MONTRÉAL – A new report from Amnesty International highlights the dire housing situation in an Atikamekw community in Manawan, located about 250 kilometers north of Montreal. The report indicates that overcrowded and unsafe living conditions in Indigenous communities across Canada pose significant risks to health, safety, and human rights.
Sipi Flamand, chief of the Atikamekw Council of Manawan, revealed that community leaders are frequently contacted by families seeking urgent emergency housing support as homes become increasingly overcrowded. "Every 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," Flamand stated during the report's release in Montreal.
The two-year investigation into housing conditions in Manawan uncovered alarming issues including severe overcrowding, aging infrastructure, and prolonged delays in the construction of new homes. Flamand expressed a sense of helplessness among community leaders as they respond to these urgent housing requests, noting that funding program delays exacerbate the situation. "Our housing stock is already severely overcrowded. The needs are urgent, alarming, and far exceed current capacity," he emphasized.
Amnesty International criticized the housing crisis as not merely a lack of physical structures but as a violation of fundamental human rights, impacting the rights to housing, education, health, privacy, safety, and life in Indigenous communities across Canada. France-Isabelle Langlois, director general of Amnesty International’s francophone section in Canada, highlighted that many families are forced to live in unsafe and overcrowded homes, often affected by mould and poor conditions that contribute to illness and mental stress. According to Langlois, this situation perpetuates a cycle of violence against women, girls, children, and elders, with homelessness also being a concerning outcome of the housing crisis.
While the report focuses on Manawan, similar conditions are reported in many of Canada’s over 600 Indigenous communities. Vivianne Chilton, chief of Wemotaci, another Atikamekw community in Quebec, echoed these concerns, stating, "There can be three or four families in one house… mornings are very demanding… if there is only one toilet." She noted that these housing pressures are pushing some community members to urban centers, often in search of privacy and better living conditions.
Data from the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador indicates that a staggering $139 billion is required to adequately address housing needs in Indigenous communities across Canada, including approximately $8 billion in Quebec alone. Francis Verreault-Paul, chief of the organization, mentioned that the province is in dire need of over 10,000 new housing units and extensive repairs to thousands of existing homes. However, he expressed dissatisfaction with both federal and provincial governments, referencing a lack of concrete commitments in a recent federal economic update delivered by Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
Verreault-Paul criticized ongoing jurisdictional disputes between Quebec and Ottawa, which he believes slow progress on housing initiatives. He pointed out that housing shortages are not only contributing to Indigenous homelessness in urban areas but also impede the ability of individuals to return to their communities after pursuing education or job opportunities elsewhere. "It is completely senseless to have this situation where people leave to acquire tools, but cannot bring them back home," he stated.
Amnesty International insists that the housing crisis reflects deeper systemic issues that require urgent action from all levels of government. "The situation requires immediate and significant measures so that First Nations can live in dignity," Langlois emphasized. Flamand argued that addressing the crisis involves more than just constructing new homes; it requires rebuilding the foundations of Indigenous communities and fostering self-determination. He concluded, "The housing crisis in Indigenous communities is a structural injustice that can no longer be tolerated or made invisible." The report calls for a renewed relationship between Indigenous Peoples and Canadian society, emphasizing the need for comprehensive solutions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 29, 2026.
