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House Hansard - 188

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 1, 2023 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 188 - May/1/23
Ms. Soraya Martinez Ferrada (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion (Housing), Lib.)
  • May/1/23 7:01:39 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, our government recognizes that escalating house prices are hurting young Canadians who are trying to purchase their first home. This is not only threatening their dreams of home ownership but also creating wealth inequity between older and younger generations. That is why we announced numerous initiatives over the past few budgets that would help first-time buyers. This includes the homebuyers' bill of rights, which will tackle unfair practices in the real estate market. It will also include measures to ensure the right to inspection and transparency in sales history. At the same time, we have enacted important legislation to temporarily ban foreign investment in Canadian housing. The Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act came into effect on January 1. It will ensure that housing in Canada is owned by Canadians, for the benefit of everyone who lives in this country. We are cracking down on house flipping by ensuring that profits from property held for less than 12 months are fully taxed. Starting in 2023, with certain exceptions for unexpected life events, this measure will ensure that investors who flip homes pay their fair share; this will play a role in lowering house prices for Canadians. We have also set up a first-time homebuyer tax-free savings account to the tune of $40,000. Like an RRSP, it is tax-deductible, and when used to buy a first home, it will be non-taxable, like a TFSA. I also want to be clear on what we are not going to do. We are not going to be like the Conservative Party, which wants the federal government to do less on housing and hope that things will magically get better. We are not going to cut back housing funding for our most vulnerable people, as certain members across the way are suggesting we do. We are not going to download the responsibility for housing on provinces and municipalities, as the former housing critic, the member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, has suggested. We are not going to do any of these things; rather, we are going to roll up our sleeves and do more to continue to help Canadians all across the country. We are going to keep making key investments into housing so we can get more supply built, which is something our country desperately needs. We will partner with provinces and cities. That is why we are launching our housing accelerator fund. This fund will help cities and towns clear up backlogs at the municipal level so that we can get more shovels in the ground more quickly, get more supply built and see lasting system changes that will continue to allow more supply to be built as our country grows. I only have time to touch on a few measures that our government is taking to make housing more affordable. We believe that everybody deserves a roof over their head that is affordable and shows respect for their dignity. This is what the government is doing every day.
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Context: House Hansard - 188 - May/1/23
Ms. Soraya Martinez Ferrada
  • May/1/23 7:06:04 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for his advocacy. We want to make sure, as he does, that everybody in this country has a home and that it is affordable. As for his question, I would gladly sit down with him to talk about all the measures this government is doing, in particular, on the homelessness front, the homebuyer front and the foreign ban. I think all these measures at some point will help address the shortage of affordable housing we have in this country.
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