I spoke earlier on in my brief about this, of the general impact that good housing has on the economy and the kinds of other costs it may reduce. If you want to look at the actual construction of housing itself or its renovation, it's an incredibly effective way to invest if you want economic activity. After manufacturing, housing construction and renovation have the biggest multiplier effect. In other words, for every job that's created directly, the indirect job creation is one of the most efficient in the country. As you say, it does put Canadian suppliers together with Canadian developers and builders.
There's no question that building affordable housing does cost money. I find it quite interesting, for example, that the Conference Board of Canada, which is not known for its communist leanings, together with other notable spokespeople, like Don Drummond, the economist for TD, have said numerous times that an investment in housing is an investment in the economy. In other words, putting people closer to jobs, whether it's the multiplier effect of construction jobs, whether it's a happier, healthier, and better house community...the fact of the matter is that people who are housed well work well.