Thank you, Madam Chair. We have dealt with the technical relevance of the amendment. So I would like to debate the substance now.
Following on from Ms. Falco's comment, I would like us to remember that the housing question is a major one in the overall context of poverty. That being the case, I can only congratulate Ms. Davies for her initiative in bringing this bill forward.
In social housing, Quebec has a distinct strategy for combatting poverty enshrined in its legislation. When the Government of Quebec set up its initial strategy on social housing, the federal government completely withdrew from the funding. That was in the period from 1991 to 2001. So a concern for Quebec is to protect that strategy while recognizing, of course, that there can be a national, Canada-wide strategy. That too is because of the will of the provinces. Each time Canada wants to set up a strategy on any matter at all, the provinces all want to back that strategy, while Quebec has developed one on its own. That has enabled it to set up social programs that are often used for comparison, as a model, for other provinces.
That is why we debate this tooth and nail each time. We want to arrange for Quebec to be able to keep this distinctness. We recognize and accept—as we have just done with the vote we have just held—that the federal government can set up a national strategy. But that must not become an obstacle for Quebec.