Bill C-207

An Act to amend the Canadian Bill of Rights (right to housing)

Sponsor

Rachel Blaney  NDP

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Outside the Order of Precedence (a private member's bill that hasn't yet won the draw that determines which private member's bills can be debated), as of Dec. 7, 2021

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Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

This enactment amends the Canadian Bill of Rights to include the right to proper housing at a reasonable cost and free of unreasonable barriers.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Canadian Bill of RightsRoutine Proceedings

December 7th, 2021 / 10:05 a.m.


See context

NDP

Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-207, An Act to amend the Canadian Bill of Rights (right to housing).

Mr. Speaker, I am here today to talk about every Canadian's right to have a home.

There was a time when I was young that when I saw a sleeping bag, I thought of times with family spent out camping. Now when I see sleeping bags, it is because there are so many people out on our streets across this country, carrying their bedding with them because they have no safe home to go back to. The reality is that the fact of owning a home has become an impossible dream, and finding a decent place to rent is getting harder and harder every day.

Safe and affordable housing is increasingly out of reach. That is why I am tabling this bill today, an act to amend the Canadian Bill of Rights. This bill would ensure that the right to housing is firmly recognized in law. It is the difference between saying the right thing and doing the right thing. It would redefine the federal framework for housing legislation and set requirements for the Minister of Justice to ensure every regulation change is consistent with that right, because all Canadians deserve the right to have a safe and affordable home.

I would like to thank the member for Vancouver East for working so hard on the issue of housing and for seconding this bill. I look forward to the debate and hope to see all members stand in support of this bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)