With a vote of 141 (yea) and 132 (nay), draft legislation to create a national housing plan for Canada moved another step forward in the Commons last night. The national housing plan bill won the support of NDP, Liberal and Bloc MPs at yesterday’s vote, but was opposed by the federal housing minister, Diane Finley, and others in the Conservative caucus. Bill C-304, proposed by MP Libby Davies, would require the federal government to consult widely with provinces, territories, municipalities, Aboriginal people, community groups and private sector interests and report back to the Commons with a comprehensive national affordable housing plan that meets Canada’s international housing rights obligations. The bill is going back to committee for a quick amendment. MP Davies is working to ensure that the bill comes back to the Commons for third and final reading before the holiday recess in mid-December. If the bill doesn’t make it to a vote by that time, then it will be pushed into the winter session of Parliament – scheduled to start in late January. The Wellesley Institute’s Precarious Housing in Canada 2010 sets out both detailed information on the scale and scope of Canada’s national affordable housing crisis, and also offers a practical and pragmatic framework for a national housing plan. Our Canadian housing e-map lists 173 housing and homelessness initiatives across Canada – and more can be added.