Finance committee  The change in direction you are talking about is very real. It happened on January 1, 1994, when the federal government withdrew from long-term funding for new social housing. Afterwards, in 2001, there was a turning point in affordable housing. I am talking about so-called financially accessible housing, but my big question, in addition to the length, is about for whom the housing will be accessible.

Finance committee  Our expectations are high. We have already praised the announcements made in the budget, while pointing out their limitations, especially when it comes to the continuation of funding for existing social housing. We have shown that $30 million for co-operatives and NPOs is a first step, but that only covers a two-year period.

Finance committee  Good afternoon. I am here on behalf of the Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain, the FRAPRU. It is a provincial organization made up of 160 groups that advocate for housing rights and fight against poverty. As you know, in Canada and in Quebec, an alarming number of people and families are experiencing serious problems due to poverty and the lack of housing.

Finance committee  We came here to Ottawa last week to speak on that subject. We gave our views on that bill, of which we are in favour, and hoped that Quebec's jurisdiction with respect to housing would be recognized. However, in our view, recognition of the right to housing is, I would say, a long-term challenge.

Finance committee  First, I'll answer with regard to government assistance over the past two years. It is entirely true that more money has been granted, which partly enables us to catch up, but not completely. We deplore the fact that the effort was made for two years and that now nothing further is being done.

Finance committee  According to our figures, more than half of people in Laval spend more than 30% of their incomes on housing, which is the generally accepted standard. You're right. The waiting list for low-cost public housing in Laval is extremely long. The problem of homelessness is increasingly pressing.

Finance committee  We'd like to have the answer, but unfortunately we don't have it today. We aren't the people who are most concerned; that's the people who work directly in this area and the people who receive those services. We were told that that would continue over the next three years. There will be non-indexed amounts.

Finance committee  We are very concerned about the end of the agreements. It's something that will affect all of Canada and virtually all social housing units. So it's a major problem that has emerged in the past two years. Across Canada, 11,000 units are no longer subsidized by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation because the mortgage agreement has expired.

Finance committee  Good afternoon. First, I want to mention that our presentation today follows on the heels of the demonstration held in Ottawa today by 450 persons that ended in front of the Department of National Defence building, the entrance to which was briefly blocked by demonstrators. The purpose was to denounce the fact that, starting on April 1 next year, there will be $1 billion less for social housing, that is for the construction and renovation of existing social housing units.

Human Resources committee  We would be quite in favour of the Guaranteed Income Supplement, as Nicole was explaining. In the past, we had some concerns. I am thinking, for example, of the recommendations made in the Macdonald report in the 1980s, which advocated a very low guaranteed income supplement and the abolition of all social programs.

Human Resources committee  Concerning the budget for the programs and their renewal, we hailed the fact that funding had been allocated for new social housing. However, we must take into account the limited opportunities that it represents. If we add the various amounts for the announcements made in the fall, the extension of the affordable housing initiative and the provisions of the new budget, we see that this funding will allow the Government of Quebec to subsidize 2,600 units over two years.

Human Resources committee  In my opinion, the federal government must extend the agreements it has signed with housing coops, not-for-profit housing associations and the provinces for the management of their housing stock. I myself live in a coop unit, so I know that at the present time, the money we receive from the federal government is basically used just to subsidize the lower-income people, so that they are paying an amount that is in keeping with their income.

Human Resources committee  I'm referring to the rights contained in article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which include among other things the right to adequate housing and sufficient food. These are rights that are not being respected right now if you consider the poverty that surrounds us and the gravity of the housing problem.

Human Resources committee  The focus of this meeting is the federal contribution to reduce poverty in Canada. It is obvious that the federal contribution is really associated with the worsening problem of poverty and the growing gap between the rich and the poor. Governments have elected to use budget surpluses which, and I repeat myself here, were huge at a certain time, in order to reduce taxes.

Human Resources committee  We would have liked to have seen the Government of Quebec go further. It is truly inhumane to force people to live off welfare benefits at that level. The Government of Quebec has a responsibility. It did not read its legislation properly. Or if it did read it properly, it has not respected it completely.