58th session of the Human Rights Council
Item 3: Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on housing
Statement by Action Canada
Friday 7 March 2025
Thank you, President.
Action Canada makes this statement on behalf of the Sexual Rights Initiative, YWCA Hamilton and Barbra Schlifer Clinic.
We welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report and echo the call for equal enjoyment of the right to adequate housing for all migrants, regardless of documentation. We also share concerns about the rise of anti-migrant discourse and the instrumentalization of the ongoing housing crisis to further target migrants.
Housing is more than shelter. It is a fundamental determinant of health, safety, and well-being. Migrants, particularly those with irregular status, face systemic barriers to securing safe housing, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation, ill health, displacement, gender-based violence, and human rights violations. In Canada, many migrant workers, especially in agricultural and caregiving sectors, and international students endure overcrowded and unsafe conditions with little recourse when facing exploitation, violence, or eviction.
Migrants are not responsible for the housing crisis—State policies that prioritize profit over people are. At the intersection of racism, nationalism, patriarchy, and capitalism, governments are failing to provide basic public services equitably. From crumbling public health care systems to the financialization of social housing, to the lack of effective remedies for human rights violations, States around the world are sabotaging the public safety net and blaming migrants as the root cause, when in reality, they are among the most affected by the housing crisis.
States must respect, protect, and fulfill human rights for all, regardless of status. Guaranteeing migrants access to safe housing and healthcare is essential to building just and equitable societies for all.