The federal government announced half a billion dollars for Métis housing needs across Canada on Thursday afternoon.
The announcement was made at the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan Assembly in Saskatoon.
The money was earmarked in the 2018 federal budget and will be distributed over the next decade.
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett says housing needs for Métis people are significant and the federal money is a positive start.
“The needs are huge in terms of getting people adequately housed but this was a number that, together with the Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister, was deemed to be what we were able to do over the next ten years,” she says.
The Minister adds it is up to each of the elected Métis provincial governments to determine how the housing money is spent.
“It is a matter of form following function. They know what they need and they will build what is best for their unique situation in each of the governing nations.”
Bennett will also be at Back to Batoche Days Friday morning to sign a framework agreement on reconciliation with the MN-S.
(PHOTO: Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett (left) signs the Housing Sub-Accord with Métis National Council President Clem Chartier, by Fraser Needham)