In Canada, No Legal Need To Bully The Unhoused. It’s Just A Trend

By
staff
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A row of people sleeping on a sidewalk in a snowstorm, each covered with a Canadian flag
This scene was created by affordablehousingaction.org and is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

Here in Canada, sleeping beside the United States, we are sometimes cautious in our departures from the latest loony tunes that trickle north across the border.

Canada seems sensibly committed to a certain amount of ‘go along to get along.’ But why get on board with criminalizing homelessness when Canada can achieve the same results with pure neglect?

There are no doubt several reasons why reading the World Socialist Website (wsws.org) is not a particularly fashionable activity for Canadians. Wsws.org does not do itself many favours when it includes this statement in the opening paragraph of the article linked below:

“As the Liberal government, backed by the trade unions and New Democrats, spend tens of billions on waging war around the world and enriching their corporate paymasters.”

If you hold your nose and keep reading, you’ll find the article settles almost immediately to discuss a report published by Canada’s Federal Housing Advocate, Marie-Josée Houle along with information from other sources. The subject is the increasing number of Canadian residents who are living in homeless encampments. It’s of particular interest because of Canada’s commitment, in both name and in action, to the Human Right to Adequate Housing.

Wsws.org’s article explains just how badly Canada is doing in fulfilling its responsibilities to people who are homeless. The article is timely as Canada’s  Minister responsible for homelessness is required to respond to the Federal Housing Advocate’s report at the end of August 2024.

Studied neglect is the order of the day in Canada. It contrasts with the recent decision of the US Supreme Court, which opens the door to further criminalisation of homelessness1.

Socialist or not, it’s worth an read at the wsws.org: Homeless encampments proliferate across Canada as government policies fuel bonanza for property speculators

Whether the ‘bonanza for property speculators’ is essential to understanding what Canada is NOT doing for people who are unhoused, feel free to make up your own mind.

The Federal Housing Advocate’s report is posted at the Canadian Human Rights Commission: Upholding dignity and human rights: the Federal Housing Advocate’s review of homeless encampments

Footnotes

  1. For more on this conclusion, try New Ways To Question The Very Existence Of Being Homeless