44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 6, 2021 11:00AM
- Dec/6/21 2:35:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. With respect to the hon. member's question, I would point out that is precisely why our government brought in the national housing strategy, which has seen more than $72 billion planned to help ensure Canadians get the housing they need. Since 2015, in just the past six years, our government supported the creation of nearly 100,000 new units and has repaired over 300,000 more across all housing programs, representing $27.4 billion.
There is no shortage of investments we have made to make sure Canadians have places they can afford and that are safe to call home.
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- Dec/6/21 2:36:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is hard to figure out what metric the member is pointing to when we are confused about which is higher and which is lower.
With great respect, what has not wavered is our commitment to ensuring that we are investing in building supply and investing in programs. There is a new rent-to-own program so people who are renting can afford a place to call home, which will have generational impacts. These are investments that are going to make homes more affordable for first-time buyers.
Whether it is housing affordability or building more affordable housing, our government has been committed, like no other government in the history of Canada from the moment we first formed government, and that is not going to cease. We know it is a problem and we are going to continue to address it.
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- Dec/6/21 2:37:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have to acknowledge that there has been a rapid and serious rise in the cost of housing across Canada, but we were wise to this fact long before the pandemic. That is why we advanced the national housing strategy beginning six years ago, which did not seem to get the support of the opposition parties at the time. We are going to continue to make the kinds of investments that have already seen 100,000 new units constructed and 300,000 units retrofitted.
We are going to continue to make the kinds of investments that will increase supply and reduce costs so more Canadians like Raj can enter the housing market in Canada.
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- Dec/6/21 3:01:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the situation in Afghanistan is nothing short of heartbreaking. The reality is that we have made a substantial contribution by committing to bringing in 40,000 Afghan refugees, and I point out to the member that the effort is well under way. More than 4,000 Afghan refugees are living in Canada today, another 1,200 in third countries have been approved to come to Canada and another 9,500 who are still in Afghanistan have been approved for onward travel.
I am pleased to take this occasion to share with the hon. member that on Thursday evening of last week, the first cohort of privately sponsored refugees landed in Toronto, with 243 new Canadians who will be calling our country their home going forward.
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- Dec/6/21 3:02:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I take enormous exception to the allegation that any member of the House is playing roulette with the lives of some of the world's most vulnerable people. The reality is that Canada stepped up to make a world-leading commitment to bring 40,000 Afghan refugees here. As the member pointed out, there are more than 4,000 here today, 1,200 more in third countries and 9,500 more in Afghanistan.
The hypocrisy behind the question is something the member should be ashamed of, as he campaigned on a commitment months ago during the election to completely eliminate the government-assisted refugee stream altogether, which brought 4,000 people here.
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- Dec/6/21 3:04:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with great respect, the attempt to politicize the question of the resettlement of 40,000 Afghan refugees is entirely inappropriate. The reality is that every morning when I wake and every night when I go to bed—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Dec/6/21 3:04:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I hope the hon. members opposite will take the occasion to allow all members to speak when it is their turn.
The opposition is asking questions about the timing of an election when we are dealing with the worst humanitarian crisis that could be happening in the world today. We have made one of the most substantial commitments to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees in our country. More than 4,000 are here today. In the election the member referred to, he personally campaigned on a commitment to eliminate the government-assisted refugee stream.
With respect, during extraordinarily challenging circumstances last year, Canada resettled more than one-third of the global total of refugees settled anywhere on the planet. This is a good story. Our commitment will not waver.
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