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MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

Gregor Robertson

Liberal Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby 72 statements translated

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Robertson, the housing and infrastructure minister, presses for faster homebuilding: the $1.7 billion housing supply bill for provinces and territories, the Build Canada Homes agency and its 19,000 affordable homes under way, and GST breaks for new-home buyers. His case runs on upbeat lists of programs and 23 straight months of falling rents, and on promises with no date or measure — “We are delivering that.”Written by AI from their statements. Updated .

Average grade
B+
83 / 100 over 60 statements
Signal 82 / 100
Relevance 74 / 100
Respect 100 / 100
Clarity 85 / 100
Averaged over the 60 of 72 statements graded so far.

In their own words

Loses points more than most for

A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.3 times as often as most members.What the tags mean ×3.0

Greetings and pleasantries.1.8 times as often as most members.What the tags mean ×1.8

Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.1.6 times as often as most members.What the tags mean ×1.6

Loses points less than most for Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.Less often than most members.What the tags mean A remark off to the side of the point.Less often than most members.What the tags mean Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.Less often than most members.What the tags mean

Statements 72

Oral Questions ·

Housing

In response to a question from Costas Menegakis

“The Conservatives vote against affordable housing, and that is hypocritical. We are working to build more homes across the country. Rents have gone down for 23 months in a row, and we want Conservatives to help us keep building.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, that is rich coming from the other side who vote against affordable housing measures at every turn. That is hypocrisy. We are focused on scaling up construction of housing across our country. I have just recited the latest numbers we have. We have positive news on rent. Rents have come down for 23 months in a row, making life more affordable for Canadians and for newcomers. We have to make sure we continue that trend and that we build strong. We could use more support from Conservatives on that front.

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In response to a question from Michelle Rempel Garner

“Immigration levels are under control. We are building record numbers of homes across the country, and we are making sure that building keeps up with immigration.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, as the immigration minister said, the levels are under control right now. We are working very closely between immigration levels and housing starts. We see the success we are having on the housing front. We have seen 141,000 homes created by the MLI select program. We have seen over 80,000 homes in the apartment construction loan program. With Build Canada Homes, there are over 19,000 non-market affordable homes. We are seeing a scale of construction right now across Canada that is unprecedented, and we are making sure it fits with our immigration levels.

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In response to a question from Pierre Poilievre

“The member opposite is attacking immigrants. We welcome immigrants, but we must control the numbers and build enough homes to match them.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, there is a big difference. The member opposite demonizes immigrants, which is specifically what he said. The member opposite said, “immigrants”. Many countries in the world, including Canada, have challenges around immigration. Lots of people want to come to Canada. We need to keep up with the housing we build, and as the Prime Minister has said, we need to make sure the housing we build fits the immigration levels. We want immigrants in Canada. This is a country of immigrants. We believe in immigration. It has to be controlled, and our housing builds have to match accordingly. That is what we are focused on.

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In response to a question from Pierre Poilievre

“There is a difference between immigrants and immigration levels.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, there is a difference between immigrants and immigration, first and foremost. When the member opposite— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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In response to a question from Pierre Poilievre

“Almost all of us come from immigrant families, and Canada is a country of immigrants. It is unfair to blame immigrants for the housing crisis.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I think almost every member of the House comes from immigrant stock. Canada is a country of immigrants, and to blame immigrants for a housing crisis is absolutely unfair and unjust. Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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In response to a question from Pierre Poilievre

“The member opposite attacks immigrants all the time, and he should not do that.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, I would reprimand the member opposite for constantly attacking immigrants. Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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Oral Questions ·

The Economy

In response to a question from Tamara Jansen

“We are working to make life more affordable. We cut income taxes and fuel taxes, and gave people money for groceries and basic needs. Rents have gone down for 24 months in a row. We have more work to do, and the Conservatives should support our plan instead of just complaining about it.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I thank outgoing Premier Eby and his team. To speak directly to the question from the member opposite, this government is focused on delivering on affordability, whether that is through tax cuts on income tax, the groceries and essentials benefit or the fuel excise tax. We have brought down the costs. We have seen rents come down for 24 months in a row. We are delivering on affordability. There is a lot more work to do. We could use some support from the Conservatives rather than them ranting and raving about it.

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In response to a question from Tamara Jansen

“I want to congratulate the new premier and government of British Columbia.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of our colleagues here, I want to congratulate the new government of B.C., the premier-elect and his team. Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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Oral Questions ·

Housing

In response to a question from Dan Muys

“Housing is hard across the world right now, but our plan is working. Cities are building more homes. We cut the GST on new homes, which can save buyers in Ontario up to $200,000. Conservatives do not support this, but we will keep taking action on housing.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, there are some basic facts around the housing market that we are challenged with as a country right now and that many other countries are challenged with. The world is struggling with uncertainty, and we have to focus on delivering on affordable housing. If we look at the results across the country, we have successful cities that are increasing their housing starts. We have some markets that are slow. We are intervening. We put GST on the table across the country right now. In Ontario, one can save up to $200,000 on a new home. That is significant action. That is not being supported by Conservatives. On this side, we will continue to take action on housing—

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In response to a question from Jacob Mantle

“The opposition does not care about affordable housing. We do. Last month, we spent $1.5 billion to protect 7,000 affordable rental homes. I doubt the opposition will support this.”

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    Signal 21 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the noise from the other side illustrates that the members of the opposition do not care about affordable housing. They do not care that Canadians need housing. This side of the House continues to advance, to push hard for affordable housing to be delivered and to work with provinces and territories. Last month, we launched the Canada rental protection fund, $1.5 billion for 7,000 affordable rental homes that are protected. Are we going to see support from the other side? I do not think so.

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In response to a question from Jacob Mantle

“The member opposite is not paying attention. He and his colleagues do not support spending money on affordable housing, and they voted against Build Canada Homes.”

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  • Government answer in Question Period

    Signal 21 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, clearly the member opposite is not paying attention. Not only do the member opposite and his colleagues not support investing in affordable housing, but they voted against Build Canada Homes. They voted against— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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In response to a question from Jacob Mantle

“We are focused on building affordable housing. We have over 19,000 affordable homes underway right now, and we plan to build many more so Canadians can buy or rent them. We need the opposition to support us so we can do this faster.”

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    Clarity 44 of 100

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we are very focused on delivering affordable housing for Canadians, as seen by Build Canada Homes start-ups. We have over 19,000 homes now under way with Build Canada Homes, affordable non-market homes that are scaling up. We are going to continue to extend that work, and we are going to give Canadians every opportunity to buy or rent an affordable home. We are going to scale this work as aggressively as possible, and particularly if we have support from the members opposite, we will be able to go faster and farther.

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Oral Questions ·

Housing

In response to a question from Pierre Poilievre

“We are making it faster and cheaper to build homes. We also cut the GST on new homes. The Conservatives say they care about housing, but they vote against these cuts.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, not only are we cutting red tape, working with local governments to make it faster to build and reducing development charges dramatically, we have also had a first-time homebuyer break on the GST. The Conservatives fought it all last year. They fought against giving first-time homebuyers an opportunity to save on their first home purchase. We went to the next step with a GST break for all Canadians on new homes. Did this have support from the other side? No. Again and again, they say one thing. One might think they care about affordable housing, but they do not give a hoot about it. They never vote for it.

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In response to a question from Pierre Poilievre

“The Conservative leader has no plan to fix the housing problem. Our government does. We are building over 19,000 affordable homes right now and helping people in Ontario save money on new homes.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, this summer, when asked what he would do about building housing, said absolutely nothing. That was his response. Leave it to the market to solve all our housing woes. We have established Build Canada Homes to build affordable non-market housing. We have over 19,000 homes under way right now. We are building Canada strong and we are offering Canadians in Ontario up to $200,000 off the price of a new home. This is leadership. We are delivering that. We are delivering the homes that Canadians need.

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Oral Questions ·

The Economy

In response to a question from Connie Cody

“Our housing plan is working. Rents have dropped for 23 months in a row. I want all members of the House to support our work to build more affordable homes.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the actions are clear. We are seeing the results. We have been seeing rents go down for 23 straight months. That does not happen by accident. That does not happen based on a plan that nobody has seen, nobody believes in and nobody voted for. We have an opportunity to build affordable housing on an unprecedented scale. We need every member of the House on board with that. We need to scale up and build Canada homes and affordable housing. We need to continue to see rents go down and see affordability for Canadians. That is what we are delivering.

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In response to a question from Connie Cody

“Our housing plan is working. Average rents have dropped for 23 months in a row, and people can save money when buying a home. The Conservatives oppose these options, but we are moving forward.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we have a plan to deliver affordable housing. We are seeing it work, with 23 consecutive months of average rents going down across Canada, so families like the member opposite mentioned are saving money on their rent. They are also able to save money on the purchase of a new home. In Ontario alone, up to $200,000 can be saved on the purchase of a new home. Whether it is renting or buying, we are putting options on the table. These options have been opposed by the Conservatives. We are moving forward.

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Oral Questions ·

Housing

In response to a question from Jacob Mantle

“Our housing fund is already working. We are working with 241 cities and towns to speed up building permits. Canada builds about 250,000 homes a year now. That is not enough, so we are working with local and provincial governments to build more affordable homes faster.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, that is precisely what the housing accelerator fund has been doing. It has been accelerating permitting and licensing, working in partnership with 241 cities and towns across Canada. We are seeing success with that accelerator program. Housing is getting built. Canada has averaged 250,000 homes a year, and that is not enough housing. We know it needs to grow. We need to do that in partnership with local governments and provinces. That is the work we are doing right now. We have an affordable housing agency in Build Canada Homes that is focused on making homes more affordable.

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In response to a question from Jacob Mantle

“Housing has been a problem in Canada for 40 years. Our plan to build more affordable homes is working. We already have 19,000 homes under way in less than a year. We are working with the provinces and territories to build student housing, cheap rentals, and starter homes for young people.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that we have challenges with housing across Canada. That has been the case for about 40 years. We have to build more affordable housing. That is what Build Canada Homes is focused on. It crossed the threshold of 19,000 homes under way in less than a year. We have seen really good success on the ground, with agreements right across the provinces and territories, agreements that are going to deliver affordable housing. In particular, they are going to deliver for young Canadians, with student housing, affordable rental housing for young people and attainable housing to get people into the market for the first time.

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Oral Questions ·

The Economy

In response to a question from John Brassard

“We are helping people with the cost of living. We give families money for groceries, rents are going down, and first-time homebuyers do not pay GST. We are also lowering gas prices while the opposition only complains.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member’s highlighting the fact that the Canada groceries and essentials benefit is providing up to $1,900 to a family of four, which is very significant. Just as we are seeing rents come down, we are providing the opportunity for young Canadians to not pay GST on first-time home purchases. Whether it is housing, whether it is groceries or whether it is the price of gas, we are taking action. We hear nothing but complaining from the other side.

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In response to a question from John Brassard

“Housing is becoming more affordable. Average rents in Canada have gone down for 23 straight months because our loan program is helping build tens of thousands of new rental homes. I want the Conservatives to support our work.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives keep flagging affordability concerns with respect to housing. We have great news to share on that. Average rents have come down for 23 straight months across Canada. That is a sign of success. Talk to developers across Canada right now. The apartment construction loan program is financing tens of thousands of rental homes. This is the biggest rental housing boom we have had in generations, and that is delivering affordable rents. We are making progress. We expect support from the other side of the House to get this done.

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