Protests in Quebec for the resignation of the housing minister
People are unhappy with the reform provoking rent increases.
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Montreal to express their opposition to Quebec's housing reform and related rent increases. Citizens called on Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau to resign.
What the protesters are unhappy about
Duranceau is in charge of Bill 31, a government bill dealing with housing reform. The activists who have taken to the streets represent a variety of housing groups. They are particularly upset that the reform will allow landlords to block lease-transfers. Opposition parties tried to get Duranceau to remove this clause from the bill, but she decided to keep it.
Demonstrators argue that Bill 31 will allow unscrupulous landlords to dramatically increase rents. And the most vulnerable citizens will suffer.
The protesters also talked about a recently released ethics investigation that said Duranceau gave preferential treatment to a friend with whom she was in the real estate business. Among themselves, activists now refer to the bill's creator as the "housing speculation minister."
The bill as part of the problem
Among the protesters was an activist from a committee that deals with Parc Extension, a neighborhood in Montreal. Her name is Amy Darwish, and she is concerned about the ever-accelerating gentrification.
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