A national committee for Aboriginal peoples is calling on the federal government to remove the two percent cap on increases in funding for on-reserve programs.
The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples tabled their report today and included with it thirteen recommendations.
Among them was the call for Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada to end the funding cap by the 2016-17 budget.
The committee says funding needs to take into account population growth and inflation in First Nation communities.
The committee also called for the creation of a new loan program to help finance on-reserve infrastructure.
Other recommendations included consulting with First Nation communities on building codes and the development of a housing strategy for remote and isolated First Nation communities.
“First Nation communities are diverse, so the tools to address their requirements must reflect this diversity,” said Senator Lillian E. Dyck, Deputy Chair of the committee in a media release. “All of these recommendations are derived from testimony, but some…were solutions proposed by numerous witnesses.”
The report entitled On Reserve Housing and Infrastructure: Recommendations for Change was the final report of a two phase study which the committee began in November 2013.