Canada's Performance 2005: The Government of Canada's Contribution

Performance context

The Aboriginal Horizontal Framework enables the Government of Canada to begin working with Aboriginal communities and organizations to develop meaningful performance measures to evaluate its performance and determine whether its key commitments and goals are being met. Until these measures are developed, indicators such as the level of acceptable housing, which has been tracked by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Statistics Canada, illustrate the level of progress made. In the electronic version of the report, clicking on the indicators in the Performance Highlight table will lead you to detailed information about current performance and trends.

Note: The legend summarizing the symbols used in the table above can be found in the introduction, on page 2.

Why is it important?

Suitable, adequate, and affordable housing has a direct impact on an individual's health and well-being and represents a building block of a healthy and productive society. Suitable, adequate, and affordable housing is also essential because it supports the stability and permanence of location, which, in turn, facilitates opportunities for obtaining and maintaining long-term employment, accessing public and private services, and participating in community activities. In many cases, unacceptable housing can be associated with a host of health problems. For example, crowded living conditions can lead to the transmission of infectious diseases and can further increase risk of injury, mental health problems, family tensions, and violence.

Housing conditions of Aboriginal households in Canada significantly lag behind non-Aboriginal households. Although the Government of Canada's on-reserve housing policy provides First Nations with the flexibility and control to tailor housing plans to respond to the needs within their communities, the housing need on-reserve is still considerable. For instance, on-reserve housing shortages are currently estimated at 20,000 units, with an additional 4,500 new units needed annually to meet the requirements of new households. In 2004-05, out of a total of 96,804 housing units on-reserve, 21,197 housing units required major repair, 5,519 needed to be replaced, and 1,875 additional housing units were built.

Aboriginal people living off-reserve also face serious housing issues. For the majority of Aboriginal households off-reserve, affordability is the primary housing difficulty, and-as long as their incomes lag-Aboriginal households will continue to be more susceptible to housing need. In 2001, 21.0 per cent of Aboriginal houses off-reserve were in core housing need compared to 14.0 per cent of non-Aboriginal households. (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation housing indicators, based on the Statistics Canada 2001 Census)

Aboriginal people are over-represented in the homeless population in every major city where statistics are available. For example, in Hamilton, Aboriginal people represent 2.0 per cent of the population but 20.0 per cent of the homeless population. In Edmonton, Aboriginal people represent 43.0 per cent of the homeless population (based on a city count in 2002) while accounting for only about 6 per cent of the overall population. (Statistics Canada, 2001 Census)

The Government of Canada's expenditures and programs for housing for Aboriginal people

In 2004-05, INAC, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada contributed to the pursuit that Aboriginal people have improved access to suitable, adequate, and affordable housing through the provision of 15 programs and services. Federal programming, in which expenditures totalled $438.8 million in 2004-05, is divided between First Nations housing on-reserve and Aboriginal housing off-reserve.

On-reserve investments are aimed at supporting the construction of new housing, repairs and renovations, operation and maintenance, and other related housing activities. Of total expenditures in 2004-05, 29.0 per cent is provided by INAC through contribution funding to First Nations communities and 67.0 per cent is provided by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation through various on-reserve housing programs, such as the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program. Budget 2005 announced an investment of $295.0 million over five years for housing on-reserve that will build on current programs to construct 6,400 new units and renovate 1,500 existing units.

Off-reserve, federal initiatives have been developed to complement existing provincial and territorial housing measures. In 2004-05, off-reserve housing expenditures totalled $190.6 million. This amount does not include programs available to all Canadians, such as the Affordable Housing Initiative, which is cost-shared and delivered by the provinces and territories, though it does fund such programs as the Aboriginal Homelessness Initiative and federal housing renovation programs, such as the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program and Emergency Repair Program.

Clicking on the links in the electronic version of the following table will lead you to detailed program and expenditure information on programs related to housing.

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Housing terms

On-reserve housing policy

Performance context

The Aboriginal Horizontal Framework enables the Government of Canada to begin working with Aboriginal communities and organizations to develop meaningful performance measures to evaluate its performance and determine whether its key commitments and goals are being met. Until these measures are developed, indicators such as the employment rate, median income, and business formation rate, which have been tracked by Statistics Canada through the 2001 Census, illustrate the level of progress made. In the electronic version of the report, clicking on indicators in the Performance Highlight table will lead you to detailed information about current performance and trends.

Note: The legend summarizing the symbols used in the table above can be found in the introduction, on page 2.

Why is it important?

Enhancing the potential for Aboriginal people and communities to take advantage of economic opportunities is essential to securing their place in Canada's economy. Two major economic challenges faced by Aboriginal communities are business and market development and fostering sustainable economic development. Aboriginal communities have relied heavily on natural resource harvesting to provide economic development opportunities. Communities often face many challenges, however, in translating these resources into economic opportunities. Sustainable economic opportunities provide long-term employment and stable sources of revenue, which, in turn, are critical to improving the quality of life and achieving self-reliance in Aboriginal communities. Ensuring the conditions for economic opportunities exist is even more critical given the current demographics and population growth of Aboriginal communities. Projections suggest that young Aboriginal people in Manitoba and Saskatchewan may account for as much as 25 to 30 per cent of the new entrants to the labour force.

The Government of Canada's expenditures and programs related to economic opportunities for Aboriginal people

In 2004-05, 9 federal departments and agencies contributed to the pursuit of sustainable wealth creation and participation in the economy through the provision of 31 programs and services with a total cost of $231.4 million. The majority of federal programs are inclusive to all Aboriginal peoples and include various target groups for programs, such as communities, institutions, individuals, youth, women, individual heritage and status groups, urban populations, entrepreneurs, and business development organizations. Most programs are available across the country, although some are region-specific, such as those delivered by regional development agencies.

The federal programming suite supports economic development opportunities along several streams. For instance, it can support development in resource industries or capacity building within First Nations and Inuit communities to enable participation in community economic development projects. Depending on the community, support may involve employment, business development, development of land and resources under community control, or accessing opportunities from land and resources beyond community control, and developing effective regulatory regimes. The Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy and the First Nations Forestry Program are examples of resource-specific programs.

The federal program suite also includes programs that create the necessary preconditions for sustainable economic development by promoting access to capital and supporting business development. For instance, in 2004-05 Industry Canada's Aboriginal Business Canada contributed $34.5 million toward 1,200 projects, helping to launch or expand Aboriginal ventures and providing support to a network of business and financial institutions. Such contributions from Aboriginal Business Canada have led to investments totalling $93.6 million. Other federal programs provide job-specific training to First Nations and Métis people and the Inuit through programs that engage employers to encourage and support Aboriginal employment. An example of such a program is the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership initiative implemented by Human Resources Skills Development Canada.

Clicking on the links in the electronic version of the following table will lead you to detailed program and expenditure information on programs related to economic opportunities for Aboriginal people.

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Aboriginal peoples in metropolitan areas

Why is it important?

The sustainable use and management of lands and resources by First Nations people and the Inuit includes the establishment of their own systems to manage these resources. This facilitates increased decision making at the local level and presents an important building block to self-governance in First Nations and Inuit communities. Through the sustainable use and management of lands and resources, First Nations and Inuit communities are able to improve access to economic development opportunities, improve self-sufficiency, and contribute to maintaining the spiritual and cultural heritage of Aboriginal peoples, many of whom have a special relationship with land, resources, and the environment.

The Government of Canada's expenditures and programming for Aboriginal peoples in lands and resources

In 2004-05, 5 federal departments and agencies contributed to the pursuit of sustainable use and management of First Nations and Inuit lands and resources by First Nations people and the Inuit. All 31 federal programs are targeted at First Nations and Inuit communities, with a total cost of $144.8 million.

The Government of Canada is working with First Nations people and the Inuit to ensure that they have the freedom and responsibility to manage their lands, natural resources, and revenues in a way that works best for them, while fostering sustainable use and management of resources that meet environmental standards. Initiatives such as the First Nations Land and Management Initiative and legislation recently introduced in the House of Commons (the First Nations Oil and Gas and Moneys Management Act) represent an incremental step that will enable First Nations and Inuit communities to assume greater control of their lands and resources. Such federal initiatives will also help them develop their own modern or traditional tools to manage and protect their lands and resources to ensure that they can determine the pace of community land code development and ratification.

Additionally, many Aboriginal people have long enjoyed a special relationship with marine and freshwater resources and their supporting habitat. Initiatives such as the Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy and the Aboriginal Aquatic Resource and Oceans Management Program support capacity-building in Aboriginal communities so they can participate more effectively in various advisory and multi-stakeholder processes used for aquatic resource and oceans management and to expand their opportunities to participate in commercial fisheries and aquaculture development.

Clicking on the links in the electronic version of the following table will lead you to detailed program and expenditure information on programs related to land and resources.

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Why is it important?

Sound Aboriginal governance and strong institutional capacity are important to establishing stable and accountable Aboriginal governments that are reflective of and responsive to their community's needs and values. Sound Aboriginal governance serves as the foundation for making progress in improving the quality of life issues previously discussed, such as housing, lifelong learning, and health.

The Government of Canada's expenditures and programming for Aboriginal peoples in governance and relationships

In 2004-05, 15 federal departments and agencies contributed $1.1 billion to the pursuit of sound Aboriginal governance and support of institutional capacity and clarification of the respective roles in the relationship through 69 programs and initiatives. It is nevertheless important to note that the departmental expenditures of various activities, such as litigation management, are directed mainly toward corporate activities.

The Government of Canada is engaged with Aboriginal communities in encouraging sound governance and strengthening institutional capacity through several mechanisms, including band support funding, comprehensive land claims settlement processes, and self-government negotiation processes. Many final land claim agreements have been signed between Canada, Aboriginal groups, and the province or territory, such as the Tlicho Agreement in 2003 (effective since August 4, 2005) and the Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Agreement (1992). In fact, there are currently 35 communities under comprehensive self-government agreements (either stand-alone or annexed to Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements), 10 communities with sectoral self-government agreements, and many land claim negotiations underway. Recently, the House of Commons approved the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement Act, which received Royal Assent in 2005 and constitutes an additional land claims agreement concluded with the Inuit.

A key commitment of the federal government is to encourage sound governance in Aboriginal communities by supporting institutional capacity and clarifying respective roles and relationships. As a reflection of the government's commitment, the Government of Canada signed accords with the Assembly of First Nations, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, The Métis National Council, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, and the Native Women's Association of Canada on May 31, 2005.

These joint accords reflect the government's commitment to renew and strengthen its relationships with First Nations and Métis people and the Inuit, in a manner that respects Aboriginal and treaty rights and the unique place of Aboriginal peoples in the Canadian federation. The accords also reflect the government's commitment to strengthening the policy capacity of Aboriginal organizations to contribute more effectively to public policy making and reflect the government's support for Aboriginal organizations representing non-status Indians, the Inuit, and Métis people to interact with all levels of government and to influence decision making.

Clicking on the links in the electronic version of the following table will lead you to detailed program and expenditure information on programs related to governance and relationships.

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Comprehensive Land Claims Policy

Historic treaties

Self-government

First Nations Fiscal and Statistical Management Act