Finance committee  Yes, I think it's important to understand that pension funds exist to maximize return in order to provide lifetime retirement income for their members. There is no other altruistic means. I think it is often a mistaken belief that funding projects through pension funds would lead to better outcomes.

Finance committee  Our union's position would be that Crown lands, for the purpose of housing, should be targeted toward those in core housing need—through public housing, through co-operatives, through non-profit housing. We really think that the core housing need is being lost in the public conversation around housing right now.

Finance committee  Thank you for the opportunity to make this presentation today on such a pressing matter for workers in Canada. The Canadian Union of Public Employees is Canada's largest union, with 740,000 members, including workers at publicly owned housing corporations, homeless shelters, long-term care homes, and other social and health care services at the front line of the housing affordability crisis.