Thanks.
I was talking earlier today with the financial wellness lab that operates out of Western University, and they've done extensive research. They told me today that housing and rent costs are the number one economic concern of Canadians today. They also said that Canada loses $54 billion in lost productivity every year due to the impact of financial stress. Putting those two things together, the major source of financial stress is housing costs. We lose $54 billion in productivity.
I noticed that, in your pre-budget submission, Ms. Tessier, you said that the problem of lagging productivity requires policy intervention and growth-minded policy that will benefit parts of society. You identified that building not-for-profit housing, including co-ops, will generate more wealth for everyone and increase productivity.
Can you expand on that for us, the connection between housing and productivity?