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VULNERABLE358
and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and
to the continuous improvement of living conditions.”3 To understand
housing as a right is to understand it as a social good. This means rec-
ognizing housing as more than mere physical shelter, but as founda-
tional to safety, security, and dignity.4 In the wake of COVID-19, those
without access to adequate housing face profound and complex barri-
ers to staying safe or protecting themselves—in some cases threaten-
ing their very survival.
Despite Canadian governments’ acknowledgement that COVID-
19 presents disproportionate risks and burdens for some groups, poli-
cies have not been responsive enough to the distinct needs and human
rights of vulnerable groups. Emerging evidence suggests the enforce-
ment of universal public health orders has had detrimental effects on
some of the most marginalized people in society and that targeted
interventions for vulnerable groups have not always been rights-com-
pliant or improved outcomes.5 People experiencing homelessness, sur-
vivors of IPV, and low-income renters are three such groups whose
housing status has powerfully shaped their pandemic experiences.
People Experiencing Homelessness
Despite being one of the wealthiest countries in the world, home-
lessness is commonplace in most Canadian communities. Policy
responses to homelessness have historically been emergency-focused,
with many cities failing to see significant reductions in homelessness
year after year.6 As a result, COVID-19 has emerged when hundreds
of thousands of people live unsheltered on the streets, trying to sur-
vive through a patchwork of shelters, drop-ins, and social services.
For those trapped in situations of homelessness, COVID-19 pres-
ents a severe threat to life, security, and dignity. Those on the streets
3. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 16 December 1966,
993 UNTS 3 art 11 (entered into force 3 January 1976).
4. ReportÂ
ofÂ
theÂ
SpecialÂ
RapporteurÂ
onÂ
AdequateÂ
HousingÂ
asÂ
aÂ
ComponentÂ
ofÂ
theÂ
RightÂ
toÂ
anÂ
Adequate Standard of Living, and on the Right to Non-discrimination in This Context,
UNHRC, 43rd Sess., Annex, Agenda Item 3, UN Doc A/HRC/43/43/Add.1 (2020).
5. “Statement–Inequality Amplified by COVID-19 Crisis” (2020), online: Canadian
HumanÂ
RightsÂ
Commission <www.chrc-ccdp.gc.ca/eng/content/statement-inequal-
ity-amplified-covid-19-crisis>. See also Alex Neve & Isabelle Langlois, “Canada’s
COVID-19 Response Demands Human-Rights Oversight”, Globe and MailÂ
(15 April 2020), online: <www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-canadas-
covid-19-response-demands-human-rights-oversight/>.
6. Gaetz, supra note 1.
VULNERABLE
The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19
- Title
- VULNERABLE
- Subtitle
- The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19
- Authors
- Vanessa MacDonnell
- Jane Philpott
- Sophie Thériault
- Sridhar Venkatapuram
- Publisher
- Ottawa Press
- Date
- 2020
- Language
- English
- License
- CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- ISBN
- 9780776636429
- Size
- 15.2 x 22.8 cm
- Pages
- 648
- Categories
- Coronavirus
- International