Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, I have a good rapport with the colleague opposite. We work together on the HUMA committee, but it is hard to take him seriously in the House today when we know that recently he has voted against 99 units of housing for his own community. At 520 Isaac Street, and he can go down there as I am sure he knows where that is, 99 units of housing have been built as a result of the Liberal g…
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Madam Speaker, we have worked, as members know, with the City of Calgary on a range of matters, including getting more housing built through the housing accelerator fund. However, I find the hypocrisy in the Conservative position stunning. The Conservatives continue to talk about the vulnerable when we know what they would do if they were in office. They would cut pensions. They would cut EI. The …
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Madam Speaker, they say they have the backs of Canadians. It is interesting and hypocritical for them to point arguments like that out time and again. What did we learn yesterday? We learned that the chief adviser to the opposition leader has served as the chief lobbyist for Galen Weston and Loblaws. Today we learned something else. The opposition leader ought to get in touch with his deputy leade…
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Madam Speaker, it would be interesting to look at the Conservative Party's history when it comes to taxes. We know that deficit after deficit is the story of the Conservative Party. In fact, now we see a AAA credit rating and the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7. We co-rank third in the OECD when it comes to attracting foreign direct investment. Deal after deal has been concluded by the Minister…
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Madam Speaker, that is quite the statement from the member opposite, who in the past has voted to not go ahead with tax cuts for the middle class and who has voted against the Canada child benefit. Just a few days ago, the Conservatives voted against more homes being built. They voted against, in fact, shelter spaces for women and children who are trying to escape domestic violence. It is true, of…
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's future prosperity depends on embracing science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. The problem is that young people tend to lose interest in STEM by the time they finish high school. Since 1993, London-based organization Let's Talk Science has tried to address that challenge by providing vital programming and resource support for teachers who bring science to life, ma…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I agree with the hon. colleague on a few things. I agree that the lack of investment on the part of previous governments, Liberal and Conservative, has taken us to this point where Canada has a genuine housing crisis in front of it. We have to recognize that first and foremost. I would also say that the housing crisis and the lack of affordability we find is ultimately underpinned b…
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Madam Speaker, I remind my colleague, and he knows this very well, that funding has been allocated and we are seeing results in his own province, in his own community. I would point to funding that was announced. There was $13 million for 78 homes for indigenous peoples throughout Manitoba that came through the rapid housing initiative. In June 2023, $12 million was announced for 57 units; this go…
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Madam Speaker, I do not know the hon. member that well, but I do know him to be someone focused on a range of different policy issues, and tonight is no different. He raised the matter of defence and looked at Arctic sovereignty, obviously relating to the concurrence debate here. I wonder if he could tell us his view on the 2% ask of NATO and what his views are on that and, rather, what his party'…
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Madam Speaker, I listened with interest to my colleague's speech. I know he has followed defence matters very closely over the years and is a former parliamentary secretary of defence. I wanted to know his thoughts with respect to where climate change fits into all of this and whether or not he understands and recognizes climate change to be not only a matter of environmental concern but also a ma…
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Mr. Speaker, in a week where that party has been exposed for what it is, that is, a party that does not stand in alignment with the principles of freedom and has turned its back on the Ukrainian diaspora and on Ukrainians, it is hard to take anything that side has to say seriously today. On the matter of housing, $46 billion has been allocated toward housing, and the result is that two million Can…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, it is true that Canada is in the midst of a housing crisis. What approach is our government taking? I believe it is an example of co-operation. It is co-operation with the parties across the way that want to do something on housing, with provinces, with municipalities and with the not-for-profit sector. To take an example, the national housing strategy is getting people housed. T…
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad that we have the NDP's support on Bill C-56. As we know, there are competition measures in it that would hold grocery chains to account. On the question of housing, the more we build, the more we ensure that costs come down. I have good news for the member. Right across the country, we see residential construction up. In Manitoba, it is up 34%; in Saskatchewan, 25%; in New B…
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Mr. Speaker, as a result of measures introduced by the current government, two million people are now living in homes, which have been built, repaired or subsidized through the programs introduced. That work continues. In fact, we saw this week, through the fall economic statement, that there are various other supports being introduced: providing low-interest loans for builders, taking a very clos…
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Mr. Speaker, the member has served his country and his community since 2004, and this caucus and this chamber are better for it. He continues to advocate for measures, as does this caucus. What is the result? In the fall economic statement, we saw, as I just mentioned, real action to deal with short-term rentals. The result will be up to 30,000 short-term rentals turned into long-term homes for Ca…
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Mr. Speaker, the member asked about tax fairness. Since 2015, the government has invested no less than a billion dollars to ensure that the CRA has the resources it needs, resources that the opposite side, the Conservatives, cut when they were in office. Tax fairness is a principle we take very seriously. I would just point to the outcome of the Panama papers, for example, where, as a result of in…
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member wishes to talk about Canadians keeping their homes. Let us look at the Conservative record on housing. When the now opposition leader was the so-called minister of housing, $300 million was allocated toward housing. How many homes were built? Fewer than 100. The record speaks for itself. Across the country we have signed deals with many municipalities: Kelowna, London,…
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Mr. Speaker, the member fails to mention the advocacy of Toronto MPs who pushed for this government to invest no less than $290 million for the City of Toronto so that it could respond to homelessness challenges. That is exactly what is happening. We will continue to work with that municipality and with other municipalities across the country. This is an unacceptable situation that we find ourselv…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour two new inductees into the London and District Business Hall of Fame. The first is Allan Drewlo, president of Drewlo Holdings. He helped make the company one of the country's largest leading real estate development and property management firms. On top of that, he is an important philanthropist in our community. He has supported, among others, the Kidney Foundation, t…
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Mr. Speaker, the point on the acquisition fund is one that the member and I have discussed in the past, and it does merit further consideration, but I also point to the various other programs that are part of the national housing strategy that he mentioned: the rapid housing initiative and the national co-investment fund. These programs combined, added to others, have lifted 70,000 people off the …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague, and with all due respect, it is rather difficult to take him seriously here tonight. First of all, he made the mistake of not reading the most recent CMHC report on housing starts. In fact, housing starts are up. However, let us move to the matter at hand, which is really cost. I do agree with him that, whether it is renting or buying, costs are too high. H…
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Mr. Speaker, I am sure the member is very good at math; he is just not looking at all the numbers. The national housing strategy has resulted in 113,000 new units that are either built or will be built, and 126,000 units that have been repaired or are scheduled for repair. In the member's community, or at least in a portion of his community, because he does represent a portion of the Peel region, …
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Mr. Speaker, I sat with the member on the federal finance committee for two years. At no point did he ever stand up and go against the austerity agenda of that party's leader. It is an unacceptable approach. We, on this side, do have an approach that matters. In his community in Calgary, we are working with that city council on a number of things, including the housing accelerator fund that would …
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Mr. Speaker, there are 70,000 new units for individuals who have experienced homelessness, and 122,000 people who were close to being homeless are not homeless because of the national housing strategy. That applies to what I just said before on homelessness. The member rightly brings up the plight and position of women who experience homelessness. Over 400 units of shelter were either renovated or…
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Madam Speaker, I am getting to know my colleague more and more; we work together on the HUMA committee. This is the parliamentary committee that is primarily responsible for housing, an incredibly important issue for this entire country. In her community, my community and everyone's community, housing is the main focus of discussion around kitchen tables, and rent is going up. I will acknowledge t…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, with respect to my colleague, the conversations have been happening, and we have seen concrete action. I just mentioned a project in the member's riding that has made life better for her constituents, with 164 units. Again, I emphasize that I will continue to work with her and with any colleague, and I know the minister feels the same way. He wants to see better outcomes. The nation…
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Mr. Speaker, there is a bill on this floor that the Conservatives can get behind. The result, if they decide to support it, would be a more affordable situation for builders, because it would lift GST off the construction of rental apartments. They are not in favour of that. They want to tax the construction of rental apartments for the middle class. On top of that, we are putting forward measures…
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Mr. Speaker, the member talks about young people. I will give him credit: During his time being a member of Parliament, he has put issues on the table with respect to youth. He can support the government, or at least he should have, with respect to the tax-free savings account the government put in place to help young people save for a down payment. Up to $40,000 can be put into that account, whic…
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Mr. Speaker, they inherited a surplus. They turned it into a deficit, another deficit and another deficit. On this side, we put constructive measures on the table like lifting GST on the building of rentals for Canadians. They talk about an attachment that they have to a vision for the country that puts the middle class front and centre. It is not true. Why are they proposing at this time, at a ti…
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said and emphasized, the challenge of affordability with respect to housing writ large has to do with the lack of supply. When demand is high and supply is limited, we are always going to have an expensive situation. We see that with respect to housing. What this government is doing is working with municipalities to see more homes built. This morning, as I said, we saw the C…
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Mr. Speaker, our colleague is a former mayor, and he knows, therefore, that the affordability challenge Canadians face, whether it with respect to rent or the challenge of buying a home, is due to a lack of supply. This government recognizes that. That is why we have moved ahead to put incentives on the table for the private sector, for example, for builders, like lifting the GST on the constructi…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member and the NDP caucus for supporting this government to double funding in response to homelessness. We continue to work with municipalities across the country. We continue to work with not-for-profit organizations. It was this government that recognized, of course, that there is a human right to housing. In that vein, we are seeing results. There is more to do,…
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Mr. Speaker, those are quite the words from the Leader of the Opposition. I remind him that, when he was responsible for housing during the Harper years, there was $300 million spent for housing, with fewer than 100 homes built. We can do the math: That is $3 million a home. That is the record of so-called fiscal responsibility on the other side. On this side, we are getting homes built. Just this…
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Mr. Speaker, they constantly talk about their record of fiscal responsibility. During the Stephen Harper years, they ran seven consecutive deficits. Under this government we have seen economic growth. We have seen this government go through an extremely challenging time in the pandemic. Guess what? Businesses are still there. They are finding ways to thrive as a result of the ways that we supporte…
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Mr. Speaker, the member needs reminders, which is no problem. When the Conservatives were in office and the opposition leader was the so-called minister of housing—
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Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, the Conservatives need reminders. The Harper government put $300 million toward housing. How many homes were built? There were less than 100. At a time when it is clear that the lack of supply has created a vast increase in the cost of rent, this government is moving forward to build more and help the private sector to do exactly that. Members on that side, as I just …
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Mr. Speaker, I have been a member of Parliament since 2015. From day one, that side has pursued an austerity agenda. The Conservatives want to cut the Canada child benefit. With respect to supports for seniors, they have never been there. With respect to supports for businesses during the pandemic and since, they have never been there. We brought down taxes for small businesses not once but twice.…
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Mr. Speaker, if we are going to tackle the housing crisis, we have to work together and pursue agendas that are serious. This government has put forward a number of measures, for example, lifting GST on purpose-built rentals, period. That side is proposing a tax on the building of rentals for middle-class individuals and families. That construction would be taxed by that side. The Conservatives al…
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Mr. Speaker, I have worked with the member for a number of years now, and I do not doubt for a moment her commitment to housing. She knows, because she voted for it, that we doubled the funding for homelessness through the reaching home initiative, and Toronto has received $290 million to combat homelessness. We will continue to work with not-for-profit organizations that are on the ground doing t…
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Mr. Speaker, the current government was the first government in Canadian history to recognize that there is a human right to housing. We continue to act in that vein through the national housing strategy, a strategy that has resulted in 70,000 people being taken off the street; 122,000 who were very close to being homeless are no longer in that position. Because of the vital supports they have bee…
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Mr. Speaker, last week I had the opportunity to visit Peterborough, that member's riding, where I announced $42 million for the construction or renovation of over 1,100 units of housing. What is interesting is that the member voted against every program that made that funding possible, and then she tried to take credit for it. It is astounding what the Conservatives continue to do. What Canadians …
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Mr. Speaker, an example of recklessness is the Conservatives' record on housing. There was $300 million spent when they were in power on housing, and less than 100 homes were built. What is also reckless is the fact that they would abandon municipalities that want to build more homes. We have put on the table $4 billion for municipalities to assist them in building more units. The cities of London…
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Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis, as we know, is underpinned ultimately by a crisis in supply or the lack thereof. What the government is doing is partnering with municipalities across the country. For federal dollars, municipalities have the chance to build more. In London, for example, 2,000 more units of housing will be built in exchange for a $74-million investment. What we have also done is to…
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Mr. Speaker, in fact, if we look at the record not just in British Columbia but also across the country, we see that the federal government has been a partner. To not-for-profit organizations that are doing the outstanding work on the ground, the result is obvious. Sixty-nine thousand people who were on the street are no longer on the street. They are housed now, quite often with the wraparound su…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour the life of Londoner Claude Pensa, who sadly passed away recently at the age of 93. The proud son of Italian immigrants, he never forgot his roots, and his family was incredibly proud of him as a result. They are also proud of him for practising the law for 57 years, namely at the firm he co-founded, Harrison Pensa. Widely respected for his skills as a litigator, he w…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour the life of Seamus Grew, whose life was tragically cut short in July of this year after a long and courageous battle with ALS. Seamus was born in 1944 in Ireland. Although he was certainly proud of his Irish roots, he was a proud Canadian to be sure, and he made a great contribution to this country. It was here where he worked as a public servant for the City of Toron…
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Madam Speaker, here we go again. The contradictions just speak for themselves, but I will highlight them for members. In July 2022, we had inflation at over 8%, which is now down to 4%. It is certainly not low enough, but we see progress on that front. I also hear all sorts of ideas from the other side that would not have a tangible impact in terms of affordability. Let us take pensions, by the wa…
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Madam Speaker, I remind the hon. member that Canada has the lowest deficit and debt in the G7, but times remain hard. We see that and understand that. On housing affordability, what are we doing? The supply crisis that underpins the housing crisis facing the country is one that requires building. That is why we have lifted GST for the purposes of rental construction on apartments, and that is why …
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Madam Speaker, he is quite correct; that side does play games. Do people know what else they do? They also vote against tax cuts for the middle class. They also vote against child care for kids. They vote against dental care for kids. Discussions on pharmacare are happening at this time, and that side wants to entertain none of it. At a time when Canadians are facing real challenges of affordabili…
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Madam Speaker, I would remind my hon. colleague to look at the actual record and at the actions of the opposition leader, who this summer, while presenting himself as some sort of champion of the working class, stood in front of a Canadian's home, took a video and called that home a shack. If he is serious about dealing with affordability, the housing crisis and the supply crisis that underpins it…
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