OTTAWA—Today, the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate released a series of reports that confirm that evictions in Canada contravene human rights law.
Everyone has a right to feel stable in their home, to know they can stay there long-term without being displaced. This is known as security of tenure, and it is an essential part of the human right to adequate housing.
Yet in Canada, tenants face housing insecurity and evictions, which have catastrophic effects on their well-being, employment, and child development. To make matters worse, Canada is missing 4.4M homes affordable to low- and moderate-income households – meaning that when renters lose their homes, there may be no other options available.
The reports released today – authored by legal experts – conclude that when it comes to eviction, Canada is not applying fundamental human rights principles. For example, international law forbids eviction into homelessness, and says that tribunals must consider all possible alternatives before putting a household out of their home. In contrast, in Canada it is not uncommon for a family to be evicted for rent payment arrears equivalent to one month’s rent or less, rather than be offered a repayment plan. Meanwhile, only a tiny minority of tenants facing eviction have access to legal representation, despite the seriousness of losing their homes.
The reports also confirm that people who are members of disadvantaged groups such as Indigenous people, Black and racialized people, people with disabilities, low-income households, and others, are disproportionately impacted by evictions. This suggests systemic discrimination, in contravention of national and provincial human rights legislation.
Evictions became an issue of national concern during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many renters lost their income and fell behind on rent, quickly becoming at risk of eviction. While some programs were introduced at the federal and provincial levels to support tenants, the majority are now closed or unable to meet demand.
The reports conclude that steps must be taken at all levels of government to uphold the right to security of tenure for everyone. A key focus of the solutions proposed by the research is to ensure national standards when it comes to eviction – both for access to justice for tenants, and for human rights principles to be equally applied in all provinces and territories.
Upholding the right to housing for tenants across Canada must include improved and equal protections from eviction, no matter where they live.
Media contacts
Media Relations
613-943-9118
communications@chrc-ccdp.gc.ca
Sarah Buler
Associate Professor, College of Law
University of Saskatchewan
sarah.buhler@usask.ca
Alan Hanna Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law
University of Victoria
ahanna@uvic.ca
Shelley Buckingham
Director of Communications
Canadian Centre for Housing Rights
sbuckingham@housingrightscanada.com
Priya S. Gupta
Associate Professor, McGill University Faculty of Law
priya.s.gupta@mcgill.ca
Photo: Federal Housing Advocate Marie-Josée Houle leaves a news conference in Ottawa on 27 November 2023. Source: The Globe and Mail.
| Themes |
| • Advocacy • Displaced • Forced evictions • National • Research |
