I will begin with the first question, which is much easier than the second question.
We generally support a reinvestment in community housing. At one point federal funding for community housing exceeded $2 billion per year. That's going down as a result of the end of operating agreements with community housing providers that are non-profits and co-ops all over the country. One good thing about the national housing strategy is that it has some programs that do reinvest in community housing, specifically the federal community housing initiative and the Canada community housing initiatives. It will secure, and this is of the utmost importance to our members, the rental assistance that low-income households need in order to continue to live in their housing co-operatives.
We absolutely support that recommendation from our colleagues at the AGRTQ, L’Association des groupes de ressources techniques du Québec. However, one thing, and we did identify this in our brief, although the national housing strategy has reinvested in the rental assistance that low-income households rely on in community housing, in non-profits and co-operatives, the new supply programs that are intended to develop new affordable housing lack earmarks. There's no easy point of entry and no easy access into these co-investment programs. We think the development of community housing that is inoculated against the upward pressures of the speculative market results in double digit rent increases for renters across the country, and vacancy rates dropping below 1%. We think the federal government should invest in a new supply program for co-ops and not-for-profits.