With housing prices skyrocketing under the Liberal government, more than ever, Canadians need affordable housing in this country. There must be transparency in the advancement of the right to housing. There must be someone holding the government to account on their promises to address the housing crisis people are facing across the country. The Liberals cannot be sweep yet another unfulfilled campaign promise under the rug.
NDP Housing Critic, Jenny Kwan, issued the following statement:
“Having now reached the 100-day mark, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Government has still made no appointment for the position of Federal Housing Advocate despite promising it would be done by now. After announcing the new position in 2017, it has now been over a year since the government closed the job posting—and yet, there has been no progress in filling the position. The office of the Housing Advocate is staffed and ready to get moving on doing its job. But without the appointment of an advocate, the Liberals are precluding the office of the Housing Advocate from fulfilling its duties to protect and develop affordable housing for Canadians. This is not acceptable.
With housing prices skyrocketing under the Liberal government, more than ever, Canadians need affordable housing in this country. There must be transparency in the advancement of the right to housing. There must be someone holding the government to account on their promises to address the housing crisis people are facing across the country. The Liberals cannot be sweep yet another unfulfilled campaign promise under the rug. The Housing Advocate is a desperately needed watchdog for Canada to ensure that meaningful progress is made on federal housing programs.
It shouldn’t take over 13 months for the government to hire someone after the job posting closed. If the Liberals can't even do that, how can they be expected to address the housing crisis which is making it impossible for families to find a home they can afford in the communities where they live and work. It is high time the Liberals put their money where their mouth is and appoint an Advocate address this crisis.
People can’t wait any longer. They need homes they can afford now.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2026
OTTAWA —New Democrats are calling on the federal government to deny entry to the head of the fascist paramilitary organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Network (RSS) and are renewing past NDP calls on Canada to ban the RSS entirely.
NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Heather McPherson and NDP Immigration and Public Safety Critic Jenny Kwan today wrote to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Public Safety, and Immigration to urge action in advance of Mohan Bhagwat’s planned visit to Canada at the end of August.
“The RSS is an extremist group that advocates hate and violence towards religious minorities and marginalized in India and also engages in targeted intimidation of those who speak out against the organization in Canada,” said Heather McPherson, NDP Foreign Affairs Critic. “Multiple minority communities fear his presence in Canada could amplify hate and violence towards them and risk the safety of vulnerable individuals.”
In recent weeks, United Nations Human Rights experts have called on Canada to ensure members of the Sikh community are protected from violent threats by Hindutva extremist groups including the RSS.
“Canada must send a clear message that there is no place in this country for individuals who promote or enable hatred, violence, or intimidation against vulnerable communities or who are connected to activities that threaten Canada's security and democratic institutions. Pertinent sections of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act must be applied to protect Canadians and declare the IRSS and its members inadmissible,” said Jenny Kwan, NDP Critic for Public Safety and for Immigration.
New Democrats have long called on Canada to ban the RSS from Canada, place the RSS on the terrorist entities list, and impose sanctions on connected networks. Despite strong evidence of foreign interference and incitement to violence against Canadians, the Liberals have refused to take action on the RSS. Instead, in recent months the Carney government has grown closer to the Modi regime, causing members of several minority groups in Canada to say their safety no longer matters to the Liberal government.
On August 6, over 200 Canadian civil society organizations released a joint letter calling for Mohan Bhagwat to be denied entry to Canada.
