Montrealers protest to denounce Bill 31, Quebec’s controversial housing bill
Global News
Montrealers are fearful that Quebec's Bill 31 will make it even harder to find affordable housing across the city. A protest on Saturday was to send a message to the government.
Several hundred people gathered in the city’s Rosemont neighborhood Saturday afternoon to denounce Bill 31, the Quebec government’s controversial housing bill. If adopted it would allow landlords to deny lease transfers.
The demonstration was organized by tenants’ rights advocates who are critical of the bill.
“Bill 31 is still under study at the national assembly of Quebec,” said Cédric Dussault, a spokesperson for The Coalition of Housing Committees and Tenants Associations of Quebec (RCLALQ)
“It’s important to continue to say no to this bill to demand the government revoke completely this bill,” he added.
Organizations are now calling for a rent freeze and demanding that housing minister France-Élaine Duranceau step down.
“It’s important to keep this persistence up,” said Robin Black, a spokesperson for the Villeray renters association.
“We have the biggest housing crisis in 30 years and we don’t seem to have a minister that actually really seems genuinely concerned about how people suffer from a lack of housing,” added Black.
Tenants’ rights activists say this is the first bill that is removing rights from tenants in 45 years.