Québec solidaire targets rent increases and landlord practices

MONTREAL — Quebec’s leftist sovereigntist party closed its convention Sunday with a sharpened focus on housing affordability, announcing a suite of proposals aimed at reducing the cost of rent.

Québec solidaire, which holds 11 of the national assembly’s 125 seats, pledged to cap annual rent increases in line with inflation, a policy it would apply should the party form government.

Members adopted the position after debating how far they should go in regulating the rental market, as some small landlords argued the proposed rent cap would limit their ability to raise rents.

“The objective is not to target small landlords,” said Ruba Ghazal, the party’s co-spokesperson, pointing to the existing legal framework for landlords to seek higher increases when it’s justified.

Quebec’s rental housing tribunal handles disputes over rent increases, evictions, and housing conditions. Ghazal said landlords would still be able to appeal to the tribunal if, for example, major renovations were carried out.

“They can always assert their rights at the tribunal if they want to increase beyond inflation, as is done in Ontario. We are not touching any landlord rights,” she said.

Alongside rent controls, Québec solidaire is also proposing a tougher stance on property owners who break housing laws or contribute to poor rental conditions.

Members backed a motion to penalize “abusive landlords” as part of efforts to curb profit-driven practices in the housing market, including stricter rules on property flipping and renovictions — evictions justified by renovations that can be used to displace tenants and re-rent units at higher prices — as well as stronger penalties for landlords who break housing laws.

Québec solidaire MNA Andrés Fontecilla, who is responsible for housing within the party, said the policy would give existing laws more teeth.

“The laws are there, but they are almost never enforced seriously,” he said, citing issues such as harassment, fraudulent evictions, unsafe housing and misleading lease information.

Québec solidaire is proposing to significantly increase existing fines, raising them by $10,000 for each repeated offence. The penalties could ultimately reach up to $100,000 for an individual landlord and $200,000 for a corporation.

“A fine has to be a deterrent, not symbolic,” Fontecilla said.

In extreme cases, Québec solidaire would also give governments and municipalities the power to expropriate serial offenders who repeatedly neglect properties or endanger tenants.

“When a landlord accumulates abuses (…) they should ultimately be able to lose their properties,” he said.

Members also unanimously backed measures to expand housing for vulnerable people, including women fleeing violence, people experiencing homelessness and Indigenous communities.

Housing affordability has become a defining issue across Canada, as rising rents strain tenants in cities from Montreal to Vancouver.

Québec solidaire has made housing an important part of its platform, linking affordability to broader issues of inequality and housing security.

Beyond housing, delegates at the convention are also debating proposals on environmental policy and Quebec sovereignty as the party concludes its weekend gathering.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2026.

The Canadian Press