Canada Day of Action Tuesday October 19th

On October 19, we joined forces with anti-poverty organizations from across the country and pulled off a very successful day of action in support of a federal housing strategy. For me, the highlight was definitely popping open 100 Red Tents in front of Parliament and marching them to the Human Rights Monument. The end result was a beautiful display of red solidarity, breathing new life into the call for a federal housing strategy.

The day of action was timed to coincide with Bill C-304 for a federal housing strategy going back before the House of Commons. While the progress of Libby Davies’ Private Member’s Bill has not been as sensational as the purchase of new fighter jets, or garnered as many headlines as the vote on the long gun registry, it has been a quiet example of what can be achieved when political parties and housing advocacy groups unite for a common goal.

On October 20th, following our red tent display and some behind the scenes negotiations, the Bloc Quebecois made a motion to move the bill back to the House of Commons HUMA Committee. While it may not seem like a big victory, the bill would not have survived without the support of the Bloc, and the word out of Quebec City is that this wouldn’t have happened without the groundswell of public support and letters to the Bloc asking them to come on board.

Over the year support for the Bill has continued to grow with individuals all over the country telling their MP's to support the call for a national housing strategy, and after the Bill returned from the HUMA Committee with an ammendment that secured the support of the Bloc there was hope it would be passed in the coming months.

The call for a spring election has placed the Bill on hold, but we are hopeful that when Parliament reconvenes after the votes are counted the political will and hard work that took place this year will bring the Bill back to the floor in the future.

Here are some of the visual highlights from our Day of Action: