Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, indeed today is a very good day for housing in Canada. We are working with all provinces and territories, along with our homebuilding partners, to make housing more affordable and to deliver for Canadians. The funding from the housing supply bill would keep our projects moving, protect Canadian workers and support construction. This is for the months and years ahead. We are investing …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. We have some good news for New Brunswick. Through Build Canada Homes, we are working with partners to build 1,200 affordable housing units, with the potential to increase this number to 1,500 housing units. These projects are ready to move forward quickly, and nearly half of these units will use modern building methods to speed up construction. Tog…
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Mr. Speaker, we are obviously very concerned about those who are homeless right now or utilizing the programs we put in place: Reaching Home and the unsheltered homelessness and encampments initiative. The unsheltered homelessness and encampments initiative was a two-year program. We have communicated very clearly the transition over to Reaching Home, which will continue for several more years. We…
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Mr. Speaker, the good news is that we had a very strong year last year for housing starts across Canada, one of the best in our history. Almost 260,000 homes were started. We need to keep that continuing. Sales are challenged right now. The economy is challenged. This side of the House is focused on delivering for Canada on affordability, boosting our economy, creating jobs and cutting the costs a…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for pointing that out, because we are cutting taxes for first-time homebuyers by up to $50,000, for young Canadians to be able to buy their first home. We are reducing the amount of red tape across the country. The housing accelerator fund is delivering for 241 cities across the country. We are seeing permitting and approvals move faster. We are delivering infrastru…
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Mr. Speaker, we have some good news in that CMHC report, which shows that average rents across the country are coming down. We are making progress. We are seeing the price of housing come down as well, and mortgage rates are also down, so we are seeing trends in the right direction that achieve affordability, which every member of the House seems to want to deliver on. We could deliver even more f…
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Mr. Speaker, it is no surprise that Canadians are challenged with buying a home right now, when there is a war in the Middle East. There is no surprise. In the first 100 days of Build Canada Homes, we have secured agreements with Nova Scotia, with B.C and with Nunavut. We are delivering thousands of homes. We are up to 9,000 homes that are being delivered through Build Canada Homes for Canadians, …
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Mr. Speaker, the Drummondville project is an important milestone in affordable housing for seniors, with 100 units now open. This new building reflects our efforts to make housing more accessible. It represents tangible progress in meeting the needs of the region's seniors. I encourage my colleagues to support the Build Canada Homes legislation so that we have more tools.
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Mr. Speaker, the project is about clean energy. It is about local jobs and economic growth. It was approved through the independent process at the Canada Infrastructure Bank, led by non-partisan officials. Even the Progressive Conservative government of Nova Scotia is backing the project and supporting it, and it is easy to see why. It is creating clean energy. It is creating good jobs for Nova Sc…
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Mr. Speaker, Nova Scotians need action, and they need clean energy, not political games from the Conservatives here. They have the support of the Progressive Conservative government in Nova Scotia to advance this project and fund it. Officials at the Infrastructure Bank have supported the project. These are good jobs, energy reliability and choice for Nova Scotians.
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Mr. Speaker, the good news is that there is a tax break coming for first-time homebuyers. I thank members of the House for standing up for our young people. We are now seeing prices starting to come down, rents coming down and home prices coming down. We see that in the new CMHC housing affordability index report that came out this morning. The trend is in the right direction, but we have to doubl…
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Mr. Speaker, the good news is that we have the build communities strong fund, which includes public transit. This is a $51-billion infrastructure fund that the House has the opportunity to support in the budget implementation act. It is $51 billion, and a significant percentage of that applies to public transit. We are in talks with the Government of Quebec to pursue the opportunity for public tra…
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Mr. Speaker, we are ready to pursue public transit investment with the Government of Quebec. We are at the table. We are negotiating. We welcome the opportunity to invest. There are significant dollars available in the build communities strong fund. When the BIA is passed, we will be able to move that funding through, on top of the $25 billion that is available in the Canada public transit fund. A…
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Mr. Speaker, our next steps are critical. The next step that the member can take is supporting the Build Canada Homes act to make sure that the government has every tool available to invest in affordable housing. We have $13 billion labelled for non-market housing. That will leverage tens of thousands of units of affordable housing, from rental to affordable home ownership. We need everybody on bo…
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Mr. Speaker, that is what Build Canada Homes is all about. We have a plan to deliver. We are delivering, and the experts are weighing in on this. The Canadian Housing and Renewal Association said it clearly: Build Canada Homes is “an important step toward addressing the housing crisis—building homes at speed and scale, ensuring affordability, and listening to the community housing sector.” We have…
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Mr. Speaker, the government is focused on making housing more affordable across the board, starting with our first-time homebuyers getting a tax break. Build Canada Homes has almost 9,000 homes now in development in cities across the country. Supportive housing was announced last week in B.C., with 700 homes for those who are at risk of homelessness. We are delivering. We need support from the opp…
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moved that Bill C-20, An Act respecting the establishment of Build Canada Homes, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Madam Speaker, the Build Canada Homes act would establish Canada as an affordable housing builder. The Build Canada Homes act is landmark legislation that would establish Build Canada Homes as a Crown corporation with a mandate to deliver affordable housing at scale…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his concerns. First and foremost, to speak to the challenge that young Canadians face with housing, that is clearly a focus of Build Canada Homes: to ensure we are building affordable homes for the next generation. Many of us who sit in the House have children or grandchildren and have great concerns about the escalation of homebuilding costs and the price of …
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Madam Speaker, I spoke briefly to the impact we have already had in terms of reducing approval times, red tape and the costs related to both of those with the City of Ottawa. We have an agreement in place with the City of Ottawa to build about 3,000 homes. The homes will be expedited through the city's system and that is a good example of how Build Canada Homes, by bringing new tools to the table,…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her concern for those most vulnerable. The importance of supportive and transitional housing cannot be understated. It is a best practice, as part of a housing-first initiative, to make sure that people who are at risk of homelessness or are currently homeless have an opportunity to get into housing that has wraparound health and social supports so they can fi…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for her question. We are focused on communities of all shapes and sizes. That is part of Build Canada Homes. The act would enable this new, lean, efficient agency to deliver both large-scale projects with larger communities and cities, and smaller projects in smaller and rural communities. We anticipate it being a measure of the impact within the community…
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Mr. Speaker, we have very exciting news in B.C. The Build Canada Homes partnership is set to deliver 1,100 new affordable homes. Many of these priority projects are set to break ground this year, including 700 supportive and transitional homes for people who need them the most. I hope that the members opposite will support the Build Canada Homes legislation rather than obstructing and preventing C…
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Mr. Speaker, we have a plan to attack affordability across this country; it starts with housing, but it certainly extends to tax breaks, as we saw in recent weeks with respect to groceries. There was also a tax break for 22 million Canadians last year. We are delivering on affordability. We are focused on a first-time homebuyers' tax break of up to $50,000 and on building affordable homes for youn…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. The Quebec tramway has an investment of $1.44 billion from the federal government, and we continue to invest significantly in public transit across the country through the Canada public transit fund, as well as the build communities strong fund, where there is tens of billions of dollars available to allocate towards transit if the House supports t…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question and her great work. We have got right to work with Build Canada Homes. Since the launch, we have been signing major partnerships with provinces and cities. We have six major development sites on federal lands. We are delivering over 7,500 homes, with tens of thousands more in the pipeline right now, with the Build Canada Homes act that was introduce…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very excited to share that the Government of Canada, the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated reached an agreement to deliver up to 750 homes in the territory. Build Canada Homes will lead this work using innovative factory-built components to get homes ready faster. We are prioritizing Canadian materials. We are supporting Inuit-owned businesses and creating …
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-20, An Act respecting the establishment of Build Canada Homes. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
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Mr. Speaker, it is a good day to be asking that question. We introduced the build Canada homes act this morning, precisely to make sure that young Canadians have access to affordable housing going forward. We have dedicated $13 billion in the budget. We need the support of members of the House to pass that budget to invest in young Canadians. We do not need obstruction on the build Canada homes ac…
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Mr. Speaker, I am concerned that the member opposite does not care about renters. In my city, half the population rents housing, and we certainly do not discriminate against people who choose to buy or those who choose to rent. Many Canadians do not have a choice; that is why we have to make affordable housing options possible for all Canadians to make sure they have a safe home. We do not need an…
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Mr. Speaker, it is critical that we build housing in the GTA that is affordable. We want to get the industry back building affordable housing for Canadians, certainly in the GTA but also across the country. We are seeing good housing starts in many cities across the country, but we are just getting started with affordability. We need to deliver, with members around the House, on the build Canada h…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her concern about the challenges for co-op housing. Co-op housing is a key priority within Build Canada Homes. We will ensure that a significant portion of the Build Canada Homes funding will be targeted for stabilizing and investing in new co-op housing. As someone who has co-op housing in my riding, the most in B.C., I obviously want to make sure my constituen…
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Mr. Speaker, it is puzzling to hear the Conservatives saying anything about affordable housing when they have never done anything historically to support it. We have a $13-billion Build Canada Homes agency coming through and taking action, delivering with provinces, territories and cities across the country. Last week, we announced 750 homes for Nunavut, which has the biggest housing challenge in …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his commitment to delivering for Canadians. In just 100 days, Build Canada Homes has hit the ground running, delivering real—
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First and foremost, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his commitment to delivering for Canadians. In just 100 days, Build Canada Homes has hit the ground running, delivering real results in dealing with Canada's housing crisis. We have signed major agreements with provinces, territories and cities. We have advanced six major federal land projects. We have lined up thousands of affo…
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Mr. Speaker, the member opposite should study the facts. The price of housing across the country is coming down. Average rents are coming down. Mortgage rates have come down. Our plan is working to deliver on affordability. We saw solid housing starts in this last year. We are focused on delivering that affordability with all types of housing across the country, in partnership with communities, pr…
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Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to the most aggressive investment in affordable housing in Canadian history. That starts with the first-time homebuyers' tax break of $50,000. The members opposite stalled it all through last year. We are bringing that forward and delivering it for young Canadians. We have $13 billion in this budget to deliver for Build Canada Homes, making sure we are bui…
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Mr. Speaker, I would invite that member to speak with folks on the ground in his home province of Manitoba. We are working with the Government of Manitoba to deliver affordable housing for young Canadians in Manitoba. These are unprecedented investments, through build Canada homes, on federal land. We are working with Canada Lands Company to make sure we are building and that we are giving jobs to…
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Mr. Speaker, I will say that members on this side, the young Canadians who represent their ridings here in the House, certainly speak to me about their priorities. They are here taking action to deliver for their fellow young Canadians. We have the first-time homebuyer tax break coming through, which will deliver up to $50,000 to young Canadians for their first home purchase. We are seeing positiv…
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Mr. Speaker, instead of slagging generations, the Conservatives should make generational investments with this side of the House. We are focused on delivering for young Canadians. The members on the other side of the House delayed, all through the fall and into the winter, the first-time homebuyer tax break. On this side of the House, we have been pushing to do this. The Conservatives also did not…
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Mr. Speaker, the good news is that our government has brought forward the first-time homebuyers' GST break, which is up to $50,000 off their first home purchase for young Canadians. This is a new measure. It was stalled in the fall session by the opposition, unfortunately. We are ready to bring this forward. We are ready to deliver affordability for young Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, it starts with first-time homebuyers and not obstructing bills that will deliver relief and affordability for young Canadians. That is number one. Number two, we have record annual construction in Calgary, in Montreal, in Edmonton and in Ottawa. We have housing starts that were solid last year, the fifth-best year in Canadian history. We will continue to build on that work with Build …
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Mr. Speaker, the good news is that we have Build Canada Homes starting up, a one-stop shop for affordable housing, delivering housing for young Canadians in particular. The opposition can support affordable housing. It has never done it before, but it can start now. It can start helping this government deliver affordability, whether that is new homes through Build Canada Homes or bringing down ren…
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Mr. Speaker, I have some good news to share with the House. On Monday, the Prime Minister and Mayor Sutcliffe announced a new partnership with the City of Ottawa for 3,000 mixed-income and affordable homes that will be built across the city. Through this joint investment, the City of Ottawa will fast-track the construction of 2,000 units of mixed-income and affordable housing on federal lands. Bui…
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Mr. Speaker, it is rich to hear this from the party that has stalled the first-time homebuyers' GST cut since June. That is five months that the Conservatives have been stalling up to $50,000 for first-time homebuyers so they can afford their first home. It was on the floor of the House starting in June; they have been delaying it. If you want to deliver affordability for young Canadians, put your…
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Mr. Speaker, the PBO report assumes that none of the current affordable housing programs continue. That is what would happen if the Conservative Party were in government. It has never delivered on affordable housing before, and it never will again. We are already working with provincial and territorial ministers to put together the next generation of the national housing strategy. It is a team Can…
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Mr. Speaker, it is rich for the Leader of the Opposition to speak about this. As we all know, when he was the housing minister and I was the mayor of Vancouver, he built six homes as the housing minister. That is a deplorable record. It is deplorable that the members opposite will not support a budget that has $13 billion for affordable housing, which the Parliamentary Budget Officer states will b…
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Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite took the time to actually read the report, he would discover that the Parliamentary Budget Officer stated this will build 86,000 affordable homes across Canada. This is the initial investment. I know it is hard for the Conservatives to understand. We are going in phases here. The initial phase is $13 billion, which they voted against in the budget. They are doin…
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Mr. Speaker, we had a lot of engagement with the homebuilding industry, with mayors and with ministers. We have put in an enormous amount of effort. Members opposite can go out and talk to people in the community and home builders we are working with who are supporting Build Canada Homes. We have just launched and opened the portal for that. The Parliamentary Budget Officer says 87,000 homes will …
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Mr. Speaker, we obviously face challenges in Ontario, in the GTA in particular, around housing starts. That is exactly why we got Build Canada Homes launched. That is exactly why we are investing in affordable housing at an unprecedented scale. That is exactly why we brought forward the first-time homebuyers' GST tax cut, which members opposite have stalled since June. We need to take action. We a…
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Mr. Speaker, the good news is that the price of housing is actually coming down. We can see in the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report in October that average rents are down across Canada, the average price of housing is down, mortgage rates are down and housing starts are up. This side of the House is doing something about housing affordability; that side of the House is voting against it.
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