Thank you for the question.
The home renovation tax credit is part of the infrastructure stimulus. It is individual family infrastructure that people can control themselves. I know that it's popular, because there have been more than 700,000 calls or e-mails to the Canada Revenue Agency line dedicated to the home renovation tax credit. It is time limited, so people need to act before next year if they want to take advantage of it. The maximum benefit is $1,350. As I said, it's for work performed or goods acquired after January 27 this year and before February 1 next year.
We also are providing up to $750 in tax relief to assist first-time home buyers with the costs associated with the purchase of a home. And we've bumped what one can take out of one's RRSP from $20,000 to $25,000.
This is actually encouraging. Yesterday I saw the report from the Canadian Real Estate Association that said that seasonally adjusted home sales rose 8% in May compared to April. This is another sign. We have some signs of stabilization and the beginning of positive growth in the economy.