Canada’s first-ever Federal Housing Advocate has been appointed!
On Feb 3, 2022, the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, Honourable Ahmed Hussen, announced that Marie-Josée Houle has been appointed to this role for a 3-year term.
The Federal Housing Advocate’s role is key to ensuring that the federal government fulfills its commitment to realize the right to housing for all in Canada.
Here is what you need to know:
- Communities will now be able to report cases of systemic barriers that prevent them from accessing adequate housing.
- The Advocate will investigate systemic housing issues, follow up with impacted communities, and present recommendations to the federal government to have the issues resolved.
- The Advocate’s recommendations will be based on requirements to uphold the right to housing under international human rights law.
- Recommendations made by the Federal Housing Advocate to respond to systemic housing issues cannot be ignored. The federal government will be required to follow up on the recommendations and take action to respond to the issues.
This is a significant new mechanism to claim the right to housing in Canada, because it ensures that affected groups can participate and contribute to the realization of their right to housing.
Learn more about the Federal Housing Advocate’s role and the other key mechanisms that are in place to advance the right to housing in Canada.
(From newsletter from Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation)