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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 313

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 10, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 313 - May/10/24
Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)
  • May/10/24 11:29:01 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would point to the recent federal budget, in which we announced that we would not only be taking measures to prevent corporate landowners from buying up single-family homes but also advancing measures to protect renters and bring down the cost of rent by adding more supply. We are moving forward with programs that introduce low-cost financing for more rental construction. We have new subsidies for affordable housing and co-operative housing, as well as an acquisition for non-profits that can take affordable homes and keep them affordable in perpetuity. In addition, we are moving forward with the renters' bill of rights and a series of other measures that are designed to protect the interest of renters for whom the cost of living has simply become too high.
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Context: House Hansard - 313 - May/10/24
Mr. Dan Albas (Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, CPC)
  • May/10/24 11:29:43 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, after nine years of this speNDP-Liberal government, finding an affordable rental is only getting harder. Despite its record spending, a new report says that rents in Canada increased 9.3% annually in April. It has gotten so bad that people's only choice when seeking an affordable rental is to laugh or cry. Given the dire situation of these renters, could the Minister of Housing please enlighten us as to whether he considers the performance of his government's housing strategy a comedy of errors or a tragedy of oversights?
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Context: House Hansard - 313 - May/10/24
Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)
  • May/10/24 11:30:18 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, if my hon. friend is interested in a tragedy of oversights, I would direct him to the plan put forward by his leader when it comes to housing, which does not advance a single measure designed to help renters with the cost of living. The plan that he is now campaigning on would literally increase taxes on rental construction in this country by putting the GST back on those construction projects. We have removed the GST. We have introduced low-cost financing to build more rental supply to bring down the cost across the ecosystem, across the country. In addition, we are putting more money on the table to provide affordable housing options, with the Conservatives—
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Context: House Hansard - 313 - May/10/24
Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)
  • May/10/24 11:55:45 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the question. It is a very interesting question, coming from a member who supports a plan that is devoid of any measures to assist renters or build affordable housing, but that does include measures that increase tax rates on new apartments. That is no good. We have a plan for making investments to build affordable housing. For example, we signed an agreement with Quebec to build 8,000 housing units. In contrast, when the leader of the Conservative Party was the minister responsible for housing, he built only six units across the entire country.
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