It's on page 17 of the bill, specifically paragraph 4(1)(g) of the proposed act. It reads as follows:
(g) subject to any of subsections (2) to (6) that apply in the circumstances, the total amount of the rent referred to in paragraph (f) is at least 30% of the applicant's adjusted income for 2021.
The first part of the amendment is to delete proposed paragraph 4(1)(g), as I just explained. In that case, a number of changes to the calculation method would be nullified because the calculation would be eliminated. So that's what's in the rest of the amendment.
I hope that answers Ms. Goodridge's question.
So I'll go back to what I was saying. Housing is important. I would say that this is the part of the bill that I welcome the most because it helps people in an extremely difficult situation.
Once again, targeted support is being proposed. I know that a Liberal colleague asked the Minister of Health about the virtues of targeted support. There is an inflation crisis, and we need to help people in a targeted way. The Bloc Québécois has been proposing targeted measures for the past year. We applaud the attempt to target support to those households that are struggling the most and need it the most.
The amendment deals with how that support is targeted. For a person to qualify for this rent assistance cheque, they have to meet a number of criteria, one of which is income-related, obviously income adjusted for the provisions. In the case of a single person, they would have to have an annual income of less than $20,000, which isn't much; for a couple, it's less than $35,000. There is an additional criterion, which is the percentage of income spent on housing. In other words, in addition to having to have an annual income below a certain threshold, the criteria require that at least 30% of your income be spent on housing.
This criterion could have an unintended effect. Let's compare the situation of two people, for example. Let's say the first person earns $1 more in income than the second, but that income is just $1 more than the allowable threshold. This person would not qualify for the benefit. But the second person, whose annual income is just below the threshold, will be able to receive the benefit and will end up with more money in their pocket in the end. But we're talking about people who really don't have much income.
Again, in the application of this measure as well, people will be left out. I say that very candidly, because I have hope that we can help people by passing this amendment tonight. I still believe in it.
In Quebec, we have a number of programs that are quite unique in the federation. Quebec is the only province that has permanent social housing construction programs. That's why negotiations on the national housing strategy took a long time. It had to be adapted to accommodate those programs. That said, that's not what we're discussing today.
However, because of these permanent programs, there are more people in Quebec living in housing co-ops or low-income housing. In the case of housing co-ops, people pool their resources. By regulation, to help these families, the cost of rent is capped at 30% of income, and in the case of low-income housing, it's subsidized by the Quebec government. In this case, too, under the regulations, you can't pay more than 30% of your income in rent.
We're doing this in Quebec to help individuals and families who need it most. We agree that this measure wasn't put in place to help wealthy households. An annual income of $20,000 for a single person and $35,000 for a couple is not a lot of money. Quebec has invested in these kinds of programs over time. I think that permanent social housing construction programs are a good model to follow, because we have to increase the housing supply. But the bill has the effect of setting people aside. Because they're paying exactly 30% of their income in rent, or maybe a little less, they won't qualify for the benefit.
There are already enough criteria as it is without adding more. No one around this table would want to be in the situation of a single person earning less than $20,000 a year or a couple earning less than $35,000 a year. That's already a fairly stringent criterion, targeting those who need the benefit the most.
Removing proposed paragraph 4(1)(g), which requires that the person pay at least 30% of their income in rent, would allow for greater inclusion, justice and equality. Again, it would recognize that it's legitimate for a province or for Quebec to decide to invest in social housing.
Sometimes there are differences of opinion on how to proceed. Still, after listening to Minister Hussen at the previous meeting we had today, I understand that encouraging the construction of social housing, so that we don't leave 100% or too much of it in the hands of the market, is something that is part of the Liberal government's agenda and something that the NDP feels strongly about.
Additionally, when it comes to helping people through a housing assistance benefit, we have to be as inclusive as possible. That's the intent of the amendment. I trust that all of my colleagues will be open-minded enough to consider it very seriously.