Senator Martin: The average mortgage and rent payments have almost doubled since the Trudeau government took office. For example, in its 2022 review, CMHC said the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment reached an all-time high last year. At the same time, the number of housing units being built is not nearly enough to meet demand. A forecast released in April by CMHC says they expect new housing construction to decrease this year and remain well below recent levels.

Leader, the Trudeau government has already pushed back its target for building 100,000 homes from 2025 to 2027. What assurances do Canadians have that this target won’t be pushed back even further?

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): This question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. In a report last June, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, or CMHC, said that to restore housing affordability by 2030, we need an additional 3.5 million housing units beyond the current projections. That’s a total of 5.8 million units needed just to make housing affordable in Canada. CMHC also says that two thirds of this gap is in British Columbia and Ontario.

Leader, this information can’t be dismissed as being from a partisan source. It’s from a Crown corporation. The Trudeau government’s Housing Accelerator Fund has a goal of creating 100,000 new homes between when it opens for applications in June and when it ends in 2027. Leader, how will the Trudeau government address the massive shortfall between the amount of housing needed and the amount your plan is offering?

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): I move that this bill be adjourned in my name for the balance of my time.

(On motion of Senator Martin, debate adjourned.)

[Translation]

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator McCallum, seconded by the Honourable Senator Boisvenu, for the second reading of Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): I’d like to adjourn the motion standing in the name of Senator Housakos.