Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2013-02-13 19:05:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Ms. Marie-Claude Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe\u2014Bagot, NDP)",
        "fr": "Mme Marie-Claude Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe\u2014Bagot, NPD)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"3183807\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Mr. Speaker, I have put a lot of thought into what I will say about this bill before the House makes a decision at second reading.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183808\" data-originallang=\"fr\">I could recap my colleagues' arguments that added to the discussion and enriched debate. I could repeat the troubling statistics that reflect the serious shortage of affordable housing. I could quote from the scathing UN special rapporteur's report, which ranks Canada quite low. I could remind the House that we are the only G8 country that does not have a national housing strategy. Or perhaps I could talk about the co-operatives that are worried about the end of federal government operating agreements and the impact that will have on their low-income renters.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183809\" data-originallang=\"fr\">However, I feel it is more important that the House hear about the many measures being taken by civil society organizations to demonstrate the importance of a national housing strategy.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183810\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Dignity for All, which works to eliminate poverty in Canada, launched a widespread movement in support of Bill <a data-HoCid=\"5353445\" href=\"/bills/41-1/C-400/\" title=\"An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians\">C-400</a>. The organization dedicated part of its website to the movement and launched a massive letter campaign. As we speak, representatives from this organization are trying to rally more people and elected officials around this cause.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183811\" data-originallang=\"fr\">The National Union of Public and General Employees, and its Women 4 Change initiative, also supports the bill. On its website, it encourages its 300,000 members to sign the petition in support of this bill and to write to their MPs to urge them to back the bill.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183812\" data-originallang=\"fr\">All kinds of organizations have done the same thing. The academic community is speaking out. Groups such as the Canadian Federation of University Women and the \u00c9cole de services publics at Universit\u00e9 de Saint-Boniface have done their part, as have many religious organizations throughout Canada including the United Church of Canada, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Catholic Women's League, Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice, the Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada, and the Canadian Religious Conference. All these organizations have taken steps to raise awareness and convince the House to pass Bill <a data-HoCid=\"5353445\" href=\"/bills/41-1/C-400/\" title=\"An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians\">C-400</a>.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183813\" data-originallang=\"fr\">In a last-ditch effort, the Front d'action populaire en r\u00e9am\u00e9nagement urbain, or FRAPRU, published open letters in a number of Quebec's daily newspapers. One of these letters was addressed to the <a data-HoCid=\"170701\" href=\"/politicians/denis-lebel/\" title=\"Denis Lebel\">Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities</a>, my colleague from Roberval\u2014Lac-Saint-Jean. The letter explains the following to the minister:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"3183814\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> This strategy would achieve much more than the federal government's ad hoc and clearly inadequate interventions of the past 20 years in the areas of housing and homelessness. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"3183815\" data-originallang=\"fr\">I think this is rather compelling. I do not need to remind the House that Canada is supposed to have its universal periodic review with the UN Human Rights Council in the spring. I am anxious for that to happen. Canada will have to report to member countries of the United Nations human resources committee on its accomplishments in the area of housing. We will be following this.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183816\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Many organizations, including the Social Rights Advocacy Centre, have already indicated in their submission regarding this periodic review that Canada needs to create a national housing strategy. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183817\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Lastly, my office received a number of letters of support and several hundred pages of petitions from various organizations and individuals across Canada in support of Bill <a data-HoCid=\"5353445\" href=\"/bills/41-1/C-400/\" title=\"An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians\">C-400</a>.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183818\" data-originallang=\"fr\">I could not possibly thank everyone, since I have only a few minutes, but I wish to commend the following: Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario; AFEAS; CHRA; the Conf\u00e9d\u00e9ration qu\u00e9b\u00e9coise des coop\u00e9ratives d'habitation; the Canadian Mental Health Association; the National Aboriginal Housing Association; the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which represents over 2,000 municipalities; as well as all previously mentioned organizations.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183819\" data-originallang=\"fr\">I even have a letter from the Province of Manitoba in support of Bill <a data-HoCid=\"5353445\" href=\"/bills/41-1/C-400/\" title=\"An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians\">C-400</a>. I ask the House: what more do we need to pass this legislation?</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183820\" data-originallang=\"fr\">We must remember this.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183821\" data-originallang=\"en\">Safe and affordable housing is not a privilege, it is a fundamental right. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183822\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing is a right. It is not a privilege. It is a fundamental right and it is also a determinant of health. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183823\" data-originallang=\"fr\">I encourage my colleagues to vote in favour of Bill <a data-HoCid=\"5353445\" href=\"/bills/41-1/C-400/\" title=\"An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians\">C-400</a>\u2014although I do not know the exact date of the vote\u2014in order to ensure that all Canadians have access to decent housing.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"3183807\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, j'ai beaucoup r\u00e9fl\u00e9chi aux derni\u00e8res paroles que je prononcerais sur ce projet de loi avant la d\u00e9cision de la Chambre en deuxi\u00e8me lecture. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183808\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Je pourrais faire un retour sur les arguments de mes coll\u00e8gues qui ont contribu\u00e9 \u00e0 la discussion et enrichi le d\u00e9bat. Je pourrais r\u00e9p\u00e9ter des statistiques d\u00e9solantes qui refl\u00e8tent le manque criant de logements abordables. Je pourrais citer des passages du rapport d\u00e9vastateur du Rapporteur sp\u00e9cial des Nations Unies, qui place le Canada dans une tr\u00e8s mauvaise position. Je pourrais rappeler que nous sommes le seul pays du G8 \u00e0 ne pas avoir de strat\u00e9gie nationale en habitation, ou encore, je pourrais raconter des histoires de coop\u00e9ratives qui craignent la fin des accords d'exploitation du gouvernement f\u00e9d\u00e9ral et les cons\u00e9quences sur leurs locataires \u00e0 faible revenu.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183809\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Par contre, je crois qu'il est plus pertinent que la Chambre prenne connaissance des nombreuses mesures prises par des organismes de la soci\u00e9t\u00e9 civile pour d\u00e9montrer l'importance d'une strat\u00e9gie nationale en habitation. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183810\" data-originallang=\"fr\">L'Association dignit\u00e9 pour tous, qui vise \u00e0 \u00e9liminer la pauvret\u00e9 au Canada, a lanc\u00e9 un vaste mouvement d'appui au projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"5353445\" href=\"/bills/41-1/C-400/\" title=\"An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians\">C-400</a>. L'organisme y a d\u00e9di\u00e9 une partie de son site Web et il a \u00e9labor\u00e9 de campagne de lettres \u00e0 grand d\u00e9ploiement. Les repr\u00e9sentants de cet organisme tentent encore, \u00e0 l'heure o\u00f9 on se parle, de rallier plus de gens et d'\u00e9lus \u00e0 cette cause.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183811\" data-originallang=\"fr\">The National Union of Public and General Employees et son initiative Women 4 Change a aussi appuy\u00e9 le projet de loi. Sur son site Web, il encourage ses 300 000 membres \u00e0 signer la p\u00e9tition en faveur de ce projet de loi et \u00e0 \u00e9crire \u00e0 leur d\u00e9put\u00e9 pour l'implorer d'appuyer le projet de loi.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183812\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Les organisations de tous les horizons ont fait la m\u00eame chose. Le milieu acad\u00e9mique s'est lev\u00e9. Des groupes comme la F\u00e9d\u00e9ration canadienne des femmes dipl\u00f4m\u00e9es des universit\u00e9s et l'\u00c9cole de services publics de l'Universit\u00e9 de Saint-Boniface ont fait leur part, tout comme de nombreuses organisations religieuses de partout au pays: l'\u00c9glise unie du Canada, l'\u00c9glise anglicane du Canada, la Ligue des femmes catholiques, les Unitariens canadiens pour la justice sociale, la F\u00e9d\u00e9ration canadienne des soeurs de Saint-Joseph, ainsi que la Conf\u00e9rence canadienne religieuse. Tous ces organismes ont fait des d\u00e9marches de sensibilisation pour convaincre la Chambre d'adopter le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"5353445\" href=\"/bills/41-1/C-400/\" title=\"An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians\">C-400</a>.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183813\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Derni\u00e8rement, dans une ultime tentative, le Front d'action populaire en r\u00e9am\u00e9nagement urbain, le FRAPRU, a publi\u00e9 des lettres ouvertes dans plusieurs quotidiens du Qu\u00e9bec. Une de ces lettres \u00e9tait adress\u00e9e au <a data-HoCid=\"170701\" href=\"/politicians/denis-lebel/\" title=\"Denis Lebel\">ministre des Transports, de l'Infrastructure et des Collectivit\u00e9s</a>, mon coll\u00e8gue de Roberval\u2014Lac-Saint-Jean. Dans cette lettre, on explique ceci au ministre:</p>\n<blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"3183814\" data-originallang=\"fr\"> Une telle strat\u00e9gie permettrait d\u2019aller beaucoup plus loin que les interventions ponctuelles et tr\u00e8s nettement insuffisantes dont le gouvernement f\u00e9d\u00e9ral se contente depuis deux d\u00e9cennies dans les domaines de l\u2019habitation et de l\u2019itin\u00e9rance. </p>\n</blockquote><p data-HoCid=\"3183815\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Cela me semble assez \u00e9loquent. Je n'ai pas besoin de rappeler \u00e0 la Chambre que le Canada devra subir son deuxi\u00e8me examen p\u00e9riodique universel aupr\u00e8s du Conseil des droits de l'homme de l'ONU au printemps. J'ai bien h\u00e2te de voir cela. Il devra rendre compte de ses r\u00e9alisations en mati\u00e8re de logement aupr\u00e8s des pays membres du comit\u00e9 des ressources humaines des Nations-Unies. C'est \u00e0 suivre.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183816\" data-originallang=\"fr\">D\u00e9j\u00e0, plusieurs organismes ont indiqu\u00e9 dans leur soumission \u00e0 cet examen p\u00e9riodique que le Canada devrait se doter d'une strat\u00e9gie nationale en mati\u00e8re d'habitation, notamment le Social Rights Advocacy Centre.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183817\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Enfin, mon bureau a re\u00e7u un nombre important de lettres d'appui et plusieurs centaines de pages de p\u00e9titions en provenance d'organismes et de citoyens \u00e0 travers le Canada qui appuient le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"5353445\" href=\"/bills/41-1/C-400/\" title=\"An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians\">C-400</a>. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183818\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Je ne peux me permettre de tous les remercier, puisque je n'ai que quelques minutes, mais je veux nommer souligner l'Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, l'AFEAS, l'ACHRU, la Conf\u00e9d\u00e9ration qu\u00e9b\u00e9coise des coop\u00e9ratives d'habitation, l'Association canadienne pour la sant\u00e9 mentale, l'Association nationale d'habitation autochtone, la F\u00e9d\u00e9ration canadienne des municipalit\u00e9s, qui regroupe plus de 2 000 municipalit\u00e9s, ainsi que toutes les organisations pr\u00e9c\u00e9demment nomm\u00e9es.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183819\" data-originallang=\"fr\">J'ai m\u00eame une lettre d'appui de la province du Manitoba pour le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"5353445\" href=\"/bills/41-1/C-400/\" title=\"An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians\">C-400</a>. Je demande \u00e0 la Chambre ce qu'il lui faut de plus pour adopter ce projet de loi.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183820\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Rappelons-nous ceci.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183821\" data-originallang=\"en\">Un logement s\u00fbr et abordable n'est pas un privil\u00e8ge. C'est un droit fondamental.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183822\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Un logement s\u00fbr, ad\u00e9quat, accessible et abordable, c'est un droit. Ce n'est pas un privil\u00e8ge. C'est un droit fondamental et c'est un facteur d\u00e9terminant de la sant\u00e9 \u00e9galement.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"3183823\" data-originallang=\"fr\">J'encourage mes coll\u00e8gues \u00e0 voter pour le projet de loi <a data-HoCid=\"5353445\" href=\"/bills/41-1/C-400/\" title=\"An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians\">C-400</a>, bien que je n'aie pas encore la date exacte du vote, pour faire en sorte que tous les Canadiens aient acc\u00e8s \u00e0 un logement d\u00e9cent.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2013/2/13/marie-claude-morin-2/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/marie-claude-morin/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4147/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "7890056",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Private Members' Business",
        "fr": "Initiatives parlementaires"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Secure, Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing Act",
        "fr": "Loi sur le logement s\u00fbr, ad\u00e9quat, accessible et abordable"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2013/2/13/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2013%2F2%2F13%2F"
    }
}