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OPEN LETTER to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

To protect renters, it is essential a nation wide moratorium on all evictions is in place during the pandemic. As well, a temporary rent freeze period also needs to be imposed to protect renters from price- gauging during these precarious times. Already, I have constituents who have just received a rent increase notice and are extremely distressed by prospect of having to find alternate housing at this time.
Aside from putting in place a national moratorium on evictions and rent increases, some housing advocates are also calling for residential tenancy branch hearing be delayed at this time. In addition, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation should also immediately provide a pool of capital to existing or new rent banks across the country so that those who can’t make the rent because of falling incomes or illness don’t lose their housing.

"Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Chair
Cabinet Committee on the federal response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Hon. Ahmed Hussen
Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
House of Commons Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

March 21, 2020

Open Letter – RE: National Response Needed to Protect Canadians from Losing Housing during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dear Deputy Prime Minister Freeland and Minister Hussen,

I am writing to request urgent, coordinated actions from all levels of government to protect Canadians from losing their housing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We live in unprecedented times, and the COVID-19 pandemic is having far reaching repercussions for Canadians across the country. Federal and provincial health authorities have ordered social distancing to “flatten the curve” of the spread of the virus, and many have been requested to self-quarantine or self- isolate to support the recommendations from health authorities for social distancing.

As you know, many Canadians are facing a debilitating loss of income during this pandemic. Workers who are ill or have to be in quarantine cannot go to work. Working families who now need to provide care for their children and elderly parents as schools and community facilities close are not able to work. Even for workers who are able to work, the toll that the pandemic is having across industries, including transportation, tourism, hospitality, entertainment, education, and many others, mean that workers are being laid off or employers are not able to provide shifts. Business owners are losing business as their businesses are ordered to close or are not patronized. Artists, gig workers and freelance workers are also finding themselves without work and income.

This is a situation that no way could have predicted and prepared for, and I’m sure you will agree with me that no one should lose their housing, a basic human right, during these times. From a public health perspective, if Canadians are to follow directives from the health authorities to practice social distancing and self-isolation, they must have a home to quarantine in. Workers who are sick cannot feel pressured to continue working and risking infecting others for free of losing their income and housing.

Given the homeless crisis that already exist in Canada, not only do we need to have measures to properly house those without a place call home, we must also do everything we can to prevent an increase in the homeless population. To ensure that no one is left behind in these dire times, all levels of government must work together to ensure a national approach is in place to protect Canadians.

I know that recent announcements from the Federal government have been made so that workers and families will be be provided some financial support during this time. However, the money may not come in time to save renters and home owners from evictions or mortgage defaults. With the housing crisis in Canada, many Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque, and even one missed paycheque could mean someone will lose their home.

To protect renters, it is essential a nation wide moratorium on all evictions is in place during the pandemic. As well, a temporary rent freeze period also needs to be imposed to protect renters from price- gauging during these precarious times. Already, I have constituents who have just received a rent increase notice and are extremely distressed by prospect of having to find alternate housing at this time.

Aside from putting in place a national moratorium on evictions and rent increases, some housing advocates are also calling for residential tenancy branch hearing be delayed at this time. In addition, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation should also immediately provide a pool of capital to existing or new rent banks across the country so that those who can’t make the rent because of falling incomes or illness don’t lose their housing.

For landlords who may not be able to make mortgage payments if they are unable to collect rent from their tenants, or for homeowners who have suffered other loses of income, I note that Canada's six big banks and Vancity City Credit Union have offered mortgage deferral payments for up to 6 months. It's essential that the federal government step in to ensure that the banks make good on this commitment and that measures are in place to allow everyone, (renters, homeowners and landlords) to have a chance to recover economically once the pandemic is over.

While some cities and provinces have already taken some of these measures to protect and help their populations during these unprecedented times while others have not, in the face of this pandemic, I believe it is essential that there is a national approach to this critical issue. We cannot wait until Canadians are losing their homes to take action, nor is this the time to try to pass the responsibility of protecting renters and homeowners from one jurisdiction to another. All level of government has a part to play to ensure that no one loses their housing during the pandemic. Urgent federal leadership to coordinate these efforts with our provincial and territorial leaders is necessary to ensure a comprehensive and national approach is in place to protect all Canadians. I urge you to act now.

Sincerely,
Jenny Kwan
Member of Parliament for Vancouver East NDP Critic for Housing"

 

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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, 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

CBC News: Demand for Canadian citizenship certificates soaring, fuelled by Americans

CBC News: Demand for Canadian citizenship certificates soaring, fuelled by Americans

Applications from people around the world seeking Canadian citizenship certificates have been rising rapidly in recent months, fuelled by thousands of applications from the United States, CBC News has learned.

The number of people who have already received certificates as a result of Parliament’s adoption of “Lost Canadian” legislation late last year rose nearly 50 per cent between April 1 and May 31, according to new data obtained by CBC. 

Bill C-3 allows citizenship for those who can prove they're descended from a Canadian ancestor, even if that ancestor left the country several generations back. It was adopted after the courts ruled that limiting citizenship to the first generation born outside of Canada was too restrictive. 

Between mid-December — when Bill C-3 went into effect — and May 31, some 6,100 citizenship certificates were granted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to those who now qualify.

That is up from 4,075 certificates issued as a result of Bill C-3 from mid-December until March 31.

Another 17,390 people have received certificates as a result of having a Canadian parent. Prior to the bill's adoption, those who were born outside Canada had to have a Canadian parent to qualify for citizenship.

In June, IRCC suddenly suspended an estimated 100 certificates that had already been issued after flagging problems with the documents submitted with the applications. The concern from archivists is that some people who've already applied to IRCC will be sent back to archives to find more genealogical records.

The IRCC says 83 of the suspensions have been resolved and the certificates restored. It has sent procedural fairness letters to another 17 people whose certificates were suspended and given them 60 days to submit the documents necessary to prove their Canadian ancestry. 

If they fail to provide acceptable proof, their citizenship certificates could be revoked.

New Democrat immigration critic Jenny Kwan said she has been getting letters and inquiries from people affected by the suspension letters and has written to Metlege Diab, calling for answers.

“It really makes no sense whatsoever, what’s going on," Kwan said. "And the minister is completely ignoring that reality right now.”

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-citizenship-certificates-americans-9.7307536

National Post: House public safety committee votes to investigate vetting of accused NATO spy

National Post: House public safety committee votes to investigate vetting of accused NATO spy

OTTAWA — The House of Commons public safety committee has voted unanimously to investigate Canada’s security screening processes, after a Canadian woman was arrested in Belgium for allegedly spying on NATO.

The committee adopted a special, out-of-session motion on Monday to probe the vetting of Biwei “Claire” Zhang by Canadian security officials before the start of an internship last summer at NATO’s central military headquarters in Belgium.

On July 25, Belgian authorities announced they’d arrested a “Canadian national of Chinese origin” on suspicion of spying for a third country while interning at the NATO headquarters. Subsequent reporting identified the suspect as Zhang, a computer science and systems engineering graduate in her early 30s who’d previously held positions at multiple Canadian federal agencies.

Zhang’s security clearance for the overseas NATO internship was approved by the Canadian government after she was vetted by CSIS.

The NDP does not have any seats on the public safety committee, or any House committee, but NDP public safety critic Jenny Kwan said she supported the investigation.

”The government needs to conduct a comprehensive review of how this individual was vetted and cleared for a sensitive NATO posting, including the role played by Global Affairs Canada, CSIS and the RCMP,” said Kwan in an email.

Kwan also it was important to ensure that candidate screening remain “evidence based” and “(does) not become a vehicle for racial or ethnic profiling.”

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/house-public-safety-committee-special-meeting-accused-nato-spy

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