The right to housing in a neoliberal and colonial context

Figures & data

Table 1. A chronology of housing-related and Indigenous rights.

Year		International Instruments
1948		Universal Declaration of Human Rights
1965		International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
1966		International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
1979		Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
1989		Convention on the Rights of the Child
2006		Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
2007		Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Year		Canadian Law
1982		Constitution Act, 1982
1982		Charter of Rights and Freedoms
2019		National Housing Strategy Act
2021		United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act

Table 2. Housing need in British Columbia, Manitoba and New Brunswick.

	Total population	Households in housing need (%)	Households in housing need (n)
British Columbia	5,000,879	13.4	257,090
Manitoba	1,342,153	10.1	48,810
New Brunswick	775,610	6.2	20,245

Source: Statistics Canada (2023).

Table 3. Characteristics of participating organizations.

	British Columbia	Manitoba	New Brunswick
Geography
Large and medium urban area	6	3	2
Small town, rural and northern area	4	6	7
Size
Large: over 400 units	4	2	1
Medium: 50–399 units	5	6	3
Small: less than 50 units	1	1	5
Leadership
Indigenous	3	2	1
Non-Indigenous	7	7	8
Established
Pre-1993	9	8	7
Post-1993	1	1	2
Total
Total respondents	10	9	9

Table 4. Implications of the challenges and strategies emerging from the research.

Barriers	Strategies	Implications for rights
A changing funding landscape	Find ways to stabilize funding	A neoliberal focus on market solutions reduces funding availability and makes it more difficult to provide low-rent units. Housing providers straddle the tension between providing low-rent housing, and increasing rental income to cover costs
Complexity of tenants’ lives	A values-based approach	A neoliberal shift away from public investment in social programs makes it more difficult for tenants to enact their human and Indigenous rights. Compassion and dignity are central values in ensuring that individuals, families and communities can take care of themselves. Rights are indivisible and interdependent, and require holistic intervention.
Insufficient Indigenous-led housing	Create Indigenous housing	Rights to land, language and culture highlight the importance of culturally appropriate housing. Housing providers are finding ways to work towards self-determination for individuals, families and communities.

Statistics Canada. (2023) Census Profile Statistics Canada Catalogue No. 98-316-X2021001 (Ottawa: 2021 Census of Population).

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