I believe that there will have to be more partnerships between various levels of government and the private sector. If we expect the private sector to build that many units on its own, it's likely to be difficult.
We see problems in terms of financing arrangements, particularly in Quebec. We think that effort is needed to develop more housing units, in co‑operatives, for example. The co‑operative model, which is not often used here but is widespread elsewhere, provides more affordable solutions. More units are needed for students and seniors, in addition to intergenerational models, in short everything that the current demographics require.
But beyond all that, discussion is impossible unless the labour issue is addressed. The construction industry is very labour intensive. About 20% of construction workers are aged 55 and over. It's a very physically demanding field.
At the moment, we need to ask whether there is really a very clear strategy for ensuring that the immigrants we welcome have skills suited to our needs, particularly in construction.