people cannot wait 10 years.

 

people cannot wait 10 years. winter is here.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced an ambitious plan to end homelessness in Canada within 10 years, backed by nearly $30 billion in proposed funding.

On paper, it sounds promising. Housing, health care, mental health and addiction services, rental assistance and homelessness prevention brought together.

But I have one very important question.

How many people will die this winter while we wait for this plan to become reality?

It is November. The rain is pouring, temperatures are dropping, and people are still sleeping outside.

A 10-year strategy does absolutely nothing for someone trying to survive tonight, tomorrow night or the next three months.

People experiencing homelessness remain among the most vulnerable members of our communities. They are exposed to cold, rain, illness, exhaustion, violence and the daily struggle to find somewhere safe to sleep.

And let's not forget that homelessness isn't always connected to addiction or mental illness.

People lose their homes because they cannot afford rent. Seniors living on inadequate pensions, people working for minimum wage, people who have lost employment, women escaping violence and people whose savings have disappeared.

Some need intensive support. Others simply need an affordable place to live.

My concerns about the announcement are straightforward:

1. Immediate action: Where is the emergency plan for people sleeping outside this winter? We cannot wait a decade.

2. Affordable housing: Where are the genuinely affordable apartments for people who don't require supportive housing but cannot afford market rent?

3. Prevention: Why aren't we doing more to stop people from losing their homes in the first place? Rental assistance needs to reach people before they are on the street.

4. Seniors and people on fixed incomes: What happens to people whose pensions and income cannot keep pace with housing costs?

5. Provincial accountability: Ottawa may fund construction, but provinces are expected to operate these homes and provide services. Who makes sure the promises are delivered?

6. Transparency: Canadians need to know how many homes are actually built, how many people are housed, how much rent they will pay and how quickly the money reaches communities.

The Winnipeg announcement is a starting point, with more than $1 billion in federal funding for housing and a mental health and addictions centre.

But what about Vancouver? What about Victoria, Surrey, Nanaimo and all the other communities struggling with homelessness?

We need immediate emergency accommodation, warm places to sleep, food, accessible washrooms, outreach workers and real pathways into permanent housing.

We need to stop treating homelessness as something that can be managed indefinitely.

And we need to remember that every statistic represents a human being.

A person. A life. Someone's mother, father, brother, sister, friend or neighbour.

A home is not a luxury. It is a basic foundation for survival.

I welcome serious investment in ending homelessness, but I don't want to hear that we have ten years to fix this while people are dying on our streets this winter.

The rain doesn't wait for a budget.

The cold doesn't wait for construction.

And neither should the people who need help.

Canada, we need to do both: build for the future and save lives today.

#FightForHousing #EndHomelessness #HousingIsAHumanRight