At the international level, housing was recognized as part of the right to an adequate standard of living in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Canada agreed to.

At the national level, the National Housing Strategy Act was enacted in 2019, recognizing housing as a human right.

Meanwhile, judges have ruled that Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights of Freedoms, which protects the right to life, liberty and security of the person, includes housing rights, even if that "housing" is in an encampment.

In Winnipeg, the city only evicts encampments that are on private property or are causing an immediate risk to safety.

That has many Winnipeggers complaining the encampments keep them from visiting parks.