NDP statement on National Housing Day

New Democrat Housing critic Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet made the following statement on National Housing Day:

“Whether you rent or own, secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing is your right.

Currently, one in four Canadians spend more than a third of their income on housing. We are facing a serious shortage of social and affordable housing and many units are in an advanced state of deterioration. The situation in indigenous communities is particularly alarming.

The erosion of federal funding for social housing under the previous Liberal and Conservative governments has had serious consequences for many low-income families across Canada and for households waiting desperately for social housing. Eliminating poverty starts with ensuring that everyone has a roof over their head. Approximately 300,000 Canadians experience homelessness each year.

The time for action is now.

As Canada’s progressive opposition, New Democrats will press the new government to live up to its promise of significant new investments in housing and homelessness. We will continue to fight for a national housing strategy and long-term government investments in social and affordable housing in Canada. We will also continue to call on Ottawa for generous, indexed and more general funding to meet the needs of groups working day after day to end homelessness.”