Mayor frames homelessness as a solvable public-policy objective
Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand is urging all provincial political parties to endorse an explicit target of “zero homelessness”, framing the aim as a measurable policy objective rather than a perennial crisis to be managed.
In an open letter published Tuesday ahead of a leaders’ debate taking place in Quebec City, Marchand said he hopes the gathering of the province’s five major party leaders will become an opportunity to agree on a common ambition: to get people off the street. The mayor cited provincial counts showing homelessness has risen sharply in recent years and urged a more coordinated government response.
Marchand notes that homelessness has increased by 20 per cent since 2022 and by 60 per cent since 2018, and says more than 12,000 people experiencing visible homelessness are currently living in Quebec. He also highlighted emergency-shelter systems in large urban centres where occupancy rates regularly reach full capacity.
- Endorse a publicly stated goal of zero homelessness
- Hold a national homelessness summit by June 2027
- Build more social housing and overhaul how homelessness is counted in Quebec
“We must no longer think about ways to manage the crisis. We must act to get out of it,”
The open letter sets out three priorities for the next provincial government: convene a national summit on homelessness by June 2027; accelerate the construction of social housing; and reform the province’s methods for counting people experiencing homelessness so policy and funding better reflect need.
Local context and consequences for Quebec City
For Quebec City residents, the mayor’s appeal comes amid visible strains on shelters and frontline services. When emergency shelters reach full occupancy it places pressure on municipal resources and community organisations that provide outreach and support. By urging a provincial commitment, Marchand has signalled that municipal authorities see long-term solutions — particularly the creation of more social housing — as fundamental to reducing street homelessness.
Marchand’s approach emphasises that tallying and policy must align. His call to overhaul how homelessness is counted reflects concerns that existing counts may omit people in precarious or hidden situations, and so understate demand for housing and services. Accurate counts are typically used to allocate funding and to plan shelter and housing programs; changes to counting methods can therefore affect where and how resources are directed.
What the mayor is asking of party leaders
The mayor’s letter asks party leaders not only to pledge support for a summit and housing construction, but to adopt the overarching goal of getting every person off the street, “without exception.” He underscores that all parties have already committed to holding a summit, and urges that such a meeting produce renewed political commitments and concrete actions rather than merely signalling intent.
| Statistic | Figure |
|---|---|
| Increase since 2022 | 20% |
| Increase since 2018 | 60% |
| People in visible homelessness (province-wide) | More than 12,000 |
Municipal leaders across the province have increasingly called for provincial and federal partners to provide both the funding and the policy tools necessary to expand social-housing stocks. For Quebec City, which must balance municipal budgets and local service delivery, provincial commitments matter: they shape the scale and timing of supports available to address immediate shelter needs and to build longer-term housing solutions.
Marchand’s plea places pressure on party leaders to move past broad promises to specific, measurable targets and timelines. With a leaders’ debate in the city and a summit on the horizon if parties follow through, Quebec City could become a focal point for renewed provincial attention on homelessness and housing policy.
The mayor’s letter did not specify particular funding figures or program details, but it did set a clear expectation: provincial parties should adopt a target of zero homelessness and back it with a summit, more social housing and improved counting methods to ensure policy matches the scale of the problem.
