Housing

In question period, the Bloc Québécois said that with July 1 approaching, hundreds of people in Quebec risk becoming homeless, that homelessness has risen sharply including a 20% increase in Quebec and 199% in Abitibi—Témiscamingue, and that Quebec and municipalities are paying more while the federal government has not contributed its share; the Bloc asked the government to increase its funding. The Liberals replied that they are working on solutions through the national housing strategy and an action plan on homelessness, are spending over $1 billion to build housing, and said programs have helped more than 112,000 Canadians find stable homes; they urged the Bloc to support their efforts and said the issue should not be politicized.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

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2 statements

Andréanne Larouche, Shefford

Bloc Québécois
“July 1 is in two weeks, and hundreds of people risk becoming homeless. Cities and Quebec are spending more money to help, but the federal government is not. Will the government increase its funding?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, with just two weeks to go before July 1, hundreds of people still cannot find housing and are at risk of becoming homeless. Municipalities are investing to address the unprecedented homelessness crisis, including Montreal, which has tripled its budget. Quebec has also increased funding for this issue in its latest budget. The only government that is not doing more is the federal government. All that Ottawa has done is to renew its unsheltered homelessness and encampments initiative, which it had irresponsibly scrapped. With just two weeks to go before July 1, will the Liberals increase their funding?

Sébastien Lemire, Abitibi—Témiscamingue

Bloc Québécois
“Homelessness has risen sharply in Quebec, but the federal government has not spent any money to help. Quebec and local towns are paying for it on their own. I want the government to pay its fair share.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is asking why. It is because homelessness has increased by 20% in Quebec and 199% in Abitibi—Témiscamingue. While encampments have become a permanent fixture, while Pauline Marois has been working on a summit on homelessness, and while municipalities and Quebec have been investing, the federal government has contributed not one red cent. It even took a public outcry to prevent the Liberals from making cuts. We have an unprecedented crisis on our hands, and it is only going to get worse on July 1. When will the government acknowledge that fact and do its fair share?

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