SAVOIE TO HOST HOUSING ROUNDTABLE

Discussion will focus on the need for a national campaign for affordable housing

VICTORIA – New Democrat MP Denise Savoie will hold a housing roundtable with community stakeholders in Victoria, Wednesday, July 7th to discuss the need for affordable housing and federal support for a national housing strategy.

“The lack of affordable housing in Canada is felt in every community,” said Savoie. “Child poverty, homelessness and health are all connected to this glaring gap in Canadian policy. I want to touch base with the people in my community who deal with housing issues and identify what we can do to get the federal government to accept its responsibility and deal with the national housing crisis in Canada.”

Savoie will also discuss Bill C-549, legislation she recently introduced as part of an NDP call for a comprehensive national housing strategy that is gaining support in Ottawa. The bill would require the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s $2 billion annual surplus to be transferred to the provinces to provide housing for low-income households.

“The federal government has vacated its role in housing and the fallout from that decision has been devastating. We need to generate the political will to help people who are struggling to pay for basic housing,” said Savoie. “This bill calls on government to reinvest in housing and help lift communities like Victoria out of crisis.”

The bill would amend Section 21 of the National Housing Act, requiring CMHC's unappropriated retained earnings to be earmarked for the goal of sheltering Canadians, a goal from which the CMHC has strayed over the years.