Tenants and proud of it - 14th Tenants' Day, RCLALQ national demonstration

LONGUEUIL, QC, April 24, 2026 /CNW/ - Hundreds of tenants, community workers, and allies from across Quebec took to the streets of Longueuil for the 14th Tenants' Day organized by the Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ), under the theme Tenants and proud of it.

As the housing crisis continues to worsen, this mobilization aimed to denounce a deeply imbalanced rental market whose impacts are being felt across Quebec, with tenants facing increasing impoverishment.

Tenants are struggling to find housing that fits their budgets, a situation that, for years now, has no longer been limited to downtown Montreal but extends across the entire province. In Longueuil, as elsewhere, building more units is not enough if they remain out of reach. Without measures to ensure affordability and quality, new developments fail to meet real needs. It is in this context that tenants from different regions came together to make their voices heard.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, the demonstration was intentionally festive. This approach is rooted in a strong belief: being a tenant is not just a temporary step on the way to homeownership. For a large part of the population, it is a long-term reality and a fully legitimate way of living that deserves to be recognized with pride and celebrated.

The RCLALQ is now coordinating, together with FRAPRU, the Coalition contre le logement cher (COLOC). This coalition, which already brings together close to 30 national and local organizations from a wide range of sectors, chose to support Tenants' Day as a powerful symbol and message to both the public and political leaders. Many of these organizations stood with us today to demand concrete measures to finally put tenants' living conditions at the heart of government priorities.

As the CAQ government approaches the end of its second term, the RCLALQ can only point to the disastrous outcomes of its housing policies. With elections on the horizon, the organization and its allies are sending a clear message, not only to the CAQ, but to all political parties claiming they can solve the crisis: stop making election promises on the backs of tenants while systematically refusing to act in their favour.

The RCLALQ also took the opportunity to directly address the new Minister of Housing, Karine Boivin Roy, by reiterating the urgent demands it is putting forward with the COLOC:

• The implementation of real rent control measures in Quebec;
• The large-scale development of social housing;
• The recognition of the right to housing in the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

About the RCLALQ
The Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ) represents more than sixty tenant rights organizations across Quebec. For over 45 years, it has worked to defend and promote the right to housing, advocating for stronger market regulation and improved access to justice for tenants.

About the COLOC
The Coalition contre le logement cher (COLOC) brings together national, regional, and local community organizations united to defend the right to housing. Launched by FRAPRU and the RCLALQ, it advocates for structural measures, including rent control and the large-scale development of social housing. It works to counter the impoverishment of tenants and promote long-term solutions, while building the balance of power needed to force governments to deliver real change.

SOURCE Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ)

Contacts médias: FR : Benoît Rullier, coordonnateur | RCLALQ, ENG : Steve Baird, organisateur communautaire | RCLALQ, Tél. : [phone]