HOW CANADA IS STARTING TO APPROACH HOUSING AS A HUMAN RIGHT

[Judi Lynn]

The ruling liberal government has recently introduced a piece of legislation that points to its desire to treat housing as a right for all citizens.
BENJAMIN SCHNEIDER 13 MINUTES AGO

Housing activists in Canada have long decried the hypocrisy in their nation's rhetorical commitment to housing as a human right while its affordable housing supply has shrunk and fallen into disrepair. Canada, like most other countries in the world, ratified an international covenant that guarantees the right to housing. But over the past few years, powerful moves by housing activists, a worsening housing crisis in big cities and small towns alike, and a series of negative reviews by the United Nation's special rapporteur on adequate housing have made the problem too big to ignore.

In response, the ruling liberal government released a new national housing strategy, which commits $40 billion CAD to a broad menu of housing interventions over the next decade. The plan is notable not only for the significant amount of resources committed, but also for overtly declaring that it will approach housing as a human right—or at least point its policy in that direction.

The housing strategy is described as a first step in a larger effort to "progressively implement the right of every Canadian to access adequate housing," in accordance with the U.N. Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international treaties.

Canada's announcement stands in stark contrast to its neighbor to the south. Unlike virtually every other developed nation, the United States has not ratified the U.N. Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and it is expected to roll back many affordable housing programs with the forthcoming Republican tax bill.

More:
https://psmag.com/social-justice/canada-is-making-housing-a-human-right

[member12]

1. Banning foreign investors would help make housing more affordable

....especially in Toronto, San Francisco, etc.

[Loserman1962]

2. Banning foreign investors

Is not a well thought out position.

[Irish_Dem]

3. Food, housing, education, health care, clean food, air and water. Basic humans rights.

[procon]

4. How can basic housing be thought of as anything other than a human right?

Ferchrisakes, we provide housing and shelter to animals, yeah? We fund organizations to provide shelter to refugees and disaster victims all over the world, but we can't do it for our own citizens! We give shelter to the worst criminals imagnable, but poor people, not so much. It makes no sense.

Without a home, a person has no address and without that one, simple requirement, they can't get into many social service programs. Its difficult to find work if person looks dirty and smells, and they are easy victims to predators, opportunists, and government zealousness. The ability to be safe and secure, warm and dry, and clean in their very own place is a boost to human dignity and self esteem. Having a home is an uplifting and life changing experience for someone who has lived on the streets.

The costs of housing have got to be less than the amount governments spend on dealing with all the aspects of a growing homeless population.

[JonLP24]

5. Yes they are easy victims

As someone who was briefly homeless I discovered all sorts of different games out there. I mean someone could rip another person off then later they both team up to rip somebody else off a lot of divide and conquer.

[disalitervisum]

6. Incrementally increasing lack of low and middle income housing and SRO's in urban areas

over the past thirty years or so is mostly due to conservatively biased city councils refusing to renew or approve permits for such housing in favor of high-income development. In San Diego, for example, I think only about ten percent of the total authorized new housing construction during the last few years has been designated specifically for low and middle income residents.