An amount of $900 million reserved for housing is being blocked due to a lack of agreement between Quebec and Ottawa, denounces the Union of Municipalities of Quebec (UMQ).
“We are waiting, our hands are tied, we can do nothing,” complained its president Martin Damphousse on Friday at the homeless summit in Quebec. “Without this agreement we cannot do anything, the money remains frozen. »
The latter took the opportunity to anger Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who suggested this week that mayors would delay submitting their application, while several Quebec cities contacted by Le Devoir claimed to be waiting for negotiations with Quebec to be completed.
According to Le Devoir, Quebec and Ottawa are still in negotiations over the use of the fund in Quebec. A source in Quebec’s housing minister’s office says the Legault government is waiting for a response from the federal government to the offer presented last June.
The federal government announced Wednesday that the City of London, Ontario will become the first municipality in the country to receive funding from the Accelerated Housing Construction Fund (FACL). This $4 billion fund was announced in the 2022 budget, but cities couldn’t subscribe to it until this summer. An amount of 900 million is reserved for Quebec.
“We’ve been waiting for six months. That is far too long, said the president of the UMQ, Mr. Damphousse, on Friday afternoon. All other Canadian provinces and municipalities [canadiennes] You now have access to these amounts. »
We need angry politicians […] If Ms. Duranceau isn’t angry, we have a problem. If Mr. Bonnardel is not angry, if Mr. Dubé is not angry […]we have a problem.
In his speech at the start of the day, Martin Damphousse even jokingly invited ministers from both levels of government into the room (federal Public Services Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Quebec Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant). use the break to clarify the matter. Without success.
Mr. Duclos, who left the event before he could be asked about the issue, responded in writing saying that “negotiations continue on the release of the amount earmarked for housing that will change lives.” “We can’t wait for this to happen,” he also said.
10,000 homeless in 2021
Hundreds of people gathered on Friday for the homeless summit organized by the UMQ in the capital. On this occasion, the Minister in charge of Social Services, Lionel Carmant, announced that a new census of the homeless would be carried out in 2024.
The latest count, the results of which were published this week, shows a 44% increase in the number of homeless people compared to 2018. This operation, carried out in autumn 2022, registered no fewer than 10,000 homeless people. Four years earlier there were fewer than 6,000.
Previously, the exercise took place every four years. However, the municipal world, including Quebec Mayor Bruno Marchand, urged Minister Carmant to increase the frequency.
On Thursday, Mr. Carmant announced a new $15.5 million investment in homeless shelters. A sum that the mayors consider to be insufficient. “It won’t be enough, but you yourself admitted it,” Mr. Marchand told him in his speech on Friday.
Noticed absence of Minister Duranceau
His colleague, Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau, was conspicuous by her absence from Friday’s event. The MPs from Québec Solidaire and the Liberal Party of Quebec who were present on site did not fail to criticize.
The minister’s office notably defended her by claiming that she had not been invited, which the UMQ contradicted.
In any case, she absolutely should have been present, argued Mayor Marchand. “All ministers were welcome. It’s been six months since it was organized, since people found out about it. If she wanted to be there, she could have been there. The red carpet would have been rolled out for him. »
Quebec’s mayor is also urging the government to make the fight against homelessness a national priority. “We need politicians to be angry,” he said. If Mrs. Duranceau [la ministre de l’Habitation] Don’t be mad, we have a problem. If Mr. Bonnardel [François, ministre des Transports] is not angry if Mr. Dubé [Christian, ministre de la Santé] is not evil […], we have a problem. »
“The ultimate goal,” he added, “is to reduce homelessness to zero,” “it is the gold medal for a people who want to be proud and leave no one behind in their path.”
With Boris Proulx