Here is what the bishop said reported in the Anglican Journal:

An Anglican bishop, along with a coalition of leading anti-poverty and housing advocates, has urged the federal government to adopt a "rights-based" approach in its upcoming National Housing Strategy and poverty reduction strategies.

"We come together today to send a clear and consistent message to the federal government regarding the need for a rights-based approach to addressing housing, food and justice for all, particularly among the First Peoples of this great nation," said Bishop John Chapman, who took part in a press conference on Parliament Hill October 16, the eve of the United Nations' International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

"This is not just the work of charity," said Chapman. "We are discussing human dignity, the beauty and wonder of every human being, the unique gift a person brings to our civil society."

A human rights approach is the most effective framework if Canada expects to address the socio-economic disadvantage suffered by millions who are homeless, inadequately housed and living in poverty, said Leilani Farha, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing and the executive director of Canada Without Poverty, who was also present at the press conference. "It would also ensure people could exercise their rights through new accountability mechanisms for all levels of government--a feature missing from current policies on poverty and housing."