Canada: New rights-focused housing
policy shows the way for other countries, says UN expert
GENEVA (24 June 2019) – A UN expert
says the Canadian Government has set a global example with a new housing policy
that embraces human rights as the most effective framework to address
homelessness and inadequate housing.
“With just over a decade before the
Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved, the Government of Canada has
shifted its approach to the right to housing to one that recognises housing as
a fundamental human right essential to the inherent dignity and well-being of
the person, “ said the UN Rapporteur on the right to housing, Leilani Farha.
“Canada’s new model contains the
hallmarks of a human rights approach. Not only does it include a legislated
right to housing, it also establishes in law creative mechanisms to monitor and
hold the Government accountable and ensure access to remedies to address
systemic barriers to the enjoyment of adequate housing. This model can serve as
an example for countries all over the world.”
Farha said that despite Canada’s
global standing as a top 10 performing economy, there are at least 235,000
homeless people, and 1.34 million households in core housing need, with acute
affordability problems in several cities.
Canada will soon appoint an
independent Federal Housing Advocate who will monitor government performance,
receive submissions on systemic barriers to adequate housing – including with
respect to budgetary expenditures – and seek hearings before an independent
panel to review systemic housing issues over which Parliament has jurisdiction.
Findings and recommendations will be provided to the Minister who must table a
response in Parliament.
“This impressive result was
achieved because the Government took seriously its obligation to work
collaboratively with rights holders, civil society, and the UN human rights
system. If the Government of Canada – with its historical antipathy toward
recognising the right to housing – can take this bold step and introduce a
human rights compliant national housing strategy, so too can many other
countries.
With this groundwork laid, Canada
now has much work to do to bring meaning to this new legislation. It must move
quickly to establish the appropriate accountability mechanisms, without which
the right to housing will not be realised.”
“There are currently 1.8 billion
people worldwide living in homelessness and grossly inadequate housing. This
constitutes a crisis of significant proportions. In my last year as Rapporteur,
I urge all States to pursue the right to housing vigorously through the
adoption of rights-based housing strategies – it is the only way that the
global housing crisis will be effectively addressed by 2030.”
ENDS
Ms Leilani Farha is the UN SpecialRapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate
standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context. She
took up her mandate in June 2014. Farha is the Executive Director of the NGO
Canada without Poverty, based in Ottawa. A lawyer by training, for the past 20
years Ms. Farha has worked both internationally and domestically on the
implementation of the right to adequate housing for the most marginalized
groups and on the situation of people living in poverty. Her most recent reportto the Human Rights Council focusses on access to justice for the right to
housing.
The Special Rapporteurs are part of
what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special
Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights
system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and
monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or
thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a
voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their
work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in
their individual capacity.
For more information and media
requests please contact:
Mr. Gunnar Theissen +41 22 917
9321, gtheissen@ohchr.org or write to srhousing@ohchr.org
For media inquiries related to
other UN independent experts please contact
Mr. Jeremy Laurence, UN Human
Rights – Media Unit (+41 22 917 9383) jlaurence@ohchr.org
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