Six months before the election, Québec solidaire (QS) announced its intention to make housing the top priority of its upcoming campaign. The left-wing party specifically wants to anonymize the files of tenants who have won their cases before the Administrative Housing Tribunal (TAL) in order to “protect them against discrimination.”
QS also wants to give TAL more resources by injecting an additional seven million dollars to accelerate the processing of cases.
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“The TAL is essential to play the role of arbiter of the rental market, but it has been overwhelmed by the housing crisis which has taken on uncontrollable proportions. The tribunal is doing what it can, but it can no longer guarantee respect for the rules of the game if it is overwhelmed by the housing crisis,” said Solidarity MNA Andrés Fontecilla in a statement on Monday.
QS also promises its “most ambitious” housing plan for the next election campaign. It will be structured around five pillars: “More affordable housing”; “Defending tenants’ rights”; “Increasing the supply of social and community housing”; “Facilitating access to homeownership”; “Fighting real estate speculation”.
“Having a roof over your head is the basics, but it’s also the most expensive thing. It’s difficult for everyone, whether you’re an owner, a tenant or a first-time buyer. In fact, apart from a handful of speculators who are profiting from the crisis, the current system is hurting everyone,” said Solidarity spokesperson Ruba Ghazal.
In the past, solidarity groups have succeeded in making gains in the area of housing.
In 2016, the Québec solidaire MNA Françoise David succeeded in passing a bill to protect elderly tenants over 70 years of age who have lived in their homes for more than ten years from evictions.
Then, in 2024, after pressure from QS, the Legault government passed another piece of legislation that expanded protection for senior tenants.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
