44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 14, 2024 10:00AM
- Jun/14/24 11:06:28 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss the significant investments Liberals are making in housing across Canada, particularly in northern regions like Labrador. Recently I announced over $10 million for 33 new homes in the community of Sheshatshiu. I continue to work with its chief and band council to address its ever-pressing housing needs.
Over the last decade, we have invested more than $100 million in housing in the Nunatsiavut region in the northern part of my ride, resulting in new homes, including triplexes, in communities like Nain and Hopedale for those people who were housing insecure.
We have also added 20 new units for women fleeing violence and for low-income families in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. In Labrador West we have upgraded more than 20 new units under Newfoundland and Labrador housing, and constructed additional units.
While the Conservatives slashed housing budgets and did not respond to the needs of families, and continue to vote down the Liberals' investments, we continue to work hard—
168 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/24 11:27:12 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, in Edmonton, it is becoming increasingly hard to find an affordable place to live. Rents are up 20% since last year and there simply is not enough affordable housing. Conservatives think building luxury condos will fix the problem, which is another example of them wanting to give money to their rich friends.
Canadian families need homes and the Liberals are not acting with the urgency necessary to build below-market, co-op and supportive housing. When will the government get serious about affordable housing so that people in Edmonton can find a place to live?
97 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/24 11:27:45 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I wish the member had attended this week's meeting at the House of Commons committee responsible for housing. An Albertan, Tim Richter, from the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, made it clear that this housing vision put forward by the government is the most ambitious in 40 years. It is substantive. It is justified. There are proof points in everything we have put forward, including the co-op housing that she mentions. In fact, just a few days ago, we saw the largest investment we have seen for co-op housing in the past 30 years. She talks about supportive housing. We have supplemented that in the most recent budget. In her community, she has seen support, with 71,000 people lifted—
126 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/24 11:45:02 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, the member knows about this very well because she put in an Order Paper question not too long ago about this matter. She keeps on raising the name of the company Starlight, which did not have any relations with CMHC, so we can take up that matter at committee.
More substantively on the issue of housing, the current government is the first in Canadian history to put forward measures to protect renters and, in fact, to attach conditionality to infrastructure funding. Provinces want access to infrastructure funding. They have to respond by putting in place protections for renters, whether they include supportive housing or co-op housing; all the things the NDP rightly championed were behind that vision for the country.
123 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/24 11:46:57 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, for far too long, successive governments have failed to fund and protect affordable housing across Canada, but our government is changing that. Last week, we made a historic $1.5-billion investment in the new co-operative housing development program; it is the largest investment in co-op housing this country has seen in 30 years.
Can the parliamentary secretary for housing, infrastructure and communities please share with Canadians how the co-op housing development program is going to create a new generation of co-operative housing across Canada?
91 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/24 11:47:39 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, as a former mayor, our colleague understands very well the place of co-op housing in communities, large and small. Two hundred and fifty thousand Canadians live in co-ops. It is an affordable option. These are non-profits, of course, which come in various types. They may be large apartments or townhouse complexes. They vary, but they fundamentally provide a sense of community to the people who live there.
The Leader of the Opposition insulted these 250,000 Canadians by calling it Soviet-style housing. He styles himself as some sort of student of history. He should read his history. He should come up with a housing plan that actually makes sense. The Conservatives have no vision because they do not care.
125 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/24 11:59:22 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, supportive housing projects across Canada are critical to people's well-being. They provide people a safe place to live and access many services. Having a place to call home is also critical for the path to recovery for people struggling with substance use. Investing in supportive housing is, therefore, key to addressing the overdose crisis. Under a Conservative government, we would see cuts to supportive housing.
Can the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions tell the House about investments our government is making in supportive housing?
89 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/24 12:00:10 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, building and supporting low-barrier access to housing is at the core of our response to the overdose crisis. For example, we are supporting the Northreach Society project in Alberta that provides treatment and mental health services to tenants or, I could add, The Neighbourhood Group Community Services project in Toronto, so it can train tenants in overdose prevention and response services.
We are investing in projects like this across the country to support the most vulnerable among us, and we are steadfast in that commitment to support housing solutions that respond to the needs—
98 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/24 12:03:14 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I will ask the housing minister something this time.
Carleton Place, in my riding, has been Canada's fastest-growing municipality for the past four years. When the town was given zero dollars from the housing accelerator fund, I wondered why. It turns out there is a pattern here. Of the $1.5 billion awarded to Ontario under the fund, 97% went to cities and towns in which Liberals hold seats.
There are some non-Liberal seats in those cities and towns, but even when this is taken into account, there is a clear pattern. Liberal-held areas received several times more funding per capita than areas held by MPs from other parties.
Why is this so?
119 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/24 12:03:55 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, there were 179 agreements signed by the federal government to incent zoning changes at the municipal level that will lead to more missing middle housing. That includes row houses, mid-rise apartments and fourplexes, which the Conservatives are scared of, for some reason. They are against that entire vision, which also includes triplexes and duplexes.
This is the vision that this government has put forward to see more homes built, in particular for young people, so they can have a future. That includes in communities large and small. In fact, just recently, I had meetings with mayors from southwestern Ontario in rural communities who are excited about the $400-million top-up to the housing accelerator fund, which the member and the Conservative party oppose.
127 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/24 12:05:45 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, rents in Nanaimo have been increasing at record rates and are up more than 8% from just last year. The Liberals are failing to deliver the affordable homes families need. Meanwhile, Conservatives want to leave housing up to luxury condo developers, who are jacking up prices. Neither option will bring down housing costs in Nanaimo—Ladysmith and across Canada.
Why have the Liberals spent nine years following in the footsteps of the corporate Conservatives by putting rich developers first?
82 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/24 12:06:18 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, builders in the member's community and throughout the country require incentives, and we have put forward incentives that lead to more building, in particular for apartments, by lifting the GST on the construction of rental apartments for the middle class, which the Conservatives oppose.
When it comes to more home building, I just spoke about the housing accelerator fund. We take a non-partisan approach to that issue. In communities large and small, represented by various members of Parliament, we are seeing, or will see, more building, through zoning changes that incent the kind of building we need, for young people in particular, with more missing middle options, from duplexes, to fourplexes, to mid-rise apartments and so on. We have more to do, and we will.
130 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
