More than thirty groups and numerous tenants demonstrated at Parc-Extension on Saturday afternoon to demand the withdrawal of Bill 31 and the resignation of Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau.
The demonstrators also called for an immediate rent freeze and the socialization of all new apartments, the Regroupement des Committees Logement et Associations de Tenants du Québec (RCLALQ) said in a press release.
A demonstration against Bill 31 on lease termination took place today in Montreal’s Parc-Extension neighborhood.
Here is the message to Prime Minister François Legault and to French Housing Minister Élaine Duranceau.#PolQc pic.twitter.com/IJPxNHTYAZ
– Adel (@khelsan_) December 2, 2023
“The CAQ government is going down in history as the first in Quebec history to take back the rights of tenants and bow to the wishes and deepest desires of owners,” emphasized Martin Blanchard, of RCLALQ.
In its press release, the RCLALQ mentioned the explosion in rents, which have increased by 75% in Quebec since 2022, and that this is the fault of “owners determined to rob us,” as we can also read.
Bill 31 would give landlords more power to reject leases, allowing new tenants to benefit from the same rent as their predecessor until the lease is renewed.
The regrouping of Quebec Housing Committees and Tenants Associations (RCLALQ) was accompanied in particular by the Front for the Fight for Popular Real Estate (FLIP) and the Parc-Extension Action Committee to call on tenants to demonstrate.
“The PL31 is a real joke for all tenants in Quebec. The loss of one of the last instruments of solidarity that allows us to fight against our collective exploitation means opening the door to the increase in homelessness and the suffering of our fellow citizens, who are already the most vulnerable. » lamented Sam Choquette, FLIP activist.
The RCLALQ has been calling for Minister Delanceau’s resignation since November 30, following the report of the Ethics Commissioner “which concluded that Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau had “in a way favored the abusive personal interests” of a lobbyist Friend,” we can read in the press release that the RCLALQ published on its website.