Some municipalities are making that request. If I am not mistaken, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities is also making that request. They are asking for an acquisition fund to buy buildings and housing units on the private market that are still affordable. This is to protect them from speculation and to take them out of the market so that they can be used to set up not-for-profit organizations, cooperatives, or public housing.
Ms. Chatel mentioned that fund, but, to my knowledge, it has not yet been announced. It would certainly meet some important needs, but we need to make sure that the fund is used for housing units on the private market. That would also help to fight against the financialization of housing, to stop major investment funds from gaining access to housing. Getting out of the mindset of speculation would allow us to put the right to housing at the centre of everything we do. However, if we want that to be done quickly, there has to be major investment. This is already being done in Quebec. Small municipalities, even Montreal, have started to do it. But, without major financing from higher levels of government, the leverage effect can not be as big.
If that had been done earlier, hundreds of housing units could have been protected and we could have avoided the erosion of private rental housing that is still available for the average tenant.
That is another possible solution. We actually are asking for all the money intended for affordable housing to be redirected to housing outside the private market.