FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ottawa, ON: June 28, 2016 – Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, is meeting with his provincial and territorial counterparts this week. Before the meetings, Duclos announced his plans to develop a National Housing Strategy over the next year.
Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) is pleased to see the federal government follow through on plans to develop this strategy. Through our co-leadership on the Dignity for All Campaign, CPJ has called for a National Housing Strategy to be part of a larger, comprehensive, National Anti-Poverty Plan.
“It is our hope that this data would be used in the development of a comprehensive plan to end poverty in Canada which would include an national housing strategy,” says Darlene O’Leary, socio-economic policy analyst with CPJ. “This national housing strategy will be a key component of the Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy.”
A Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy was identified as a priority commitment of this government in the Prime Minister’s mandate letter to Duclos. Dignity for All has called for a housing strategy that recognizes the right to adequate housing and includes:
- measureable goals and timelines for implementing a new national housing and homelessness strategy and provisions for public monitoring and reporting on the strategy’s performance and impact;
- measures to address the needs of specific marginalized populations;
- appropriate supporting policies, programs, and legislation; and
- dedicated federal funding of at least $2 billion per year in new money to implement housing solutions that meet the national strategy targets.
“It is crucial that throughout this process, our federal government take seriously the concerns of Indigenous communities and people who experience homelessness and housing insecurity,” says O’Leary. “This needs to happen through partnership, moving beyond a limited consultation process.”
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For more information, contact Brad Wassink at ac.jpc@darb or 613-232-0275 x. 225.
