After her controversial statements last June, which provoked the ire of tenants’ associations and the opposition in the National Assembly, Quebec Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau remains more resistant than ever to the issue of the transfer of the lease contract.
At the beginning of the summer, Ms. Duranceau had to defend herself after making statements during an interview on Noovo.
You cannot use a right that is not yours, to transfer a lease to another person, on terms you decide, when it is not your building. The tenant who wants to do this must invest in real estate and assume the risks that come with it.
declared.
The Planning Commission began studying House Bill 31 on Thursday. Three days of consultations and public hearings are planned.
On Tuesday, in a parliamentary committee, Duranceau questioned whether there were reasons to intervene in rent increases when housing is transferred from one tenant to another.
(Resigning from the lease) means returning with someone else’s property (…) There are rent increases that are not what would be desired, so shouldn’t we rather work on those increases?
The transfer of the lease does not solve the problem, he reiterated speaking with David Searle, lawyer and professor of Housing Law.
The latter responded that tenant advocacy organizations would be in favor of such a measure that would keep rents lower.
On the part of the Union of Municipalities of Quebec (UMQ), the solution involves the construction of social and affordable housing.
The UMQ advocated for a program that would allow the creation of 4,500 social homes and 13,400 affordable homes per year.
At the same time, Martin Damphousse, president of the UMQ, defended the municipalities, stating that they are not responsible for delays in the construction of social and affordable housing. Municipalities are caught between Ottawa and Quebec, he suggested.
We are awaiting an agreement between Quebec and Ottawa to ensure that these amounts ($900 million reserved for Quebec from the federal fund) can be released.
Asked about the issue in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded that there was We look forward to delivering this $900 million to municipalities across Quebec.
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Its Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Sean Fraser, indicated that he was working with Quebec to finish things
. But there is still a lot of work to do, Trudeau added.
