Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O’Regan says the government is “deeply disturbed” by a report that a consultant working for Cat Lake First Nation is demanding a fee of more than $1-million for helping negotiate the band’s recent housing agreement with Ottawa.
“Housing money will go to housing,” Mr. O’Regan said in Question Period on Friday morning. “It is as simple as that. Housing money goes to housing.”Northern Ontario MP Charlie Angus, the NDP’s Indigenous-affairs critic, raised the issue, saying Canadians were shocked by the horrific conditions on the reserve and there was hope the funding agreed to in March was a “new beginning” for the families that live there.
In the past week, reports have said a consultant signed a contract with Cat Lake in 2017 that pledged 10 per cent of any new money the community received, including federal grants. The consultant wasn’t getting any guaranteed payments for his work other than expenses, including costs to fly to and from the remote community.
Cat Lake is a remote community of about 450 people, without year-round road access, about 180 kilometres north of Sioux Lookout, Ont. The chief and council declared a housing emergency in January, saying most of the reserve’s homes were dangerous for people to live in because of mould.
Could someone explain, or point me to an explanation, as to why the federal gov't appears obliged to build houses and provide water treatment systems for native communities? Was this a committment made at some point? In what form? There are hundreds/thousands of such communities.
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