[homeles_ot-l] FW: Final version - Bill C-304 - Key Amendments on Right to Adequate Housing adopted at Committee

[Lynne Browne]

FYI 
Lynne Browne

Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)

147 Besserer St., 2nd Floor, Ottawa, ON K1N 6A7

Office 613-241-7913, ext. 205

www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca <http://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca/> 

  _____  

From: Leilani Farha [mailto:leilani at equalityrights.org] 
Sent: December 11, 2009 11:07 PM
To: Leilani Farha
Subject: Final version - Bill C-304 - Key Amendments on Right to Adequate
Housing adopted at Committee

 

** Apologies for Cross Postings – Please Distribute Widely **

 

Dear friends and colleagues:

We’re writing with some exciting news.  A significantly enhanced version of
the Secure, Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing Act was adopted at
the HUMA Committee late yesterday.  It is appropriate that this Act was
adopted on International Human Rights Day.  It is an innovative and
important piece of legislation  “designed to respect, protect, promote and
fulfill the right to adequate housing as guaranteed under international
human rights treaties ratified by Canada ”   The bill will be referred to
parliament for third reading  early in the next session.  It currently has
the support of the NDP, the Liberals and the Bloc.  

An unofficial text of  Bill C-304  in which we have tried to include all of
the new amendments is attached in French and English.  It is also at
available at the following links:

Secure,
<http://www.socialrights.ca/documents/Bill%20C-304%20Unofficial%20E.pdf>
Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing Act   

Loi <http://www.socialrights.ca/documents/Bill%20C-304%20Unofficial%20F.pdf>
sur le logement sûr, adéquat, accessible et abordable   

Bill C-304 was introduced by Libby Davies (NDP, Vancouver East)  and a
number of groups and individuals did some great work with her to get the
bill through second reading in parliament - a relatively rare feat for a
private members bill - and referred to the HUMA Committee for hearings and
amendments.  At the HUMA Committee, we saw a minority parliament work the
way it is supposed to.  The bill was significant improved with amendments
from the Liberals, the NDP and the Bloc.

The Act now includes a strong commitment to the right to adequate housing
and contains all of the key components of a rights based housing strategy
recommended by various human rights bodies and by the UN Special Rapporteur
on the Right to Adequate Housing after his visit to Canada   Among other
things, the Bill commits to:


•             targets and timelines for the elimination of homelessness

•             provision of financial assistance to those who cannot
otherwise afford adequate housing

•             priority for groups most vulnerable to homelessness and
discrimination or for those at risk of violence, and recognition of
different needs of people with disabilities and families with children

•             independent review and addressing of complaints about possible
violations of the right to adequate housing

•             review and follow-up on any concerns or recommendations from
United Nations human rights bodies with respect to the right to adequate
housing; 

•             ensuring a key role for civil society organizations, including
those representing groups in need of housing, as well as for representatives
of Aboriginal communities in designing the delivery, monitoring and
evaluation of programs required  to implement the right to adequate
housing;.  

The bill respects the diverse roles of the federal, provincial, territorial
and municipal levels of government in all aspects of the strategy.   An
amendment introduced by the Bloc provides a choice for Quebec to opt out of
the national strategy if it so chooses.

The Bill is far from perfect, of course.  There are severe limitations to
what can be achieved in a private member's bill, and a number of good
amendments were ruled  out of order by the Chair.  The opting out provision
for Quebec was ruled out of order as a substantive amendment and was only
adopted by a challenge to the chair and an over-ruling of him by the
Committee.  That challenge will likely be made again with the Speaker.  So
there remain major obstacles in getting this bill through the House at third
reading.  After that, it will be a challenge to ensure that the processes it
puts in place are fully implemented.    Still, we think it is an important
advance in the model of human rights accountability in the area of social
rights and hence worth us promoting and fighting for.

Congratulations to the individuals and groups who have been working hard to
ensure the passage of this Bill, to Libby Davies and her staff for
persevering with it over a number of years,  and to Gerard Kennedy, who,
having been a key witness in an historic human rights case many years ago
for CERA, undertook to  introduce  a number of key amendments to better
protect the right to adequate housing and ensure more meaningful
accountability to and participation of those in need of housing.

Happy international human rights day (one day late)

In solidarity

Leilani Farha – CERA <Leilani at equalityrights.org>

 

Bruce Porter – Social Rights Advocacy Centre <bporter at socialrights.ca>

 

 

Leilani Farha

Executive Director

CERA - Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation

200 MacLaren Street

Ottawa, ON K2P 0L6

CANADA

Tel:+1.613.233.8618

Cell: +1.613.302.7769

Fax: +1.416.352.5507

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.web.net/lists/private/homeles_ot-l/attachments/20091214/79dd22da/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Bill C-304 Unofficial E FInal.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 37646 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://list.web.net/lists/private/homeles_ot-l/attachments/20091214/79dd22da/attachment-0002.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Bill C-304 Unofficial F Final.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 39116 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://list.web.net/lists/private/homeles_ot-l/attachments/20091214/79dd22da/attachment-0003.pdf>