Published On 4/29/2026
Amnesty International accused the Canadian government of systematic discrimination against indigenous communities, saying that the stifling housing crisis experienced by the Atikamek community in Manuwan reveals a chronic failure to respect Canada’s human rights obligations, and exposes the continuation of legal and political patterns of a colonial nature towards indigenous peoples.
The Atikamek community is located in Manouan, in the north of the Canadian province of Quebec, more than 250 kilometers from the city of Montreal, and can only be reached via an unpaved road extending about 80 kilometers. More than three thousand members of the community live on a small protected area of only about 8 square kilometers of their wider traditional territory.
Read also
list of 2 itemsend of list
Despite “the image that Canada presents of itself as a pioneering country in the field of human rights,” Amnesty International believes that what is happening in Manoan reveals another side of this country, as the Atikamek community is experiencing a severe and chronic housing crisis that the organization says expresses systematic discrimination against indigenous people and constitutes a violation of Canada’s obligations under its human rights duties.
The Manowan Atikamek Nation Council administers services within the territory, based on the powers granted to it under the Indian Act. The Council relies almost entirely on the federal government to finance housing, infrastructure, and basic services. But Amnesty International says that this funding has been insufficient for decades, and does not come close to meeting the minimum actual needs of the community, whether in building new units or maintaining deteriorating housing, which leaves hundreds of families facing “coercive” housing options that do not guarantee the minimum level of dignity and privacy.
The organization notes that Manuwan suffers from a severe housing shortage, which forces entire families to crowd into small, outdated homes. In some cases, three or four generations live under one roof, and up to 10 or 15 people share a limited space and a single bathroom, which undermines privacy and creates ongoing tension and social pressures within families.
The problem is not limited to the number of units, but also includes their deteriorating condition, as Amnesty International documents the presence of housing suffering from dampness, mold, and water leakage, in addition to frequent malfunctions in basic equipment. It emphasizes that these conditions do not only affect the right to adequate housing, but also directly affect the rights to health, education and physical safety, with particular impacts on children, women and the elderly.
A continuing colonial legacy
The organization stresses that the housing crisis in Manuwan is not the result of a “transient administrative failure,” but rather is part of a historical legal and political framework that governs the state’s relationship with indigenous communities, and at its heart is the “Indian Act,” which dates back to the colonial era.
Under this law, most First Nations land remains registered in the name of the Canadian Crown, and is not treated as individual property mortgaged or collateralized for mortgages. Amnesty International believes that this arrangement deprives indigenous communities, including the Atikamek Nation of Manuwan, of meaningful control over their lands and access to the usual financing patterns available to the rest of the population in Canada, restricting their ability to build new housing or retrofit existing housing.
The organization considers that the continued work of this framework, in addition to weak federal funding, constitutes an extension of colonial policies and structural racism, and makes the rights of indigenous people to housing and decent living hostage to the decisions and will of the federal authorities.
