Hon. Donald Neil Plett (Leader of the Opposition): Senator Gold, in a recent email from CMHC, they noted that “CMHC exists for a single reason: to make housing affordable for everyone in Canada.”

Yet under your government’s watch, housing prices in Canada have more than doubled over the last six years. Would you not agree, then, Senator Gold, that means your government has been a spectacular failure on this file?

Hon. Marc Gold (Government Representative in the Senate): No, I do not agree, Senator Plett. I guess it remains my duty to remind the Senate yet again of the shared jurisdiction on housing between provinces and municipalities, to say nothing of the role of the private sector. I may also remind this chamber of the many measures that the government is doing through its spending power and in collaboration with the provinces and territories to support the creation of new housing and to support those who are seeking to enter the housing market or to pay their rent.

Senator Gold: The government is not comfortable at all knowing that Canadians are facing challenges with the rising cost of living, including access to affordable housing.

The government is confident that the measures it put in place are not Band-Aid solutions. They are targeted, focused and serious. They work in partnership with the provinces and territories, Indigenous communities and municipalities. They provide real, tangible assistance to Canadians in a time of need, and the government will never apologize for continuing to act responsibly in the best interest of Canadians.

Senator Plett: Somehow, housing prices doubling in six years is an indication that your government has been successful. It is mind-boggling how anyone could even try to draw that out of what the government has done.

Your government has promised action on this over the course of multiple elections and has had numerous opportunities to put forward concrete solutions to fix this housing crisis. It is abundantly clear that the Band-Aid solutions and one-time top-up benefits proposed by your government will do nothing to make housing more affordable for Canadians in the long term. Are you and your government comfortable with this simply being yet another broken election promise?