SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 300 - Apr/16/24

Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

Apr/16/24 2:25:00 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has been masquerading across the country as a working-class hero, but it is fascinating to actually listen to what he thinks people do for a living. In a couple of recent speeches, he said he thinks electricians capture electricity from the sky and that welders weld with their bare hands. What is he going to tell me next, that the fishermen in my community dive beneath the ocean and catch fish with their bare teeth? I can forgive the opposition leader for being a career politician who has been on the public dime for a couple of decades, but if he wants to represent the interests of the working class, he should talk to a person who has a real job.

129 words

Context: House Hansard - 300 - Apr/16/24

Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

Apr/16/24 2:27:01 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, it is not up to the Bloc Québécois to define Quebec's housing policy. We have a good relationship with our counterparts in the province of Quebec to build housing. For example, we are investing to build 8,000 affordable housing units. Looking at the program as a whole, it is clear that we are making sure Quebec gets its fair share. We are continuing our work to build homes in Quebec and across the country.

82 words

Context: House Hansard - 300 - Apr/16/24

Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

Apr/16/24 2:50:04 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, I have great respect for the hon. member and thank him for his advocacy on building more homes in Hamilton, but he may not be aware that we recently invested $93.5 million in his city to help speed up the construction of up to 9,000 new homes. In addition, we are putting money on the table that is going to help speed up the development. If the member's concern is about building non-market housing, I am pleased to point to the billion dollars we invested, in the fall economic statement, to build more affordable housing, the hundreds of millions we are using to build more co-operative housing and the $4 billion we are using to deal with the needs of urban, rural and northern communities to serve indigenous peoples. We are going to build housing for the most vulnerable. We are going to build housing for everyone.

154 words

Context: House Hansard - 300 - Apr/16/24

Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

Apr/16/24 2:51:25 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her concern. She is right to point out the desperate need of so many communities across the country when it comes to building more affordable housing. She is right to point out the need for increased investment to support the needs of indigenous people who remain unhoused. That is why we put more than $4 billion on the table to support the needs of indigenous peoples in communities and an additional $4.3 billion to deal with the needs of indigenous peoples who live in urban, rural and northern environments. On top of that, we have invested more than $120 million to build thousands of homes in the member's city. We are going to keep doing what we need to do to build more affordable housing. I have one point of correction: It was 800,000 units that the opposition leader lost while he was housing minister.

156 words

Context: House Hansard - 300 - Apr/16/24

Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

Apr/16/24 3:12:54 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, as we move down a path of increasing investments to build more affordable housing, we have to acknowledge the very real challenge that exists when affordable housing that is already in communities is snapped up for the purpose of renovicting those who live in it. That is why we are moving forward with a Canadian first, a new acquisition fund that is going to help non-profits buy up existing low-cost rentals so they can keep them affordable in perpetuity. This is a new direction that is going to help many thousands of Canadians not just find a place to call home, but to keep a place to call home that they can actually afford.

118 words