44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 21, 2022 11:00AM
- Mar/21/22 12:41:40 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for this very important question and for his and his party's commitment to fighting wealth inequality.
With regard to going further on measures that make housing more affordable, absolutely our government is committed to that. Not only have we introduced a $72-billion national housing strategy and not only are we introducing the measure we are discussing, and I understand that the member wants us to go further, but we also made dozens of significant commitments in the last election that focused on three broad categories. The first is to increase supply. The second is to focus on housing as a place to live as opposed to an investment vehicle. The third is to find further pathways for new homeowners, first-time homeowners, to find their way into the market so they can find an affordable place to live. We are going to move on all those measures, and I look forward to working with that member to do more when it comes to housing and affordability generally.
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- Mar/21/22 2:28:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the opposition member is discussing the issue of affordability.
We lowered taxes for the middle class twice. We increased them for the wealthiest 1%, but the members across the aisle voted against. We created the Canada child benefit, which is indexed to inflation, but they voted against.
On this side of the House, we are here to address the issue of affordability, and that is what we will continue to do.
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- Mar/21/22 2:31:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, since the hon. member has raised the issue of affordability, let us review what we have done since taking office. We lowered taxes for the middle class twice and raised them on the wealthiest 1%, and Conservatives voted against. We created the CCB indexed to inflation and Conservatives voted—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Mar/21/22 2:31:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we provided seniors over 75 years of age with a one-time payment of $500 and the Conservatives voted against it. We are focused on affordability, and that is what we will continue to do.
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- Mar/21/22 2:32:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the question was for the finance minister.
Inflation is raging across our country and Canadians are being left behind. The cost of everything is skyrocketing. I mentioned gas, groceries and the price of home heating. Worse yet, millions of Canadians have lost their dream of home ownership as house prices spiral out of control, yet the minister does not seem to care.
When will she finally tell Canadians what she plans to do about the affordability crisis, and when will she table a budget?
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- Mar/21/22 2:34:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, all the programs the minister just spoke of fall under the CMHC. The CMHC is a government agency that, according to its website, is driven by one goal, housing affordability for all, yet newly revealed documents show that CMHC employees received $48 million in bonuses in the last year.
The average home price went up 21% in the last year. How can the minister award the CMHC bonuses, when Canadians cannot afford to buy a home?
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- Mar/21/22 2:48:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the national housing strategy has a number of important programs, including the rental construction financing initiative. It is important to assess each program based on the needs of Canadians in different parts of the housing spectrum. The particular program the hon. member mentioned actually has conditions with respect to accessibility and energy efficiency, and it has minimum affordability requirements. It has led to the construction of tens of thousands of new affordable rental housing units across the country.
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- Mar/21/22 3:05:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we absolutely understand that inflation and affordability are pressing challenges for Canadians. We also know that this is a global phenomenon and not a made-in-Canada problem.
I want to assure Canadians that we are working hard to make life more affordable and remind the opposition benches that eight dollars out of $10 that sustained Canadians during the global pandemic came from the federal government. We are committed to addressing housing affordability. We will continue to pursue child care. We will continue to increase the CCB. On this side of the House, we are focused on affordability.
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- Mar/21/22 3:52:30 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it has been interesting for me to observe NDP members over the last few days speaking about gas prices and wanting gas prices to be lower. I thought that Liberal and NDP politicians actually wanted gas prices to be higher. Is it not the point of their carbon tax policy to raise the cost of gas? They think that will discourage people from driving more.
It is curious for me to hear, in the vein of affordability along with the concerns being raised, the New Democrats, in particular, saying that affordability is a problem because gas prices are too high. Why would the NDP not simply reverse its position with respect to the carbon price if it wants gas prices to be lower?
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- Mar/21/22 4:05:56 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have a simple question for my hon. friend with respect to affordability. Gas prices are top of mind for many Canadians. Does the government wish to see gas prices higher, lower or where they are right now?
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- Mar/21/22 6:23:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, like the member for North Island—Powell River, I will thank the member for the fact that he is usually on his feet here and he is usually talking a lot of important sense.
Some hon. member: Oh, oh!
Mr. Kody Blois: Mr. Speaker, I would like to be able to finish my question to the member, if the member for North Island—Powell River could stop heckling me in the background.
My question is simple. My colleague did a great job highlighting some of the government programs around affordability, the measures that the government has undertaken. This motion, at its core, is about affordability. I had the opportunity to look at the text of the member for Abbotsford's opposition day motion for tomorrow. It is also on affordability.
I live in a rural area. I know my colleague is from an urban area in Manitoba. I think inner-city busing right now is an important element for vulnerable individuals. I know that, ultimately, the Government of Canada has to work with provinces and territories in that regard. I do not know where Premier Stefanson might be on this, but would my hon. colleague agree that inner-city busing for individuals who are vulnerable would be something the government could and should look at in the days ahead to support those who are vulnerable?
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- Mar/21/22 6:50:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this government is proud of its record of putting roofs over Canadians' heads, and I would like to thank my colleague for Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry for the opportunity to speak about what we are doing for Canadians and how we are tackling the housing affordability crisis in this country.
We know that the main way to address housing affordability is to address supply. That is why this government launched the national housing strategy in 2017, the first of its kind in Canada. It is an ambitious 10-year plan backed by more than $72 billion in investments. It is supply-oriented and includes a range of initiatives that address housing affordability from every angle that would have an impact.
Since 2015, we have invested over $30 billion, creating and repairing nearly 480,000 units in Canada. That is 10,000 homes for tens of thousands of Canadians. It includes homes in my colleague's region of eastern Ontario. In Brockville, the Marguerita Residence Corporation is building an 88-unit, affordable housing complex for seniors thanks to the federal funding delivered through the Canada-Ontario community housing initiative.
A major partnership with Habitat Humanity is also giving low-income families across the country a chance to access the dream of home ownership, including in my colleague's city of Cornwall. These are just a few examples from one region. The successes are repeated across the country.
Yes, we recognize that we need to and can do more, and that we must do that. Since the last election, this government has set out an ambitious new agenda for further activities to make housing more affordable for all Canadians. We have planned new initiatives, such as the housing accelerated fund to help cities speed up the development process, a rent-to-own program to help renters get on the path to ownership and an expanded access to funding to support green home retrofits.
We will be working with the provinces, territories and municipalities to develop a fairness in real estate action plan to ensure that there is more protection and transparency for homebuyers and renters. We will also be collaborating with indigenous partners to co-develop an urban, rural and northern indigenous strategy and Canada's first-ever national indigenous housing centre.
Even as we are proud of our successes in improving housing affordability, we look forward to doing more, and I look forward to the exchange with my colleague on this issue.
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- Mar/21/22 6:54:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this government recognizes the urgency and importance of this issue, which is why our government has made it a priority. We implemented Canada's first national housing strategy, and it is why we continue to deliver on these programs and work towards the goal of housing affordability for all. I urge my colleague and members of all sides of this House to work with their constituencies to make sure that they use the programs that are available to them. They are there for Canadians just as this government is there for Canadians.
I hope that this time around the party opposite will support the measures that we will be addressing in the future on this problem.
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