Evidence of meeting #132 for Finance in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was competition.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
It's a very simple question: How many more houses will be built in 2026 because of this change?
12:05 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy and Results Branch, Office of Infrastructure of Canada
This bill is about putting a framework in place.
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
I just want a number. If you don't know, say, “I don't know”.
12:05 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy and Results Branch, Office of Infrastructure of Canada
Well, it's—
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
12:05 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy and Results Branch, Office of Infrastructure of Canada
I don't know a specific number, but this is not the goal of the bill. The goal of the bill is to create the framework upon which government policies and programs—
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Is the goal not to build more houses? Is that not part of this change?
12:05 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy and Results Branch, Office of Infrastructure of Canada
This bill is about putting tools in place so the department can then exercise the policies for the government of the day.
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
I understand it's about putting in the framework, but you're presumably putting gas in the car to drive it. We're putting in a plan to build more houses.
I'm asking a very simple question for the taxpayers of Canada: How many more houses will be built because of this? You need to have some type of estimate. Why would you do this if you have no measurable outcome?
12:05 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy and Results Branch, Office of Infrastructure of Canada
Measurable outcomes are associated with program interventions, policies and various budget decisions.
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
Philip Lawrence Conservative Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON
Okay. Thank you.
It's clear to me this program exists to build bureaucracy, not more homes. I've given you multiple chances. I'll give you one last opportunity. We've established that this is going to build a new bureaucracy. We've done that. This government is great at building bureaucracy, but you haven't given me one number.
Can you table something with this committee as to any measurable results that will come from these changes?
12:10 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy and Results Branch, Office of Infrastructure of Canada
The reason I'm having a challenge answering your question is that you're linking the policy outcome with the legislation. The legislation is about—
12:10 p.m.
Conservative
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Mr. Chair, I'm very sorry.
In a court of law, this would be called “badgering the witness”. The witness is not being allowed to answer the question. Then, when he's not giving the answer the member was looking for, the member is saying that the witness is trying to stop answering. The witness is saying he's not able to give a response because he doesn't have one. It's not in his jurisdiction.
12:10 p.m.
A voice
[Inaudible—Editor]
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca
Thank you, MP Baker.
We want to be very respectful, at committee, with our officials. The officials are here. They have a great deal of knowledge. They want to impart that knowledge to our committee for our analysts and for us to be able to do our work, so we ask for that respect and decorum within our committee.
Thank you for that.
Thank you, MP Lawrence. Your time is up, anyway.
We're on to MP Baker for five minutes.
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
Yvan Baker Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON
Thanks very much, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to ask the folks who are here on money laundering to come up and speak. While they're doing that, I have a few things to say.
First of all, I'd like to give a big thank you to all of you for being here. I understand that there are 36 of you. I don't think I've seen this many folks in a committee meeting before. Thank you for taking the time to be here. I know that not all of you will get a chance to answer questions. Maybe you'll be happy about that and maybe you won't be happy about that. Either way, we thank you for making the time to be here to answer questions.
I'd also like to say thank you for all your work on an ongoing basis on behalf of Canadians, because you do a tremendous amount. Everything that government does relies on civil servants like you, who are working behind the scenes and aren't necessarily known to Canadians. Thank you to you and your colleagues for all your work.
The second thing I'll say—I'll apologize to our witnesses for a moment—is that I'd like to put a motion on notice. I will ask my team to circulate that to the clerk.
Should we take a minute, Chair? Should I wait, or should I—
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca
Okay.
We have received it, and he'll distribute it to the members.
Go ahead—
