as opposed to empowered. Barriers to accessing Saskatchewan Housing Corporation units remain insurmountable for most.
Current funding models at both the provincial and federal level are not adequate to meet the needs. There is a funding gap for transitional housing and wrap-around services, combined with an urgent need to scale up existing best practices and transition support models. In addition, funding is not long term or predictable, which makes operating emergency housing difficult. What the Federal Housing Advocate witnessed across the province was a critical shortage of emergency and transitional housing, or housing that is secure. Every rural community visited in northern Saskatchewan did not have an adequate emergency shelter, let alone a women’s shelter. In some cases, the communities the Advocate visited had no shelters at all, nor a food bank. This lack of emergency support means that people in precarious or dangerous situations do not have a safe space to turn to. Many communities are being forced to decide between building more emergency shelter spaces or transitional housing when the funding that is provided falls short of what is needed and requested.
There is also a critical shortage of all other kinds of permanent housing. That includes community housing, as well as adaptive and barrier-free housing to enable seniors and people with disabilities to remain in their home communities and live independently. There is a need to increase housing supply by implementing new funding models, incentivizing innovative solutions, as well as addressing the shortage of skilled labour needed to build new homes.
A hidden pressure in providing community housing and supports is the pressure on housing providers themselves and their staff. Without reliable and adequate funding, income levels are lower, employment stability is non-existent and yet, employees are expected to continue to deliver services at their own risk.
Homelessness and extreme poverty are tied to substance use disorders and mental health. In every location the Advocate visited, housing providers are being overwhelmed by the impacts of the drug toxicity crisis. From trying to immediately house people recovering from an overdose reversal, to securing longer term housing for those with more complex social and health needs, housing that is available or accessible to these individuals with wrap around supports is limited. As a result, fewer people are housed, with many high needs individuals left with no other option than sleeping rough on the streets or in encampments. Meanwhile, Métis individuals are overrepresented in the correctional system as a result of complex root causes that include systemic issues. These issues are not always addressed upon incarceration, resulting in individuals leaving the corrections system in a vulnerable state.
There are past and present government policies and actions that have created barriers to housing for the Métis that other Canadians do not face. Dismantling these barriers and seeking better outcomes for the Métis in Saskatchewan has been something that the MN-S has focused on since at least the 1930s, and as part of a self-government agreement signed with Canada in 2019.
With respect to housing, MN-S delivers a number of housing programs to its citizens. These programs ensure culturally relevant approaches to housing and range from funding emergency needs to actively increasing housing supply. Métis housing providers in urban centres are currently operating culturally relevant housing models. Innovative Métis owned enterprises are seeking to manufacture modular housing. MN-S has overseen the development of several Métis-informed housing models that are demonstrating early success. However, this early success is being compromised by unstable funding and different priorities that do not align. It is critical that MN-S’s jurisdiction as a government is recognized and that they are included in all policy and decision-making discussions related to housing with the provincial and federal governments. It is important that governments at all levels work with MN-S on a government-togovernment basis to identify and invest in shared priorities so that new funding models and solutions can be jointly designed and implemented.
Finally, the human right to housing must be recognized and supported in order to make lasting change when it comes to housing and homelessness. A human-rights based approach puts people first and ensures their rights are respected and their needs are met.
Fulfilling the human right to housing for the Métis in Saskatchewan requires an understanding of the multiple intersecting issues that are involved – culture, history, intergenerational trauma, poverty, substance abuse disorders and mental health. This means that progress depends on sustained effort, funding and co-operation.
All governments should heed this call to uphold the human right to adequate housing of the Métis in Saskatchewan.