NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.), her party’s immigration critic, told The HillTimes that, despite having an awareness of what was to come in Afghanistan, the Canadian government did not adequately prepare.
“The situation has been chaotic right from the get-go,” she said.
NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said the skilled worker program is an important immigration stream for Canada and the current pause “will not only put people’s lives in limbo, but result in missed opportunities for Canada, risking that applicants may choose to emigrate to another country that recognizes their talent and experience.”
“Failing to address the backlogs will ultimately create more work for immigration as documents expire and the circumstances of applicants change. It will also fuel additional inquiries by applicants because they are concerned about a lack of progress in their applications. All of this serves only to further tie up the department’s resources.”
MP Jenny Kwan, who represents the riding of Vancouver East that straddles both neighbourhoods, said she's been advocating for more financial grants for the community at the federal level.
She's also among those lobbying for the neighbourhood to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which would deem it an international landmark with legal protection and could help secure the funding to preserve and maintain its streets.
"We need to do it, and work together to recreate Chinatown with its history and to value its character," she said. "But we need capital investment."
“Projects that would provide affordable homes to vulnerable individuals are falling to the wayside because the federal government is not there to provide support,” said NDP housing critic Jenny Kwan in calling for more funding.
The program targets those who are, or at risk of becoming, homeless, but experts say it is only one part of a larger solution the country needs to address an affordability crisis.
NDP housing critic Jenny Kwan said the situation requires the federal government to move quickly to expand the stock of affordable housing, and increase atax on foreign buyers to dissuade them from snapping up investment properties.
"This crisis is only going to get worse as long as the federal government continues to allow housing to be treated like the stock market," Kwan said.
NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.) , her party’s housing critic, said that in terms of immigration, “the people who may be coming, would be a range of different people.”
“Some of them are already here who are working hard already to support the Canadian economy in a variety of ways, some of them are renters, some of them are trying to get into the market, and some of them may have the capacity to own,” said Kwan.
“What we absolutely need to do is to ensure that we provide housing in the full spectrum, and if we don’t, all that is going to do is put upward pressure on the demand for affordable housing,” said the MP in an interview with The Hill Times last week.
“I have had seniors come to my office in despair because their GIS (Guaranteed Income Support) has been cut and they don't know what to do. The rent is due and they have no other option,” said Kwan. “I've had seniors who've received eviction (notices) as a result of that … and been evicted and rendered homeless.”
The NDP has consistently pushed for a wealth tax, closing corporate tax loopholes, and providing a guaranteed livable basic income.
In the 2021 election, a one per cent tax on wealth over $10 million was a key plank of the NDP platform. Leader Jagmeet Singh also previously made an opposition day motion to implement a one per cent tax on wealth over $20 million.
NDP MP Jenny Kwan told The Hill Times in an interview last week that generally speaking, having a dedicated minister who will focus on addressing the housing needs of Canadians is a good thing because there is a “major” homelessness crisis “in pretty much every community across the country.”
“However, that being said, there’s a real question on what the government’s priorities are and how they would address the housing crisis,” said Kwan, adding that the Liberal government has been “more talk than action.”
“Keeping in mind that the reality that we’re faced with right now is that we’re losing more affordable housing units than we’re building, so that adds another level of pressure to the existing demand of the people who are already there, because there are other people who will lose that housing over time as well. So I think that’s an issue to which the Liberals have completely failed to address,” said Kwan. “Even in this mandate letter, they do not address this issue head-on.”
When it comes to the “financialization” of housing (when housing is treated as a commodity) with large investors and REITs coming in “and sweeping up acquisition of rental housing,” said Kwan, she suggested the federal government could “in fact put a moratorium for the acquisition of rental housing for REITs until we can actually address the housing crisis and get a better handle on how to manage the situation.”
“When I say putting a moratorium for acquisition of REITs is to actually hold the stock, hold the affordable housing stock by non-profits so that we can continue to keep that housing stock at an affordable rate,” said the MP.
“It’s no secret that buying a house has become unaffordable in this country, making it an impossible dream for so many families,” said the NDP’s Critic for Housing, Jenny Kwan. “This crisis is only going to get worse as long as the federal government continues to allow housing to be treated like a stock market. Immediate action needs to be taken to crack down on speculation that is driving up the cost of housing."
The Parliamentary Budget Officer indicated that housing affordability will only continue to grow if nothing is done. Canada’s population-adjusted housing stock is the lowest in the G7, with Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta being the worst affected provinces. In Ontario alone, 650,000 units would be required to reach the same level of homes per capita as the average in other provinces.
Vancouver NDP MP Jenny Kwan, a critic of Beijing’s crackdown in the former British colony of Hong Kong, was also briefed before and after the 2021 election. She said the conversation was principally focused on China.
“The briefing touched on a range of issues on how interference could occur and examples of those possibilities and to ensure we are alerted,” she said, but cautioned much of it was confidential. “When CSIS has such concerns … it is useful for all parliamentarians to be informed of that.”