Hundreds of community groups and organizations from all walks of life are urging the Government of Quebec to adopt a housing policy in order to lay the foundations for political action based on the principles of the right to housing, at a time when the tightening of the rental market as well as rising rents and tenant evictions are causing concern across the province.
If the Legault government recognizes the principles of the right to housing, the Popular Action Front in Urban Redevelopment (FRAPRU) is betting that it will work hard to build social housing and put in place rigorous rent control mechanisms. in the province.
“What makes us believe that the government could do more is that the demands are increasing and that the support is multiplying” in favor of structuring actions to counter the housing crisis raging in the province, argued Tuesday. FRAPRU spokesperson, Véronique Laflamme.
The latter gave a press conference on Tuesday morning in a community center in downtown Montreal in the presence of five representatives of various labor, community and environmental organizations which are among the some 500 organizations that support FRAPRU’s demands. “Obviously, we don’t have rose-colored glasses,” added Ms. Laflamme. The Legault government has continued to deny in recent months the existence of a housing crisis in Quebec.
The policy called for by these organizations does not currently provide for clear demands on Quebec City, which is currently working on a government housing action plan, expected this spring. Rather, it is a vision that would place tenants’ rights at the heart of government decisions so that they then have the effect of reducing, among other things, fraudulent evictions, excessive rent increases and cases of discrimination in access to housing, which particularly affects women and members of visible minorities.
This announcement comes at a time when the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is launching, on Tuesday, a first call for projects under the new Quebec Affordable Housing Program (PHAQ). The Legault government has provided an envelope of $200 million for this call for projects, which aims to allow the construction of affordable rental housing. The criteria for setting the rents for the units that will be built under this program remain elusive, however, which raises fears that several tenants with limited incomes may not have access to them, raised Véronique Laflamme. The latter also fears that these units will not remain affordable in the long term, especially if they are managed by the private sector.
On the other hand, in anticipation of the Legault budget, expected on March 22, the FRAPRU calls in particular for the construction of 50,000 social housing units in five years. The organization also wants changes to the Civil Code of Quebec to reduce tenant evictions, as well as the creation of a universal rent register, a measure that has already been rejected by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. , Andrée Laforest, mainly for financial reasons.
More details will follow.