ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.
When prodded a second time for a response, a spokesperson for Quebec's housing minister mistakenly sent a reply intended for a government colleague, asking whether she should continue to"ghost" the reporter. The federal housing advocate urged every province to adopt legislation recognizing housing as a human right in her report on homeless encampments released on Feb. 13.
She says that includes meeting with and listening to people without homes and focusing on getting them housing that meets their needs, rather than deciding what's best for homeless people without their input and forcing them into stopgap measures, such as shelters, that they don't want to live in.