44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 3, 2023 10:00AM
- Oct/3/23 3:15:35 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if members know this, but monthly mortgage payments on a typical family home are now a crushing $3,500 per month. When the leader of the official opposition was the housing minister, homes were attainable and affordable. Now it takes 25 years to save up for a down payment in a city like Toronto. Some families have even had to stretch the terms of their mortgages to a shocking 90 years. Some just cannot make their payments anymore.
Let us take Cora Cook, a Barrie, Ontario, woman, who bought a home in January 2022 and was forced to sell when her monthly mortgage payments jumped from $2,800 a year to just over $6,000 a year. After selling belongings and holding garage sales, Cora and her husband could not hang on anymore and were forced to sell.
For those clinging on to their homes, time is running out. Our common-sense plan will cut the waste and cap spending so Canadians can once again keep their homes.
174 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/3/23 3:33:39 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that, recently, alongside British Columbia and the City of Vancouver, the member for Vancouver Centre announced the groundbreaking for the construction of 154 new affordable housing units close to transit. This new building in the heart of Davie Village will also house QMUNITY, a non-profit organization providing access to safe and secure services for individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS. This is what we can accomplish when we work together, ensuring Vancouverites can live close to where they work and access the services they need.
94 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/3/23 3:34:57 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we will always respect the independence of the Bank of Canada, but we know that Canadians are worried about the cost of housing. That is why we are taking action on many fronts.
We are encouraging the construction of apartments by eliminating the GST on construction. We are removing obstacles so that more and more homes are built faster by working directly with the municipalities. We are helping Canadians save up to buy a home with the tax-free first home savings account.
We know that there is still a lot of work to be done. I invite every government across the country to take bold action with us to improve the cost of housing.
123 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/3/23 3:47:33 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis is hurting hundreds of thousands of families across Canada. TVA recently reported the heartbreaking story of one Lanaudière family: a single mother and her three children who had to leave their home and move into a garage. We are a G7 country. This is outrageous. It is small wonder that the woman said she was living through “hell” at the moment.
Now the government is proposing to introduce a new tax. Even the Bloc Québécois is sold on the idea.
Does anyone think it is right to introduce a new tax when hundreds of thousands of families are struggling?
112 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/3/23 3:48:12 p.m.
- Watch
The hon. Minister of Housing.
5 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/3/23 3:48:20 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, let me begin by offering my congratulations and all the success in your new role.
With respect to the hon. member's question, I will not diminish the very serious challenges that families are facing across this country. In order to address Canada's national housing crisis, we are taking a number of different measures. We are investing in affordable housing in a way that no government has over the course of my entire life. In addition, in order to contribute to the ability for builders to build more homes, we are cutting taxes and changing the way that cities build homes through the housing accelerator fund.
When I compare our plan to theirs, members can trust that we will get more homes built, and that has been confirmed by finance officials at committee.
136 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/3/23 3:49:39 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, it is telling in the member's question that no ideas on how we can build more homes have been introduced by the Conservatives.
With respect, we are moving forward with a plan that is cutting taxes for home builders. We are moving forward to increase the amount of money that we are going to contribute to help cities change the way that they build homes.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
Hon. Sean Fraser: Mr. Speaker, as I hear members opposite yell, “We put a bill forward”, let us dig in on what it actually includes: A plan to raise taxes on home builders and cut funding for homebuilding. That will not lead to more homes getting built.
We have a plan to address the housing crisis. I hope the Conservatives join us.
137 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/3/23 4:07:46 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, with respect, the hon. member began his question by talking about some of the housing challenges, which are very real. Why is he supporting a plan that is going to raise taxes on home builders and cut funding for homebuilding?
When it comes to the environment, I am curious about why he has yet to put forward a plan that will actually do anything meaningful to reduce emissions. I am curious about why he is aligned with a party that opposed raising taxes on the wealthiest 1% and cutting taxes for the middle class.
With respect to the environment, housing and affordability, we have a plan, and it is on this side of the House.
117 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, does my colleague think any meaningful measures for social housing could be introduced?
The Bloc Québécois has repeatedly proposed investing 1% of the budget in social housing on an ongoing basis, so that crises like the one we are currently experiencing will be less frequent. Obviously, this measure is less popular because there is nothing spectacular about it. The government could do that instead of introducing half-measures like the one it has presented to us.
I would like to know if this is something my colleague finds interesting and if he would be willing to discuss it.
104 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I am in agreement that we have to do more to get more houses built, but I think our plan is better. There is a great number of federal buildings that are underutilized. We should convert those units. I think our plan says we are going to allow 15% to be converted into housing, which is better than coming up with some random number and having the government build it.
Let us remove the gatekeepers, unleash the private sector, turn those buildings over and get them built into all kinds of units, like affordable rental units and other units. That is the path forward.
106 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my neighbour from Whitby for taking an interest in this very important legislation and debate today.
We were together in Oshawa on the weekend, and I know that he has a strong interest in my community. I received an email today from Christine, which says that she, her fiancé and their two children have been homeless for about five months with nowhere really to go. Her fiancé is on sick leave. She has called every shelter around, from Oshawa to Toronto, Kitchener and back, and from Ajax, Whitby, Bowmanville and Courtice, all the way to Cobourg. Everything is full. Even Cornerstone has a three-month waiting list. Children's Aid is giving them a hotel for a couple of days.
People are hurting, and things are very urgent. I was wondering if my colleague for Whitby could tell us in the House what the act before us would do to provide affordable housing for people in Durham region before the winter.
169 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, it was good to see my hon. colleague out in Oshawa this weekend as well. We share an interest in fighting homelessness and solving the affordable housing challenges that Canadians find themselves in.
Our government, unlike previous Conservative governments, has made a historic investment, through the national housing strategy, of $82 billion, which has repaired units, built new units and lifted many people out of homelessness across Canada. That is work that is still under way. There is still money rolling out for those investments through the rapid housing initiative, and we have since added measures on.
Bill C-56 would add a new measure, and would be to lift GST for rental construction, which is itself anticipated to help create or unlock 200,000 to 300,000 more units of affordable housing for Canadians.
137 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I was glad I could provide at least some sort of an audience.
I want to go back to the question that my colleague from Berthier—Maskinongé asked another colleague earlier.
Instead of introducing measures that are little more than publicity stunts, that may have some short-term effect but that do nothing to provide a modicum of predictability to address future labour shortages, would it not be better to force the government to dedicate 1% of its budget to building affordable and social housing? That would be a long-term solution to prevent future crises. It would be the responsible thing to do.
What does my colleague think about that suggestion?
123 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for helping me find an audience for my speech.
I do not think that these are token measures, and adding 200,000 to 300,000 units of affordable housing or rental construction units is not a small feat. It is a significant amount, and we can couple that with the $82 billion in the national housing strategy and the housing accelerator fund dollars, which are speeding up the process for municipalities to help lead the way on building more affordable housing. I think that these things are, in total, going to help create a more comprehensive approach to solving the housing affordability issues that we have.
There is much more opportunity and additional measures to consider, and I hope to undertake those conversations and listen to the ideas of my colleagues across the way.
141 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, when debating access to housing, there is one concern that is not mentioned nearly enough: access to affordable housing, community housing and even co-operative housing—
29 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I was saying that when debating access to housing, the thing we do not talk enough about, in my opinion, is access to affordable housing, especially community housing or even co-operative housing.
I would like to ask my hon. colleague the following question: What could the federal government do to improve access to these types of housing? Could a new law be brought in? What can we do to get more people into affordable housing?
78 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, as a matter of fact, the first townhouse my wife and I had after we were married was in co-op housing in High River, Alberta. We certainly could not have afforded to start our family if we did not have that option.
Our leader, the hon. member for Carleton, has put forward a plan that will make housing more affordable in Canada, and that is to access 15% of federal buildings that are not being used. These could either be sold to the private sector or developed through a government program. Certainly, the plan would encourage the development of high-density, affordable housing around mass transit.
Those ideas are there, and we certainly hope to have the support of all parties in the House for the bill the leader of the Conservative Party has put forward.
139 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I would like to follow up on the question that was just asked by my colleague from the Bloc.
We had the UN special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery in Canada, and he spoke specifically about the commodification of housing, where investments concentrate on private housing for wealthy individuals, but similar investments for social housing are non-existent.
The member talked about living in a co-op. Obviously, the New Democratic Party has been calling for co-ops and much more investment in social housing and below-market housing. However, we are not hearing the same thing from the Conservative Party. Would the member support significant investments not only in rental properties but also in below-market housing, in below-market rental properties?
126 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, we have voiced our support all along. We know that there should be a variety of different options when it comes to housing. However, we cannot impose these things on municipalities, where they are not putting forward land designation and programs in place to do these things.
In fact, there is a town in my riding that has applied to many programs the Liberal government has put forward, but those municipalities that are doing things right do not qualify for those types of programs. These programs are there for the laggards. Therefore, we also need programs in place for those municipalities that have been doing it right and developing programs such as co-op housing.
117 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, throughout this debate, I will try to bring us back to the matter at hand today, Bill C‑56.
Yesterday, at a meeting with entrepreneurs, I was asked what happened to the $900 million for housing. What does my colleague think of that?
It might be important to release that money as soon as possible. In Quebec, that money is eagerly awaited. It is time to try to stop this procedural wrangling.
76 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
