Tenants’ rights groups are ramping up their fight against Quebec’s controversial new housing bill.
Consultations on the legislation, Bill 31, are set to begin Thursday, and organizations are taking the opportunity to demand amendments, promote protests, and make some harsh accusations toward the Legault government.
At a press conference on Wednesday, housing rights advocate Cedric Dussault called Quebec’s compassion for tenants “non-existent.”
Dussault, a spokesperson for the Coalition of Housing Committees and Tenants Associations of Quebec (RCLALQ) was among several community representatives who spoke out against Bill 31. The new legislation presented by Housing Minister France-Elaine Duranceau proposes to make numerous changes to the province’s housing laws.
“If the bill goes on as it is written currently, there’s a lot of people who won’t be able to find affordable housing or housing period,” said Dussault.
One of the major concerns is that the bill gives landlords the power to block tenants from transferring their leases to others.
“Discrimination cases will increase. The rents will soar even higher than they do currently,” said Dussault.
Groups representing vulnerable tenants say people on social assistance and women fleeing abuse will be disproportionately affected. They fear landlords will have new powers to turn down single moms, for instance.
“There will be discrimination for them if they want to get out of the apartment or to get a new apartment,” said Marie Andrée Gauthier of the Réseau des Tables Régionales de Groupes de Femmes du Québec, an organization that advocates for the rights of women and women’s groups in the province.
There are also concerns that the new bill will allow the government to replace social housing units with so-called affordable housing units.
“There is big waiting list and we we cannot lose one unit of public housing. We have to protect them,” said Veronique Laflamme of housing rights organization FRAPRU.
Some of those who gathered Wednesday will be speaking or submitting briefs to the parliamentary hearings on Bill 31, which get underway on Thursday.
They’ll tell housing minister France-Élaine Duranceau that the bill needs to be changed to protect tenants and slow rising rents.
“She should be protecting the rights of tenants but right now we can’t say that she cares about tenants,” said Dussault.
In a statement, the minister’s office said one of the goals of Bill 31 is to strengthen the balance in relations between tenants and owners.
“The bill deals not only with lease transfers but with evictions, repossessions, and the operation of the housing tribunal to offer better protection to tenants,” said Justine Vézina, a spokesperson for Duranceau.
“At the parliamentary committee the minister will listen to all groups and their suggestions.”
Affordable housing advocates are calling on Quebecers to join protests against Bill 31 this Saturday, Sept. 16th. Gatherings will take place in cities including Montreal, Sherbrooke, Quebec City, and Rimouski.
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