Human Resources Committee on Dec. 8th, 2020

[Catherine Adam]

With all due respect to the honourable member, I don't believe that's an accurate characterization of what I've said. We work closely with provinces and territories through a number of tables, but particularly through the multilateral framework and there are agreements in place with each of the jurisdictions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Thank you, Mr. Vis and Ms. Adam.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

For the record, Minister Hussen's comments were inappropriate.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Mr. Vaughan, you have five minutes.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

Thank you very much.

I'll go back to Ms. Adam.

B.C. had the option to opt out and not receive federal funding if they wanted to run the system themselves. Is that not true?

[Catherine Adam]

Yes, absolutely. The money is transferred to provinces and territories based on an agreement that they co-sign and codevelop with us.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

In terms of choice, it's much like driving. If you have back roads, you can choose to use back roads. But if you want to drive on a highway and there isn't a system of highways to choose, you don't have a choice, really; you simply have an option to think about a choice. Building a system provides the choice. It's not the right to have a choice. You need the system to choose and to engage in. That's why there's a choice involved in all of the accords. In fact, all of the accords accommodate informal care as well as other forms of child care beyond government-run or government-sponsored child care. Is that not true?

[Catherine Adam]

The agreements in place allow provinces and territories absolutely to meet the needs and priorities in their jurisdictions, using federal funds, within the context of the multilateral framework they are all signatories to and agreed to and co-developed with the federal government.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

In terms of Service Canada, the mobile units in Quebec have not been restaged due to public health orders. As part of the assessment on not opening the mobile sites while we've reopened all of the permanent sites, the choice on the mobile sites is about spreading COVID as much as it is about protecting the workforce and about the public health needs of those mobile units. They are hard to create as safe environments from disease in a pandemic like COVID. That's why they haven't opened.

Is that correct in terms of Service Canada?

[Lori MacDonald]

A number of factors go into not opening up those centres, and those are many of those factors. As well, we do have an alternative service model in place. One is email and one is telephone as well to reach those people who are either not literate with electronic forms or don't have access to them.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

Thank you.

In terms of CMHC, the question was about when new investments will come, recognizing that the billion-dollar investment in rapid housing is the first instalment and is part of our commitment, enunciated in the throne speech, to end chronic homelessness. There are second and third instalments already under development as we move towards the budget.

[Romy Bowers]

Yes, that's correct.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

We don't know the date of the budget or the amount in the budget, because that's a decision for the finance department. The minister wouldn't have the date of the budget or the exact amount that will land in the budget, because that's not a decision he makes. That's a decision the government makes through cabinet, through finance. Is that right?

[Romy Bowers]

That's correct. These are all government decisions, absolutely.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

Our commitments to end chronic homelessness, to bolster the co-investment fund with new capital dollars and the other commitment for an urban, rural and northern housing strategy, all of which were contained in the throne speech, are contained in the throne speech so that we can deliver them in the budget that is expected early in the new year.

[Romy Bowers]

That's correct. We're committed to supporting government and delivering the promises in the fall economic statement.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

It's safe to say that more help is on the way—in particular, help for people living in the most precarious and vulnerable settings and, in particular, people who are indigenous in urban settings who are homeless.

[Romy Bowers]

Yes. CMHC is focused on serving the most vulnerable in our society.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

All three of those programs, in fact, serve indigenous urban people in urban settings who are homeless or precariously housed: the urban, rural and northern strategy, the rapid housing strategy and the co-investment fund. Indigenous community and housing providers can apply to all three of those in order to meet the needs of their communities.

[Romy Bowers]

Yes. We strive to serve our clients by offering them the whole suite of programs that we have under our jurisdiction.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

In terms of the mobile housing component of the rapid housing initiative, while the units themselves are built nearby and not often transported far distances because of the fragility, the reality is that they're assembled on site by local employment. They do generate local employment because they're assembled on site, even though they may be manufactured at a regional—

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

On a point of order, nothing's been assembled on site.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

That's not a point of order.

Go ahead.

[Adam Vaughan, Liberal, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

For example, the two projects under way in Toronto right now were built outside of Toronto and trucked to Toronto. They are being assembled in Toronto by local labour. Is that not true?

[Romy Bowers]

That's correct.