Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank the members of the committee; I am very pleased that the Standing Committee on Finance is addressing the terrible housing crisis. Right now, in Canada and around the world, there is a health crisis and a very serious climate crisis. In Quebec, there is a language crisis and a very serious housing crisis. A lot of numbers have been thrown around left and right. We're going to talk about it again, and that's a good thing.
My first question is for Ms. Laflamme, the FRAPRU representative. I know her quite well, since I've been talking to her for two years, as the Bloc Québécois housing critic. A lot of figures have been provided, and it is good to talk about them. Some people call my office to talk about the housing problem in Longueuil. We also have the figures for Montreal.
Longueuil is the fifth largest urban centre in Quebec. In Longueuil alone, 2,000 people are waiting for low-cost housing, known as HLMs. In Montreal, there are 23,000 people on the waiting list. At the moment, in Quebec, there are between 40,000 and 50,000 people waiting for an HLM, a low-cost housing unit. The housing crisis is very serious. I have quoted the figures, but we must not forget the people behind these figures.
Ms. Laflamme, as we know, FRAPRU is very close to various organizations located all over the territory. I would like to go beyond the numbers. Can you talk briefly about the impact of rising rents and the scarcity of rental units, particularly in recent years?