Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The Minister of Housing met with provincial ministers yesterday. Some of the things they concluded are of particular interest to me.
Mr. Dugan and Ms. Bowers, you spoke earlier of supply and demand issues. We need to focus on increasing the supply of housing. That's the root of the problem. We have less housing available per 1,000 people than many other countries. So we need to increase the supply.
I've spoken to building contractors in my constituency, and they have confirmed that one of the biggest barriers to development in urban and rural areas—we mustn't forget rural communities—are municipal issues. In small communities, very often it's hard to get permission to build housing. The process is often highly politicized in small communities. There's a “not in my backyard” syndrome. These folks do not want to see new construction in their neighbourhood. So it's a huge challenge.
They met to discuss how to use the housing acceleration fund to break down municipal barriers and get more housing built. It's a key issue.
What barriers exist and how can we work with our provincial partners to address these issues?
You spoke earlier of densification in our cities. Can you tell me more about how you perceive the barriers and how we can discuss this with our provincial colleagues?