44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 25, 2023 02:00PM
- Oct/25/23 2:24:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years, too many Canadians are suffering at the hands of crippling mortgage rates. According to a CBC article published this week, a Calgary senior sold his home due to interest rate hikes and is still unable to find an affordable rental.
Seniors are forced to couch surf, find roommates, or rent a bedroom in a basement apartment. Under the NDP-Liberal government, the very people who built this country are being forced to sell their homes, with nowhere left to turn except the workforce. Seniors should not be forced out of retirement to make ends meet and achieve their dream of owning a home. It is clear that the NDP-Liberal government is not capable of ensuring housing stability and protecting Canadians of all ages, the thousands of Canadians fighting homelessness and desperate for a change.
The Prime Minister is not worth the cost. It is time for Canadians to have a common sense government that brings down inflation and interest rates so hard-working people can keep their homes and a secure life.
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- Oct/25/23 2:34:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, not only have we always defended the CPP, but the number of seniors requiring food banks was also drastically lower when we were in government. Let me quote a British Columbian, who reported the following in the Food Banks Canada report: “The cost of housing is indescribable. Many of our users are paying 50% of their annual income in rent, providing they can find accommodations.” This is the housing hell the Prime Minister and the NDP have caused after eight years.
Will he realize that we do not need more photo ops and we do not need more bureaucracy? Instead, we need more homes.
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- Oct/25/23 2:35:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Leader of the Opposition has put forward no plan for housing, he lacks credibility on this issue. We are taking bold action to get more affordable homes built. Indeed, just today, the Minister of Housing is in British Columbia, in Kelowna, for our most recent housing accelerator announcement. This will streamline building permits and allow for high-density housing near public transit, spurring the construction of up to 20,000 new housing units over the next decade in Kelowna. We are also working with Kelowna to make city-owned lands available for housing, in partnership with non-profits, and we look forward to signing more agreements right across the country, delivering for Canadians on housing.
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- Oct/25/23 2:43:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians know we need more supply on the housing crisis. That is why we are there investing with municipalities to deliver more housing.
In Brampton, our housing agreement was for the construction of more than 24,000 homes over the next decade. That is an investment that the Leader of the Opposition would cut. In other cities, such as Richmond Hill, Moncton and Ajax, just this week, they are passing more ambitious housing plans at their local councils in response to the federal housing accelerator.
While the Leader of the Opposition would rip up these agreements, we are focused on building solutions that will work for communities right across the country.
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- Oct/25/23 2:45:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, inflation is steadily coming down, even as we continue to sign agreements with communities across the country.
By the way, if the opposition leader cared so much about getting more homes built, he would support our affordable housing and groceries act. That legislation would remove the GST on the construction of rental homes, which housing advocates and developers have described as a game-changer. That is the relief that Canadians need. Let us keep moving these important measures forward, and let us keep getting Canadians the housing relief they need, instead of political attacks and cuts from the Conservatives.
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- Oct/25/23 2:46:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what the Leader of the Opposition is proposing is to cut spending and supports for Canadians in the hopes that Canadians will somehow do better that way. We disagree. What Canadians need is greater investment in the supply of housing. That is why, through our agreements, we are unlocking new homes and opportunities for growth in the city of Hamilton by spurring the construction of thousands of homes over the next decade, just as we are across the country. The mayor of Hamilton actually said our housing agreement was “absolutely a big deal”, and I could not agree more.
When we work together with a strong and ambitious plan, we can get more homes built faster. While the Leader of the Opposition's plan would see these agreements ripped up and stalled, we will keep moving forward to help Canadians.
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- Oct/25/23 2:47:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, do members know the one word he never used in that big, rambling, read-off answer? It is “done”. That is because none of those houses are done. They are all promises. He has been promising to build affordable homes for eight years. Since he first made that promise, housing costs have doubled and none of the promises have come to fruition.
Yes, other levels of government have politicians who are thrilled to have more money to bloat their bureaucracies. When will he realize that we do not make housing affordable by building bureaucracy, but we have to build homes?
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- Oct/25/23 2:50:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while he continues to insult and slag cities and municipalities across this country, we are going to continue to work with them, just as we are working with the City of Halifax to build more homes so that locals can thrive in their community. Recently, we announced an agreement with Halifax to fast track 2,600 permitted units over the next three years, spurring the construction of thousands of homes over the next decade.
However, he wants to talk about what happened when he was housing minister. When he was housing minister, he announced $300 million and got 99 homes built. That is his record as housing minister. We are building homes right across the country, and we are doing it for real.
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- Oct/25/23 2:59:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows full well, and he can look in the history records, it was a $300-million program that delivered 99 homes.
The reality is that we are continuing to work hand in hand with municipalities, community leaders and non-profits across the country to move forward on building more homes and responding to the supply challenges. That is why, for example, we are removing GST from new apartment buildings. Unfortunately, the members opposite refuse to allow that bill to move forward, are continuing to block it and do not want to vote for it either.
We are going to be there to support Canadians every step of the way.
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- Oct/25/23 3:00:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis in this country is deeply concerning. People are living in tents. People are living in cars. Now, in Saskatchewan, people are resorting to living in apartment lobbies. This is a direct result of the Liberals and the Conservatives, who have lost a million affordable homes over the past number of years. Even the Saskatchewan Landlord Association is calling for action.
When will the Prime Minister fix the mess he created and house people this winter?
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- Oct/25/23 3:01:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are working very closely with municipalities across this country on housing and homelessness, on building more homes and on improving supply.
In the member opposite's hometown of Brampton, our housing agreement will spur the construction of more than 24,000 homes over the next decade by allowing higher density housing near public transit. Other cities, like Richmond Hill, Moncton and Ajax, just this week are passing more ambitious housing plans at their local councils in response to federal leadership. In Moncton, Halifax, Kelowna and other places across this country, we continue to invest in agreements that are going to build more homes quicker to support Canadians and build a brighter future for everyone.
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- Oct/25/23 4:57:04 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I also would like to present a second petition today as the president of the Gloucester Pool Cottagers' Association and founder of the Float Homes Not Vessels Coalition resides within the region of Waterloo. Members have been having conversations on ensuring structures are properly labelled, and in this case, that they be referred to as “float homes” and not vessels.
These citizens of Canada, who are also residents of Ontario, are calling upon the Government of Canada, namely the Minister of Transport, to classify both existing and new float homes as float homes, not vessels. This would be in a manner that is consistent with other provinces.
Petitioners note the previous government changed this definition, and as a result, these structures are currently exempt from all forms of provincial and municipal oversight and regulations, including building code adherence, environmental protection, public safety, taxation and local management. They look forward to the Government of Canada providing a response as to what the appropriate next steps should be and hope to see this classification change sooner rather than later.
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