[homeles_ot-l] Can you help? Bill C-400 second reading debate this Wednesday

[Lynne Browne]

CAN YOU HELP? 

 

This Wednesday Feb. 13th, the debate on the Second Reading of Bill C-400
which calls for a National Housing Strategy will take place - the vote
itself is scheduled for Feb. 27th. 

 

.         Any contact we can have with MPs, especially today and Tuesday
before the debate, is important as it will help them frame and understand
this bill. There have been several reports that MPs seem to be unaware of
the Bill - we need to change that before they vote on the 27th! 

 

.         Sample letters (in Eng & Fr) and talking points (Eng only) are
attached should you need them.  Please share them widely with your personal
and professional networks. The telephone numbers & emails for Ottawa MPs are
also attached to help you:

o   Call your local MP's office to speak about Bill C-400; and/or 

o   Email a letter flagged with 'High Importance'; and/or 

o   Request a meeting on the Bill with your MP.  

 

Help is needed from both individuals and organizations! Should you need it
you can find the name of your own MP using your postal code clicking here
<mailto:http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByP
ostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC> . Some of you will have already helped on this but
now is the time for both additional and first actions. As most of you know
the Alliance to End Homelessness in Ottawa has long called for a National
Housing Strategy.

 

Why it's pressing now - approval at second reading assures Bill C-400 will
move forward for consideration by all an all-party committee. Once the
committee sends it back to Parliament, there is a 3rd and final reading and
vote.

 

A broad-based, cross-Canada group undertaking a constituency-based campaign
to ensure passage of this non-partisan bill sponsored by MP Marie-Claude
Morin. The letters and talking points were prepared by this group.

 

.         The group has set up A new Google group list -
<mailto:C400group at googlegroups.com> C400group at googlegroups.com - for people
pulling together activities. To join, please email Megan Yarema
[megan at cwp-csp.ca].  The group's first country-wide conference call on Bill
C-400 took place a couple weeks ago and approximately 40 participants joined
in - a clear indication that there is real commitment across the country. 

.         If you are taking action, or meeting with MPs please let Megan
know. If you can write a blog or an Op-Ed for Ottawa papers let her know
that too. 

 

Here is a quick re-cap of the various activities underway to support Bill
C-400:

 

.         This Monday, Dignity for All: the campaign for a poverty-free
Canada will be sending an e-action to its 10,000+ individual and
organizational supporters.

.         Last week, the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Canada sent an e-action to their members across the
country.

.         The Canadian Association of Social Workers has put out a call to
action in their monthly newsletter, Reporter.

.         The Canadian Housing Renewal Association has put out a call to
action to its members and is actively supporting C-400 via social media.

.         The Bridges CHC in Niagara is setting-up meetings with local MPs
and has submitted letters to the editor.

.         The Canadian Nurses Association is organizing a letter writing
campaign to MPs.

.         Stella Lord and the Community Coalition to End Poverty have
initiated an email campaign to housing groups and advocates in Nova Scotia.

.         Community Health Nurses of Canada has reached to Dr. Steven Hwang,
Inaugural Chair in Homelessness, Housing and Health (St. Michaels' Hospital)
encouraging participation and dissemination across his networks; members
sending letters locally to MPs.

.         The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) and its
Women 4 Change initiative have created their own C-400
<http://alltogethernow.nupge.ca/bill-c-400> resource page.

.         The Canadian Council of Churches is sharing information on the
bill with national church groups and via social media.

.         Poverty Free Thunder Bay and Thunder Bay Housing and Homelessness
Coalition are developing a local action plan in support of the bill.

.         CCPA Manitoba is drafting a paper on the importance of a national
housing strategy & will try to get it into the Winnipeg Free Press.

.         The Waterloo Region Housing and Homelessness Umbrella Group (HHUG)
is organizing a housing roundtable and inviting local MPs/MPPs.

.         The Halton Poverty Roundtable has sent a call to action to local
housing groups and advocates and is setting up meetings with local MPs.

.         The Ma Mawi Centre (Winnipeg) has sent a call to action to its
networks.

.         The Anglican diocese of Ottawa has sent an e-action to its
members.

.         By next week, Dignity for All campaign partners Citizens for
Public Justice and Canada Without Poverty will have met with over a dozen
MPs in Ottawa to discuss the bill.

 

Also encouraging - Ontario's Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne has identified
affordable housing (and a national strategy) as one of her top priorities
(on the front page of the Feb 1 -"In a sit down with The Globe & Mail".

 

Thank you for your help!

 

LYNNE BROWNE

Executive Director

Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa

171 George Street, Ottawa ON K1N 5W5

613-241-1573, ext. 314

 <mailto:lynnebrowne at endhomelessnessottawa.ca>
lynnebrowne at endhomelessnessottawa.ca 

 
<https://mail.ysb.on.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.endhomelessness
ottawa.ca> www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca

 
<https://mail.ysb.on.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.facebook.com/ho
me.php?%23!/pages/Alliance-to-End-Homelessness-Ottawa/136029386442398?v=wall
%26ref=ts> Facebook &
<https://mail.ysb.on.ca/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=https://twitter.com/endhom
elessOTT> Twitter at endhomelessOTT

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.web.net/pipermail/homeles_ot-l/attachments/20130211/babce997/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: C400 Talking Points ENG.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 248480 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://list.web.net/pipermail/homeles_ot-l/attachments/20130211/babce997/attachment-0001.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Letter to MPs re C400 (EN).docx
Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Size: 18748 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://list.web.net/pipermail/homeles_ot-l/attachments/20130211/babce997/attachment-0002.docx>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Letter_to_MPs_C400 (FR).docx
Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Size: 18963 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://list.web.net/pipermail/homeles_ot-l/attachments/20130211/babce997/attachment-0003.docx>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Ottawa Members of Parliament.doc
Type: application/msword
Size: 35840 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://list.web.net/pipermail/homeles_ot-l/attachments/20130211/babce997/attachment-0001.doc>