The Right to Adequate Housing in Canada

At the international level, Canada has long been an advocate for social and economic rights and for the right to adequate housing. Canada ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in 1976. Unfortunately, the image projected by Canada internationally is increasingly at odds with domestic policy and legislation. There is no evidence of any commitment on the part of the federal government or provincial governments in Canada to give effect to the right to adequate housing. Nor is there any explicit recognition of the right to adequate housing anywhere in Canadian law. The policy direction in recent years in Canada has been toward the withdrawal of commitments to ensure access to adequate housing and meaningful security of tenure.