Unhoused people have a fundamental right to live in encampments, and that right is violated when authorities tear them down, Canada’s housing advocate says.
In a piercing report released Tuesday, Marie-Josée Houle says the expansion of homeless encampments across the country is a national human rights crisis that requires immediate action and co-ordination involving all levels of government.
The report calls on governments to take responsibility for deep systemic failures that violate the right to housing, which Canada officially recognized in 2019.