{"id":8189,"date":"2026-04-29T15:47:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T22:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/news\/7630126\/amnesty-international-report-warns-of-deepening-indigenous-peoples-housing-crisis\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T17:01:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T00:01:34","slug":"amnesty-international-report-warns-of-deepening-indigenous-peoples-housing-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/8189\/amnesty-international-report-warns-of-deepening-indigenous-peoples-housing-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Amnesty International report warns of deepening Indigenous people’s housing crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

MONTR\u00c9AL \u2014 A new report by Amnesty International warns that overcrowded and unsafe housing in an Atikamekw community north of Montreal reflects a broader crisis putting Indigenous people’s health, safety and rights at risk across Canada.<\/p>\n

In Manawan, about 250 kilometres north of Montreal, community leaders say families are regularly reaching out for emergency housing support as homes become increasingly overcrowded and conditions deteriorate.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery week, elected officials and community leaders receive calls, messages and urgent requests from families in search of housing who are often motivated by critical situations where the safety of women and children is at stake,\u201d said Sipi Flamand, chief of the Atikamekw Council of Manawan, at the release of the report in Montreal.<\/p>\n

The report is based on a two-year investigation into housing conditions in the remote Lanaudi\u00e8re community. It found severe overcrowding, aging infrastructure and long delays in building new homes \u2014 pressures local leaders say have pushed the system beyond its limits.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur housing stock is already severely overcrowded,” Flamand said. “The needs are urgent, alarming and far exceed current capacity. It is with a deep sense of helplessness that we receive these requests, knowing that delays related to funding programs are delaying responses that are urgent and essential.”<\/p>\n

According to Amnesty International, the housing shortage goes far beyond a lack of physical structures, with widespread consequences for fundamental human rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Indigenous communities, not only the right to housing, but also the rights to education, health, privacy, safety and life are being violated,\u201d said France-Isabelle Langlois, director general of Amnesty International\u2019s francophone section in Canada.<\/p>\n

She added that many families are forced to live in unsafe and overcrowded homes, often plagued by mould and poor conditions that contribute to illness and stress.<\/p>\n

”The cycle of violence against women, girls, children and elders continues. Also, the lack of housing often leads to homelessness,\u201d Langlois said.<\/p>\n

Although the report focuses on Manawan, similar conditions exist in many of the country\u2019s more than 600 Indigenous communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live the same realities,\u201d said Vivianne Chilton, chief of Wemotaci, an Atikamekw community in Quebec\u2019s Mauricie region. \u201cThere can be three or four families in one house … mornings are very demanding … if there is only one toilet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Housing pressures are also pushing some residents to leave their communities for urban centres, she said, often because of overcrowding and lack of privacy.<\/p>\n

Data cited by the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador suggests that $139 billion is needed to address housing needs in Indigenous communities across Canada, including roughly $8 billion in Quebec alone.<\/p>\n

Francis Verreault-Paul, chief of the organization, said the province needs more than 10,000 new housing units, along with major repairs to thousands of existing homes.<\/p>\n

But he expressed frustration with both the federal and provincial governments, pointing to a lack of concrete commitments in the latest federal economic update delivered by Finance Minister Fran\u00e7ois-Philippe Champagne.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was the economic update yesterday, and no major announcement was made in that regard,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Verreault-Paul also criticized what he described as ongoing jurisdictional disputes between Quebec and Ottawa, saying they are slowing progress on housing.<\/p>\n

He said housing shortages are also contributing to Indigenous homelessness in urban centres, and making it harder for people to return to their communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there are much deeper questions that need to be answered about that, but certainly there is a correlation between the two. It is a phenomenon that impacts everyone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

At the same time, he said the lack of housing is preventing many from returning to their communities after pursuing education or career opportunities elsewhere.<\/p>\n

”It is completely senseless to have this situation where people leave to acquire tools, but cannot bring them back home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For Amnesty International, the crisis reflects deeper systemic issues that require urgent action from all levels of government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe situation requires immediate and significant measures so that First Nations can live in dignity,\u201d Langlois said.<\/p>\n

Flamand said the situation represents a deeper structural problem that goes beyond infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe housing crisis in Indigenous communities is a structural injustice that can no longer be tolerated or made invisible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said addressing it requires more than construction.<\/p>\n

\u201cResponding to this crisis is not only about building houses,” he said. “It is about rebuilding the very foundations of our communities and supporting their self-determination. It is also about laying the foundations of a renewed relationship between Indigenous Peoples and Canadian society.”<\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2026.<\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
The logo of the Attikamekw Sipi First Nation north of Montreal is shown in this handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Handout – Attikamekw Sipi First Nation (Mandatory credit)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MONTR\u00c9AL \u2014 A new report by Amnesty International warns that overcrowded and unsafe housing in an Atikamekw community north of Montreal reflects a broader crisis putting Indigenous people’s health, safety and rights at risk across Canada. In Manawan, about 250 kilometres north of Montreal, community leaders say families are regularly reaching out for emergency housing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":522,"featured_media":8191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"guid":"690b606c-bc71-4582-b671-0b924a8c48d5","source":"The Canadian Press","byline":"Pierre Saint-Arnaud","published":"2026-04-29 15:47:22","updated":"2026-04-29 16:43:24","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[596,1693,1828,1827,661,1683,1695,1739],"tags":[],"region":[1687,1714,1688,1689,1721],"class_list":["post-8189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-construction","category-finance","category-health","category-lifestyles","category-national","category-real-estate","category-social","region-canada","region-montreal","region-ontario","region-ottawa","region-quebec"],"blocksy_meta":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/8189\/amnesty-international-report-warns-of-deepening-indigenous-peoples-housing-crisis\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Amnesty International report warns of deepening Indigenous people’s housing crisis","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/8189\/amnesty-international-report-warns-of-deepening-indigenous-peoples-housing-crisis\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/8189\/amnesty-international-report-warns-of-deepening-indigenous-peoples-housing-crisis\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/inhome-00756edadb060eb377d4f81841d4d29616d40213e48f435d7c8ebd79cd6b83a6.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/inhome-00756edadb060eb377d4f81841d4d29616d40213e48f435d7c8ebd79cd6b83a6.jpg"},"articleSection":"business","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Canadian Press"}],"creator":["The Canadian Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNhome","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-04-29T22:47:22Z","datePublished":"2026-04-29T22:47:22Z","dateModified":"2026-04-30T00:01:34Z"},"rendered":"