February 11, 2021

Winnipeg has greatest Indigenous housing need of all metropolitan cities in Canada, says new PBO report

WINNIPEG, TREATY 1 TERRITORY – NDP MP Leah Gazan is calling for substantial investments into Indigenous housing needs in Winnipeg after a new PBO report released today noted Winnipeg as having the “highest number of Indigenous households in housing need” of all Canadian metropolitan cities.

“This government continues to massively and systemically underfund Indigenous housing. Housing is a human right. The federal government needs to honour this right and immediately make investments. Especially with extreme weather in Winnipeg, this is a life and death matter,” said Gazan.

Yves Giroux, Parliamentary Budget Officer, also highlighted this underfunding, “After accounting for the impact of current programs, there remains a $636 million annual gap between what Indigenous households in urban, rural and northern areas can afford to pay for adequate shelter, and the cost of obtaining it,” he said.

The report estimates 9000 Indigenous households in need of housing in Winnipeg, with Vancouver coming in second at 8000 households. According to the report, a mere 143 affordable housing units have been created in Manitoba since Canada’s National Housing Strategy was announced in 2017.

Gazan is also calling on the federal government to immediately release and implement an urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing strategy led by Indigenous peoples for the 80% of Indigenous peoples who live in urban, rural and northern communities, a promise the liberal government has been making for years without action.

Contact:

Claire Johnston

Latest posts

Letter to Indigenous Liberal Caucus on Ending Residential School Denialism

I write today in response to the Indigenous Liberal Caucus Official Statement from September 3, 2026, regarding the spread of residential school denialism through an online campaign. I share the concerns outlined in the statement, and I too am deeply concerned about the terrifying and escalating attacks that endanger survivors, our families and our nations who continue the hard work of truth-telling.

MP Leah Gazan Statement on the Immediate Threat of the Climate Emergency

On July 23, 2026, NDP Critic for Indigenous Affairs and for the Environment Leah Gazan Issued the Following Statement:
The outbreak of the fires in Northern Ontario last week is a visceral reminder of the immediate Canada-wide threat posed by the climate emergency, as another devastating wildfire season is ravaging dozens of communities, especially First Nations communities.

MP Leah Gazan Statement on the Shamattawa First Nations State of Emergency: Hepatitis A Outbreak

On July 20, 2026, NDP Critic for Indigenous Affairs Leah Gazan Issued the Following Statement: