[homeles_ot-l] FW: Important housing action in the Commons yesterday evening...

[Lynne Browne]

FYI . . . Lynne Browne

Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)

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

613-241-7913, ext. 205

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

  _____  

From: hhno-on-owner at povnet.org [mailto:hhno-on-owner at povnet.org] On Behalf
Of Michael Shapcott
Sent: September 18, 2009 12:59 PM
To: Michael Shapcott
Subject: [hhno-on] Important housing action in the Commons yesterday
evening...

 

Please copy, share and distribute:

 

I want to share with you the exciting news that three of the four political
parties in Canada's Parliament said that they support a new national housing
plan for Canada during a debate last night. The NDP, Libs and Bloc all
supported the call for a national housing plan, with even the Conservative
MP saying that his party supports a plan, just not the NDP one. 

 

Life is pretty uncertain in Parliament these days, as you know, but the bill
comes back for second reading vote at the end of the month. If it passes,
then it's on to committee for consideration, public hearings and possible
amendments. It would then come back to Parliament for third and final
reading after the committee reports. It's not clear whether the current
session of Commons will last through the fall and winter, and it's not clear
how quickly the bill (if it passes second reading - which it should, if all
the opposition parties support it) can move through the legislative process.

 

 If the government is defeated on a confidence motion before the bill passes
third reading, then it "dies on the order paper" - which means back to
square one. 

 

However, this is the closest that we have come since the Parliament debates
of 1973 (which produced Canada's last national housing plan - also a
minority Parliament) to getting a new national housing plan.

 

-          Michael

 

>From the Wellesley blog:


News flash: Three of four parties in Canada's Parliament back national
housing plan


Sep 18th, 2009 by Michael Shapcott

Leave a <http://wellesleyinstitute.com/comment/reply/1880#comment-form>
comment

Three of Canada's four political parties in Parliament - a very solid
majority - have backed draft legislation to create a long-overdue and
much-needed national housing plan. MP Libby Davies (NDP) has introduced Bill
<http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/LEGISINFO/index.asp?Language=E&Session=22&
query=5708&List=toc>  C-304, a private member's bill that would incorporate
Canada's international housing rights obligations into Canadian law. Members
of Parliament from the Liberal Party and the Bloc Quebecois spoke during
second
<http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Pub=hansard&Langu
age=E&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=2>  reading debate on the legislation on Thursday
evening in support of the plan. Even the Conservative MP who spoke during
the debate said that his party supports the idea of a national housing plan,
though they don't like the NDP bill. The bill comes back for a vote on
second reading around September 30, and if it passes, it goes to committee
for consideration, possible amendment and then back to the House for third
and final reading. The Wellesley Institute, along with a number of other
national organizations, has called for a national housing plan for Canada.
We are completing work on a major new report called the State of the
Nations' Housing 2009, which will set out new research and analysis on
housing and homelessness across Canada.  

 

 

 

***

 

Michael Shapcott | Director, Affordable Housing and Social Innovation |
Wellesley Institute 

45 Charles St E, Suite 101                    Tel: 416.972.1010 ext 231
Toronto, ON, Canada,  M4Y 1S2           Mobile: 416.605.8316  
E-mail:   michael at wellesleyinstitute.com

 

www.wellesleyinstitute.com

rigorous research. pragmatic policy solutions. social innovation. community
action.

 

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