Engagement Report – February and March 2022

Participants

The Federal Housing Advocate met with:

• National Housing Council Members
• Legal experts in Housing and Human Rights Law
• Canadian Lived-Experience Leadership Network Steering Committee
• Marie-Claude Landry, Chief Commissioner, Canadian Human Rights Commission
• Tim Richter, Co-Chair of the National Housing Council
• National Right to Housing Network Members
• Women's National Housing and Homelessness Network Members
• Karen Jensen, Federal Pay Equity Commissioner
• Romy Bowers, President of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Summary

These sessions took place in the form of small to large virtual conferences in an introductory capacity, as well as bilateral meetings with key partners, rights holders, and duty bearers. The Advocate had the opportunity to attend Minister Hussen's Housing Supply Summit, as well as to speak at the Assembly of First Nations' fifth National First Nations Housing Forum and Tradeshow, introducing her mandate and duties to a wider audience, and to witness presentations about some of the most pressing housing issues faced by First Nations.

The Office of the Federal Housing Advocate hosted a Symposium to explore the topic of Security of Tenure as a systemic housing issue. The Advocate opened the event with an introduction of her mandate and duties to an audience comprising of several legal experts, advocacy groups, lived-experts, and some governmental duty-bearers.

Key themes

Advocate introduction of her mandate and duties:

• Met with key partners to present mandate and duties, and to establish working relationships paying particular attention to promoting and protecting the right to housing in Canada, including the progressive realization of the right to adequate housing. With a main goal to drive change on key systemic housing issues and advance the right to housing for all in Canada.

Security of Tenure:

• Security of tenure is a key component of the right to adequate housing. As part of our mandate to conduct research into systemic housing issues, the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate undertook a research project with seven legal experts to examine various facets of evictions and security of tenure across Canada.
• The Office then hosted a Symposium to solicit thoughts and feedback from various civil society and advocacy organizations, members of the legal community, persons with lived-expertise of homelessness or precarious housing, and other governmental partners.
• The Advocate spoke at the symposium and took the opportunity to introduce her mandate and duties under the NHSA.