House of Commons, a Member’s office
Should the terms of the federal shelter program carry duties of human rights and accommodation.
The letter ·
Re: RE: RE: Constituent — 1754 St. Joseph Boulevard, prayer in the common areas of a federally funded site
Hello,
Thank you for the reply from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and for putting my question to the Department in the words I asked for.
The answer is on the record now. The Interim Housing Assistance Program funding agreements carry no provisions on human rights or on the duty to accommodate. Federal money houses people who have just arrived in Canada. The agreement that carries that money says nothing about their rights.
I am asking for one thing. Please put that answer in front of Mme Lalonde as a question about the program itself. The Department has confirmed that the terms and conditions carry no human rights or accommodation clause, and the question for her is whether they should. Tell me in writing when that has been done.
Respectfully,
Danilo Dzyuban
The letter ·
Re: RE: RE: Constituent — 1754 St. Joseph Boulevard, prayer in the common areas of a federally funded site
Hello,
Your letter states the question correctly and then answers a different one. You wrote that I am asking about the program rather than about the operation of 1754 St. Joseph Boulevard. The 3 paragraphs that follow are about the operation of that building. They end by directing me to the City and to a municipal councillor.
Nobody disputes who runs the building. That was settled in your letter of 1 September and I have not raised it since. The Department has confirmed something else. The IHAP funding agreements contain no provisions specifically addressing human rights, religious practice, freedom of religion or the duty to accommodate. That is every agreement under the program, in every jurisdiction that takes the money. The gap sits in the instrument IRCC writes, and no city can close it.
On 22 September I asked Mme Lalonde for 2 things, and your letter gives neither: the date this was put in front of her, and her position. It repeats instead that my letters will be brought to her attention. That sentence has now reached me twice, and it was not an answer either time.
The question takes one word. Should the Interim Housing Assistance Program terms and conditions carry a human rights and accommodation clause? Yes or no.
By 6 October 2026, in writing, with the date it reached her.
If nothing comes, the question goes to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. It goes to the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration as a brief. It goes to the Office of the Auditor General of Canada as a question about the conditions attached to federal grants. The Department's answer is already in front of the City. I sent it this morning to the Interim Director of Housing and Homelessness Services and to the Councillor for Ward 1.
A federal member's office cannot answer a question about a federal program by naming a municipal councillor.
Respectfully,
Danilo Dzyuban
The answer ·
Dear Danilo,
Thank you for your patience while we followed up with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada regarding the specific information you were seeking about the Interim Housing Assistance Program.
We have now received a response from the Department. IRCC has confirmed that IHAP recipients are other orders of government and are therefore subject to their own laws, regulations and policies relating to human rights, religious practice, freedom of religion and the duty to accommodate.
The Department has also confirmed that IHAP provides grant funding to support existing housing programs administered at the provincial, territorial and municipal levels. IRCC does not have an operational or service delivery role in these programs, and recipient jurisdictions are responsible for service delivery in accordance with the laws, regulations and policies applicable in their jurisdiction.
Importantly, IRCC has confirmed that the IHAP funding agreements do not contain provisions specifically addressing human rights, religious practice, freedom of religion or the duty to accommodate.
The Department has provided the program’s terms and conditions, which are available here:
Interim Housing Assistance Program – Program Terms and Conditions<https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/transparency/program-terms-conditions/interim-housing-assistance.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com>;
As the Department has indicated that questions concerning service delivery fall within the responsibility of the local jurisdiction, questions regarding the specific rules applied at 1754 St. Joseph Boulevard would need to continue to be addressed with the City of Ottawa and the operator.
We appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention and providing the details of your concerns. We will ensure that your correspondence and the concerns you have raised are brought to Mme Lalonde’s attention.
Sincerely,
The answer ·
Dear Danilo,
Thank you for your follow-up.
We understand that you are now asking that your concerns regarding the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP) be considered as a broader policy question, rather than as a question about the operation of 1754 St. Joseph Boulevard.
It is important to distinguish the respective roles of the different levels of government in this matter. Under IHAP, the federal government, through IRCC, provides funding to support interim housing programs administered by provincial, territorial, and municipal governments. The federal government does not operate the housing facility at 1754 St. Joseph Boulevard, nor does IRCC determine the rules or practices applied at that facility. Responsibility for the delivery and operation of the housing program, including the rules applicable to residents, rests with the relevant jurisdiction and the organization providing the services.
Accordingly, the concerns you have raised about the specific rules or practices at 1754 St. Joseph Boulevard fall within the responsibility of the City of Ottawa and the organization operating the facility, rather than IRCC. The fact that the facility receives federal funding through IHAP does not make its day-to-day operation a federal responsibility. For questions or concerns regarding the facility’s operation, we would encourage you to continue raising them with the City of Ottawa and the facility operator, including by contacting your City Councillor.
Mme Lalonde takes constituent concerns seriously and regularly brings the issues and perspectives she hears from residents of Orléans forward in her discussions with colleagues, caucus members, and ministers. We will ensure that your correspondence and the broader policy concern you have raised regarding IHAP are brought to her attention.
Thank you again for bringing this matter to our attention.
Sincerely,