Mr. Lionel Carmant, how can you remain so silent in the face of the distress experienced by people who have to live in shelters, tents and vehicles for lack of housing in the city of Gatineau, but also throughout Quebec?
The camps are a reflection of your inactions: if there were as many resources as you let on, there wouldn’t be as many in all of Quebec.
The housing crisis is now affecting all of Canada. We could certainly have avoided it by listening to the many warnings that organizations committed to defending the right to housing have constantly proclaimed in recent years. However, this is not the case, because more and more people find themselves living in camps due to a lack of space in a decent and adapted accommodation and housing resource.
You are aware that in Gatineau, there are only 55 emergency beds for the entire territory1, that an unsanitary heat break compensated for the lack of places in accommodation for a few months, not to mention that the soup kitchen reduced its services, without having the support of the Outaouais integrated health and social services center (CISSSO) , this body that represents you and that does not seem to recognize its role in dealing with homelessness. If the CISSSO does not intervene, then who has this responsibility?
People who live in camps cannot meet their basic needs, which is far from acceptable in our society. Your inactions have human costs. This camp has existed for six years now, the City of Gatineau tolerates it, but it needs you to deal with this crisis.
We know that for your government, the solution does not lie in the camps2. However, according to the UN human rights rapporteur3, if you are not able to provide decent and suitable housing for people living in camps, you must put in place services that can make their lives more dignified, and this, by involving them in the discussions that concern. Did you meet these people during your last visit to Gatineau a few weeks ago?
The status quo no longer has a place in the overall response to homelessness.
It is no longer possible for you to continue ignoring the situation and daring to believe that community organizations are strong enough to remedy this humanitarian crisis without real support from your government.
Real and rapid action is needed to improve their living and health conditions, because these people do not have the appropriate mechanisms to claim their rights, which are being violated. If you, as a decision-maker, are unable to recognize their rights, which should be earned, what are they left with?
Social housing must come first and must be an accessible right for people who want to have access to it, but, when this is not possible, we must as a society act to make their existence easier. Be responsible and call on other bodies, such as the Red Cross if necessary, to fulfill your mandate or create a Homelessness Ministry that can have a more macro vision and thus act better.
Either way, stop ignoring the real issues. People who live in camps are full citizens. Listen to them and set up levers so that they speak up. All equally deserve to be and to exist.
Mobilize urgently to ensure a level of well-being that respects their dignity and their rights. It is no longer a question of discussing actions, but of making them concrete. This should not go through repression and dismantling.