Evidence of meeting #127 for Finance in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was mortgage.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Conservative
Liberal
Conservative
Liberal
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
I asked about the report. He needs to address that.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
I'm going to continue with my answer, Mr. Chair. If you think I should stop, I will stop.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca
If you just finish up the answer, then we'll get to MP Hallan's next question.
Liberal
Liberal
Joanne Thompson Liberal St. John's East, NL
On a point of order, we need to be very considerate of the interpreters' health. Please stop the crosstalk.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
I can wrap up in 10 seconds.
We have challenges with our temporary programs. They are driven by the folks who have access to these programs increasing the demand they put on the system. To respond to those changes in behaviour, we are implementing reforms, including recent reforms that Minister Miller has implemented—
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
I'm sorry, Minister, but it's been 10 seconds.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
With regard to the housing starts you talked about, housing has actually gone down 7%—
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
—integrity to the program. Also, it reduces pressure on communities that have—
Bloc
Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette, QC
On a point of order, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chair, it has often been said that we must respect the interpreters. For the last 10 minutes, there has been crosstalk, making it impossible for the interpreters to do their job. We know that the interpreters do an extraordinary job. Francophones must be able to hear what is going on at the committee.
I would ask my colleagues to show respect for the interpreters and to stop overlapping discussions.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca
MP Ste-Marie and MP Thompson, you're one hundred per cent correct.
I apologize. We all should apologize to the interpreters. The crosstalk is affecting them. It affects their health and safety. We have to be respectful of decorum. Don't scream into your mic. Allow people to answer questions; allow people to ask questions. Let's do this in a respectful way. That is what is being asked here.
MP Hallan, please go ahead.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
Minister, CIBC gave a grave warning that Canada needs an additional five million new home units by 2030, on top of the ones that are already projected. That's about 1.5 million additional homes than the CMHC even projected. Your own housing agency, the CMHC, said just recently in this committee that they had no faith in your government that these homes will be built. CIBC says the housing crisis is largely due to a failure in planning.
How are these homes going to get built?
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
Thank you for the question.
I walked people through the bones of the approach to housing during my opening remarks. We're going to see homes get built when we reduce the cost of homebuilding by putting incentives in place. We're going to see more homes get built when we change the way communities build homes by incentivizing them to reduce red tape and speed up permitting processes—
Conservative
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca
MP Hallan, your time is already up. It's well beyond, actually.
Minister, finish up your remarks and then we will move on to the next MP questioner.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
To make a long story short, we can reduce the cost of building by putting incentives on the table. We can change the way cities build homes by putting federal money on the table to change zoning and permitting processes. We can build an industrial strategy in collaboration with cities, the private sector, non-profits and provincial governments.
When I looked at the comparison between the plan we are putting forward and the one Mr. Hallan's party is putting forward, it's clear and very obvious that the measures they are putting forward would actually lead to fewer number of homes being built than we are already on track to build. We simply can't let that happen.