Legault refuses to commit to expanding law protecting seniors from eviction
Premier François Legault refuses to commit to working with Québec solidaire (QS) to pass Bill 198, which would expand the scope of the Françoise David law to better protect seniors from eviction.
"Is the premier open to discussions with the other parties to better protect senior tenants?" asked QS parliamentary leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois during question period at the National Assembly on Wednesday.
But Legault avoided answering, preferring to deflect the question to criticize the QS.
"The real problem with housing is that there is a shortage of units in relation to the high demand, among other things because of temporary immigrants, who have increased by more than 230,000 in the past two years. QS refuses to see this problem and still thinks that putting more constraints on landlords is the way to solve it. We don't agree with this approach," said the premier.
However, the CAQ government agreed to call QS's bill.
The premier also took the opportunity to praise his government's record on policies for seniors. He recalled that Bill 31 on housing, adopted in February, reversed the burden of proof in evictions to put the onus on landlords.
"The older you are, the more at risk you are," he said.
On Wednesday morning, former QS MNA Françoise David -- who pushed through a law to protect senior tenants in 2016 -- published a letter in La Presse calling on the government to quickly adopt the QS bill, as "Quebec is going through the worst housing crisis in 40 years."
"We now ask the government and opposition parties to rediscover the transparent spirit of 2016 and work together towards the rapid and unanimous adoption of a law that better protects senior tenants from eviction," reads the letter.
The letter is signed by two former PQ ministers, Louise Harel and Marie Malavoy, as well as former Liberal MNA Christiane Pelchat.
Simon Jolin-Barrette's lack of appetite
On Tuesday, government leader Simon Jolin-Barrette also showed little appetite for the QS bill to be passed, even though he agreed to have it called.
He pointed out that the debate on the protection of senior tenants had already been held as part of Bill 31 on housing, and that the government's position had not changed.
During the study of Bill 31, QS and the Parti québécois (PQ) tabled amendments to improve the Françoise David law. The Minister of Housing, France-Élaine Duranceau, rejected them, arguing that her bill already contained several measures to protect people from eviction, regardless of their age.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that the appeal of the QS bill had been the subject of behind-the-scenes negotiations between Simon Jolin-Barrette and QS leader Alexandre Leduc.
QS was committed to accelerating the passage of Bill 15 on the health-care system, and in exchange, the government would call Bill 198, Leduc said.
The QS leader also said he hoped to convince his CAQ opponents to adopt his bill. The Liberals and the PQ have already come out in favour.
The Françoise David law stipulates that a senior over 70 with a very low income who has lived in his or her dwelling for more than 10 years cannot be evicted. The aim of the new QS bill is to broaden the criteria to include people aged 65 and over who have been living in their home for at least five years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 27, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.