Quebec’s National Assembly unanimously adopted a law banning common forms of evictions for the next three years, or until the province reaches a vacancy rate of three per cent.
It will apply retroactively to anyone who received an eviction notice for one of these reasons since May 22, when the bill was first tabled, if the tenant didn’t consent to leave their dwelling and the landlord hasn’t taken recourse before the provincial housing tribunal (TAL).
Municipalities can request to be exempt from the moratorium depending on their vacancy rates. However, even if most urban centres in the province reach a three per cent vacancy rate within three years, the moratorium can still apply to municipalities with low vacancies.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data shows that the vacancy rate in Quebec’s major urban centres has been going down since 2021, and as of 2023 was just slightly above one per cent.
The law also permanently expands protections for seniors under the “Françoise David law.”
Those 65 and over are protected from evictions and repossessions if they have lived in their dwelling for at least 10 years and their income is nor more than 125 per cent of the level eligible for subsidized housing.
Quebec is adding to the list of resources that exist to help tenants find and afford housing, but experts say those resources are in high demand.
“I’m very happy about this law. It’s a great measure that will allow us to collectively get through this housing crisis in a more humane way,” Quebec Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau told journalists Thursday morning.
“It’s been well-received from groups from all ends so I think we have a good law.”
Québec Solidaire’s Christine Labrie, who worked on drafting the bill, said she is pleased that the law was adopted as her party had pushed for a moratorium on evictions and more protection for seniors for years.
“If we are finally adopting these measures, it’s thanks to years of hard work on the housing issue,” she said in a statement.
The second opposition party is also seeking to enshrine the right to housing in the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.
Last December, a report by the Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ) showed that evictions in Quebec were at an all-time high between July 2022 and June 2023. It found that more than 3,530 tenants filed complaints about being forced out of their dwellings — a 132 per cent increase from the previous year.