Liberals must invest in long-term housing solutions
In response to the federal government’s announcement on shelters for refugees in Toronto, NDP critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Jenny Kwan issued the following statement:
Media Release: Liberals must invest in long-term housing solutions
Media Release: Liberals must invest in long-term housing solutions
July 21st, 2023
“Like many Canadians, I am deeply saddened and frustrated by the crises unfolding in Toronto’s shelter system. After fleeing conflict, violence, or persecution, people are relegated to the streets. The Liberal government has neglected its humanitarian obligation to ensure these individuals and families are treated with dignity, respect, and get the support they need. Every night where families are turned away from shelter is a damning indictment of this government’s failures.
While the NDP is relieved that the federal government has finally committed to providing $97 million for the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP), the Liberals must recognize that this one-time injection of funds is only a stop-gap measure. It does not fix structural issues. Ongoing efforts must be made to work in collaboration with all levels of government and the community.
The newly elected Mayor of Toronto has offered solutions including increased federal funding, leveraging hotel spaces, partnerships with non-profits, faith groups, and community agencies. We have seen the federal government deploy similar measures before, as with the Syrian refugee initiative. It is my hope that the federal government can draw lessons from the past to inform an urgent, humane, and effective response today.
The federal government must consider all immediate options to put a roof over these individuals’ heads – but understand that cities like Toronto will require permanent and comprehensive long-term support.
The NDP also calls for enhanced investments to support long-term solutions. The current system is underfunded and underdeveloped. The standard set to support Ukrainians fleeing Putin’s illegal war should be adopted for other groups seeking refuge in Canada. The government must ensure equitable treatment for all.
The Liberals should also follow experts' advice and work in partnership with NGOs to build and add to the shelter stock so that newly arrived refugees or asylum seekers can have access to temporary housing until resettlement supports are made available.
This situation is not only a reflection of the government’s failures in the immigration and refugee system, but also a consequence of the housing crisis perpetuated by decades of Liberal and Conservative governments. This problem stems from the federal government abandoning responsibility for co-op and social housing since 1993. Liberals must make substantial investments in social housing to meet people’s needs nationwide. Moreover, they must take action to stop profiteering and protect our existing affordable homes.
The NDP calls for the government to adopt a rights-based approach. This means challenging corporate interests driving up home costs. We urge the government to place a moratorium on the acquisition of affordable homes by corporate landlords, and to end preferential taxation on real-estate investment trusts. We are further calling on the government to create and protect affordable homes through the creation of an acquisition fund to purchase at-risk units, and by tightening conditions for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) funding for private landlords. To increase transparency for tenants and allow for cooling in the housing market, this should be accompanied by a requirement for landlords to disclose property ownership, creation of a national rental registry, and progressively larger down payments for buyers purchasing multiple properties.
New Democrats will always defend people's right to find safe and affordable shelter, regardless of their class or background.”
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How your data determines what you pay!
What if the price you pay at the store is different than the person standing next to you?
Corporations can use personal data such as location, device type, browsing history, purchase behavior, login status, and loyalty cards/programs to profile consumers and determine what different people are charged for the same goods and services.
How can we stop this from happening in Canada?
Join MP Jenny Kwan, Patrick Johnson - President of UFCW 1518, Jim Stanford - Economist and Director of Centre for Future Work, Avi Lewis - NDP Leader and Benjamin Fung - Canada Research Chair in Data Mining for Cybersecurity and other experts, for a public forum and community conversation about what surveillance pricing means for consumers and workers, how technology and personal data are changing the way prices are set, and what everyday people can do to fight back.
*Scan QR code, click the image or this link to register your attendance - https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/your-data-their-price-a-town-hall-on-surveillance-pricing-tickets-1998495899032
IRCC taking 33 months to process applications in wake of 'lost Canadians' law
When Pascal Sud and Meisha Smith prepared in January for the arrival of their first child, the choice seemed simple.
Smith would give birth in her home country of Jamaica where she had family support, and then they would together return to Montreal three months later.
At the time, the wait time for the citizenship certificate that their daughter, Sofianne, needed to fly back to Canada was between four and six weeks.
But more than eight months later, they're still waiting.
Sud is back at work in Montreal while Smith and Sofianne are still in Jamaica.
"It's been very frustrating," said Sud. "I was lucky to be there for three months … but I've been missing every step since, and it's been very difficult to be apart from them."
He's not alone.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is struggling to handle a flood of citizenship applications — many of them from a change to federal law late last year that allows anyone who can prove they have a Canadian ancestor to apply.
That backlog is preventing Canadians born abroad like Sofianne from coming home.
According to the department's most recent update on Sept. 3, there are 136,000 applications waiting to be processed. Those applying for a citizenship certificate now face a wait of 33 months.
NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan called on the government to restore staffing and resources that were cut at IRCC, calling the processing delays "simply unreasonable and unacceptable."
*Click image or link to read the full news story - https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-citizenship-lost-canadians-c3-backlog-9.7366981