C-205
An Act to amend the National Housing Strategy Act
Bill Type: Private Member’s
Bill Sponsor: Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East)
First Reading: June 10, 2025
This Bill is about homelessness and Indigenous housing. It would stop government from clearing encampments off federal land without first consulting the people living there and identifying somewhere else for them to go — and it strengthens Indigenous peoples' role in shaping housing programs that affect them.
WHO GAINS POWER
- Indigenous peoples — gain formal rights to be actively involved in determining and developing housing programs that affect them
- Encampment residents — gain protection from removal off federal land without meaningful engagement and identified alternatives
- Civil society and advocacy organizations — gain expanded roles in participatory processes under the Strategy
WHO LOSES POWER
- The Minister — loses discretion to remove encampments from federal land without first consulting residents and identifying alternatives
- Federal and provincial governments — constrained in how they respond to encampments on federal land
WHO GAINS MONEY
- Indigenous-led housing organizations — increased formal role may bring increased funding access
- Encampment residents — indirect benefit through housing alternatives that must be identified before removal
WHO LOSES MONEY
- No direct financial transfers — but provinces and municipalities may face costs if federal land encampment protections shift pressure onto their jurisdictions
THE CATCH
- Protections apply only to federal land — provinces and municipalities can still remove encampments on their own land
- "Meaningful engagement" and "alternatives" are not defined — the bill sets the obligation but not the standard
- UNDRIP implementation is referenced but not enforced — no mechanism if government fails to comply
- Reporting requirements are strengthened but the Strategy itself remains non-binding
Source: https://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/45-1/bill/C-205/first-reading