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Housing

During Question Period on housing, the Conservatives said the government is far short of its promise to build 500,000 homes a year and cited Statistics Canada figures that one in four Canadians lives in unaffordable housing. They pressed the government to tie federal housing money to faster building permits. The Liberal minister said housing has been a challenge for about 40 years, pointed to Build Canada Homes having 19,000 homes under way in less than a year, and said the housing accelerator fund is already working with 241 cities and towns to speed up permits, adding that more needs to be built with provinces and municipalities.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

4 statements

Jacob Mantle

Conservative

Linked statement

“The government is failing to build the homes it promised, and young people cannot afford to buy a house. The Conservative plan will cut taxes and tie federal money to building permits. How can the minister say housing is getting more affordable?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Liane, a grandmother from Pefferlaw, wrote me and said, “our grandkids can’t imagine ever owning a home.” That is the story of a generation: no hope. The Prime Minister promised to build 500,000 new homes a year, but his own housing agency says he will be hundreds of thousands short, and fewer homes will be built this year than last year. Our Conservative plan will save Canadians money on housing by tying federal funding to permits and cutting taxes. How can the minister claim housing affordability is improving with fewer houses and the next generation shut out?

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Gregor Robertson

Liberal
“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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Jacob Mantle

Conservative
“The government failed to build the homes it promised, and housing is getting less affordable. I want the minister to tie federal money to faster building permits so homes get built quicker.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, 19,000 homes out of a promised 500,000 is a failure, and affordability has not improved. In fact, Statistics Canada reported yesterday that one in four Canadians lives in unaffordable housing. That is an increase of 22%. Things are getting worse; they are not getting better. What is worse is that StatsCan says rising housing costs squeeze family budgets. More rent payments and more mortgage payments mean more difficult decisions at the grocery store. We have offered a positive solution: save Canadians money on housing by speeding up permits, tying that to federal dollars. Why will the minister not do that?

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Gregor Robertson

Liberal
“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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