Thank you, Dan, for your hard work and interest in the topic.
Again, we—and “we” is inclusive of everyone around this table, I'm sure—understand how important housing is as a cornerstone in the lives of families, as well as a pillar in the lives of sustainable, inclusive communities. That's why the disengagement of the federal government over the last 20 years.... It's not been a matter of one government but of several governments. In the last 20 years, the federal government has been neglecting its responsibility when it comes to providing the quality and affordable housing that our more vulnerable Canadians need and deserve.
We are changing this, because we believe that we can't go on ignoring the housing needs of our families and communities. We are also mindful of the fact that this re-engagement of federal leadership needs to be sustained over the long term. Our partners want a long-term vision and a long-term commitment. That is why the 11-year agenda is such an appreciated and valued engagement on the part of the government.
In working with partners—other governments and the private and social sector.... I insist on the social sector because they are there and want to support us in leveraging their human and financial resources. That is why by partnering with them we'll be able to make a huge difference in the lives of so many Canadians over the next 11 years.
Just to give you an example, we project that about half of Canadians currently renting a home will be taken out of the conditions in which they live now, which are conditions of inadequate or unaffordable housing. It's the same thing for homelessness. This will have a big impact on the number of chronically or episodically homeless Canadians. With the amount of investment we'll be making over the next 11 years, we predict that about 50,000 Canadians will either be prevented from entering into homelessness or be lifted out of homelessness in each of the next 11 years. That's a very significant impact on the lives of the most desperate Canadians of all. To live without a home is almost certainly the worst living condition in which a Canadian can find himself or herself. That is going to be tremendous for these Canadians and for our society as a whole.