Former Premier Pauline Marois now has the support of all the leaders of the parties in the National Assembly for her push to hold a summit on homelessness in 2027, as CAQ member Christine Fréchette has thrown her support behind the idea of a “meeting” on the issue.
Following a meeting held Tuesday afternoon in Quebec City, the current premier committed to conducting consultations on homelessness if she returns to power next October.
Fréchette also stated that she had agreed with Marois to develop “a national plan” on homelessness, rather than a “government plan.”
“It will be a plan that brings together not only the government’s commitments, but also commitments from civil society, the private sector, community groups, and Santé Québec,” she said during a press conference alongside Marois.
This future plan will need to include indicators, objectives, and targets, as well as monitoring measures, Fréchette said.
The government’s current plan to address homelessness expires at the end of 2026. The next version is already in the works, and 170 briefs have been submitted as part of this process, according to the premier.
Fréchette hopes to consult with various stakeholders “who have something to contribute regarding homelessness” and then organize a gathering—“whether it’s a large event, a forum, or a summit; we’ll see what term we end up using”—in the spring of 2027.
“We will schedule a meeting to outline everyone’s commitments, which will form the basis of our national plan to address homelessness,” she said.
In late May, at Marois’s initiative, a group of prominent figures issued an open letter calling on each of the major parties to commit to holding a major summit on homelessness by June 2027, should any of them form the next government.
Over the past few weeks, the former premier has been meeting with party leaders to explain why she wants to see such an initiative. The Quebec Liberal Party, the Parti Québécois, Québec solidaire, and the Conservative Party of Quebec have all endorsed her proposal.
She still needed to meet with the leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec. Marois said she had “a very constructive meeting” with her.
“What the premier is proposing is essentially in line with what we want. That is, there should be in-depth work—preparation, analysis of the situation—and, in the meantime, action, of course,” Marois told reporters.
She expressed a preference for a “summit,” but believes that a “forum” bringing together all partners and allowing for the establishment of performance targets and financial commitments within a national plan “essentially meets” the wishes of the 30 signatories of the letter.
Last month, Fréchette had refused to commit to a summit, instead defending her government’s efforts to combat homelessness.
On Tuesday, the CAQ leader reiterated that since 2021, the government has announced a total of more than one billion dollars to prevent and reduce homelessness. She acknowledged, however, that “we need to do more because the situation is still very difficult, particularly when it comes to rent prices.”
In the 2025 homeless count, no fewer than 12,000 people were counted across Quebec.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
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