On June 13, 2024, MP Jenny Kwan (NDP-Vancouver East) tabled a Bill to amend the National Housing Strategy Act, seconded by MP Matthew Green (NDP-Hamilton Centre).
While the Act states that the right to adequate housing is a fundamental human right, in reality, this is not happening in our communities. Canada's community housing stock is the lowest amongst the G-7 countries.
This bill aims to amend the National Housing Strategy Act act on recommendations of the Federal Housing advocate to prohibit forced de-campment on federal land and to consult with other levels of government so that alternatives to forced decampment are put in place following meaningful engagement with encampment residents.
De-campment and forced eviction is not the answer. Often it leads to further destabilization, loss of community and safety for encampment residents, and exacerbation of trauma. Without access to adequate housing people are forced to live on the street. Canada's housing crisis is not just about building more, faster. The government needs to take a human rights approach to housing and build housing that people can afford. Otherwise, encampments for unhoused people found in communities right across the country will only continue to grow.
Full text of the Bill at: [ Ссылка ]
