Thank you for bringing that topic up. I think there are two things in relation to that question. The first one is a short-term engagement; the second one is a longer-term engagement on the part of the Government of Canada.
We know that the housing needs of Canadians, including lower-income and middle-income Canadians, are very high in many parts of our country. We have heard that strongly over the last year and the last months. We are conscious of that. We know that those needs require rapid reinvestment, and that's what we'll do. The overall number is about $2.3 billion over two years, which is a significant investment, and adds to the already substantial investment by CMHC. For a shorter-term engagement, we need the re-engagement of the federal government in assisting the housing needs of our citizens in a significant manner.
The longer-term agenda, as I said briefly in my remarks, is to engage in a national housing strategy so that over the longer-term—and we've been hearing that so much over the last few months—Canada, the Canadian government, can operate most effectively with the many other partners we have across our nation. That includes provinces and territories, and municipalities, and a large number of stakeholders and partners who are extremely interested in assisting the housing needs of our citizens.
There are two stages. I think that working together we can ensure that those two stages are the most effective and inclusive as possible.