Homeless Rights in Canada

In February 2016, Pivot Legal Society was invited to provide submissions to the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) as part of the committee's regular periodic review of human rights in Canada.

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Using the law as a catalyst for positive social change, Pivot Legal Society works to improve the lives of marginalized communities.

Pivot's submission describes how Canada’s failure to enact a national right to adequate housing and pursue a national housing programme has led to the ongoing criminalization and displacement of homeless people.

We call on Canada to commit to acknowledging in law the right of homeless people to an adequate standard of living and to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. We also urge Canada to enact a legally enforceable right to adequate housing, as well as protections from discrimination on the basis of social status and homelessness.

Pivot’s submission was delivered in person by DJ Larkin in Geneva, Switzerland on February 22, 2016.