Question Period Note: Supports for Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people

N.A.

• The Government of Canada is making investments to address the social determinants of health, including housing, economic opportunities, and Indigenous-led healthcare systems.

• The $27 million announced in Budget 2024 for the operation of emergency shelters will enable Indigenous service providers to maintain shelter services in a safe environment.

• The Government of Canada will continue working with shelter networks and Indigenous organizations to prevent
gender-based violence, support survivors, and break the cycle of violence in families and communities across Canada.

The Family Violence Prevention Program

The goal of the Indigenous Services Canada's Family Violence Prevention Program is to improve the safety and security of Indigenous women, children, families, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. The Family Violence Prevention Program provides funding for the following components:
• day-to-day operations of emergency shelters and transitional (second stage) housing that provide services for Indigenous women, children, families, and 2SLGBTQI+ people across Canada, including in the North and in urban centres;
• support for shelter capacity; and,
• culturally-appropriate prevention projects across Canada, such as public awareness campaigns, stress and anger management support groups, and community needs assessments.

Through Budget 2024, ISCs Family Violence Prevention Program received $27 million over two years to support the operation of emergency shelters and transitional homes on reserve, and to renew one year of funding for the Moose Hide Campaign. Shelter funding sunsets in March 2026.

2020 Shelters Initiative for Indigenous Women and Children

On May 29, 2020, $44.8 million was announced over five years for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to build 12 new shelters: 10 shelters for First Nations communities across the country and two in the territories. The government will also provide ISC with $40.8 million to support operational costs for these new shelters over the first five years, and then $10.2 million annually ongoing.

On June 17, 2021, both Ministers jointly announced the location of the 12 new shelters for Indigenous Peoples seeking to escape family violence. The approved shelters are intended to be Indigenous-led and seek to provide vital refuge as well as critical supports and services to help survivors of family violence recover from the trauma of their experiences.

2021 Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative

Through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, the Government of Canada committed $724.1 million to launch a Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy that would expand culturally relevant supports for Indigenous Peoples facing gender-based violence and support new emergency shelters and transitional (second-stage) housing across the country, including in the North and in urban centres.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and ISC worked with the Steering Committee and Selection Committee for the general and Inuit streams of the initiative, which are comprised of representatives from Indigenous Organizations, including First Nations, Inuit, Métis, 2SLGBTQI+ people, urban Indigenous groups, those with lived experience, and shelter staff. The committees have supported the development of the evaluation process and recommended the selection of projects. Since its launch, 73 projects have been selected to date, which includes 37 shelters and 36 transitional housing projects.

In addition to funding shelter operations, the Family Violence Prevention Program supports culturally-appropriate violence prevention and awareness activities, including enhanced wraparound services for shelter clients.

Between fiscal years 2021-2022 and 2024-2025, ISC has provided $203.1 million to fund the operations of new shelters and transitional homes and to support violence prevention activities under the Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy.

If pressed on the Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy
• The Comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy will support new emergency shelters and transitional housing across Canada, including in the North and in urban centres.

• Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) will invest $304.1 million over five years to support the operational costs of the new shelters and transitional homes and expand funding for culturally relevant violence prevention projects.

• In collaboration with Indigenous partners, a total of 73 new proposals have been selected across the country, providing Indigenous women, children, and 2SLGBTQI+ survivors of gender-based violence with a vital refuge and culturally appropriate supports and services. If pressed on shelter shortages in Indigenous communities
• Shelters provide a vital place of refuge for Indigenous women and children escaping violence across Canada.

• As part of the 2020 Shelters Initiative for Indigenous Women and Children, the Government announced funding to build 10 shelters in First Nations communities on reserve, and 2 in the territories.

• Further funding was announced via the 2020 Fall Economic Statement to build and support an additional 38 shelters and 50 transitional homes. Currently, 73 new projects have been selected by two Indigenous-led Steering Committees. If pressed on shelter shortages for Inuit women
• In January 2021, the Government of Canada committed to fund the construction and operations of shelters for Inuit women and children across Inuit Nunangat, as well as in urban centres.
• In August 2021, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, in collaboration with ISC and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, launched the Call for Proposals for the Shelters Initiative for Inuit Women and Children.
• As of July 2025, a total of 18 Inuit-specific projects have been selected. These projects are located in Inuvialuit, Nunavut, and Nunavik, as well as urban centres of Montreal, Ottawa and Winnipeg.