Evidence of meeting #3 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A video is available from Parliament.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
We'll certainly find a way to help them through existing programs.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Okay, when you say “existing programs”, that is to say the existing programs will provide for rental assistance for those who would not be able to get their operating agreements renewed.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
It would be irresponsible to be that specific. What we will do is work with them, as we already do, to make sure that through various funding sources—ourselves, the provinces and territories—people are not displaced, which I think is our shared objective.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Yes, and that funding from municipalities and stuff that has been cobbled together is coming to an end. That's the reality. I am receiving a lot of letters from co-op members who are freaked out about this situation because their low-income members are in fact going to be displaced. I'd be happy to continue this conversation with you, Mr. Siddall.
In the throne speech, there was a commitment that now chronic homelessness would be reduced altogether. If human rights are going to be respected in terms of housing needs, when does the minister expect this to be achieved? Is there a timeline and a target?
Liberal
Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON
It's a combination of things, as you know, Ms. Kwan. It is using the national housing strategy, using the rapid housing initiative and Reaching Home, working with our partners, and making sure that we encourage more private sector investments.
There's no one solution. We have to do everything and—
Liberal
Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON
—other levels of government have to step up, but we are doing what we can.
Remember, our target used to be a 50% reduction in chronic homelessness. We're going for 100%, because we've made so much progress.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Thank you, Minister, and thank you, Ms. Kwan.
Next we have Mr. Vis, please, for five minutes.
Conservative
Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC
I'm going to pass my time to MP Schmale. I wasn't aware I was having another round.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
We'll have a full two hours. We're going to do two more...your five minutes and then the final five minutes, and then we will adjourn. We were able to extend a little bit, thanks to the accommodation of the good professionals here at the House.
Go ahead, Mr. Schmale, for five minutes.
Conservative
Jamie Schmale Conservative Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON
Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Mr. Vis, for transferring over your time.
I'm going to Mr. Siddall.
I want to talk about access to information requests. A number of my colleagues have submitted a number of requests and I believe it has quite frustrated your organization. Can you tell us why you shouldn't be willing to provide that information to MPs who have put in requests?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Through the chair, I'll respond that we've responded in time to all requests by MPs and, to my knowledge, to all requests from other people.
Conservative
Jamie Schmale Conservative Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON
From what I hear, you have indicated very curtly, if you will, that you have an issue with MPs submitting requests, especially when there are so many coming at you requesting certain information.
Do you know how many ATIPs you have outstanding at this moment, by any chance?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
I actually don't have that information on hand, but I'm happy to provide it to you.
Conservative
Jamie Schmale Conservative Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON
Yes, that would be quite handy. Thank you very much for that.
I'll quickly pivot to the minister and to what he said about child care.
Minister, when you're talking about your child care program, minus what the plan is for indigenous communities, are you going to allow choice and the most options available for parents, or will this be a one-size-fits-all government program?
Liberal
Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON
It will not be a one-size-fits-all government program, simply because we're not even there yet. We have to talk to provinces and territories. We have to talk to stakeholders. We have to talk to experts and get the evidence. We have to talk to our international partners, talk to the Province of Quebec, learn about how they did it and what were some of the initial challenges they faced and some of the successes they encountered right away after making these investments.
What you heard in the Speech from the Throne was a statement of intent, an ambition. Now we're going to get the work done.
Conservative
Jamie Schmale Conservative Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON
If I understand correctly, based on your answer, I'm a bit.... We've seen this since 1993. We've seen it in every election going forward.
Of course, when you lost in 2006, the previous Conservative government brought in its own child care, which allowed parents to have $100 per child under the age of six given to them. You've enhanced the program, to your credit. For the parents who need child care now.... If you had a child born in 1993 or somewhere around there, that child would be way past the option for day care by the time the government actually got around to it.
I do agree that you will have to put a plan in place, but for the parents who need help now, wouldn't it be better to avoid yet another government program—or a plan to make a plan to maybe have a government program? Wouldn't it be better to just continue giving more money to parents?
Liberal
Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON
To my honourable colleague, I don't want to go down the road of history, because I think neither of us was in elected office at the time.
However, if you're going to go down there, it's also important to put it into proper context. The Liberal government at the time was trying to put in an affordable national program, and it was the Conservatives who were joined by the NDP and they killed that.
Conservative
Jamie Schmale Conservative Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON
Yes, but look at how long that took. That took over a decade.
Are you going to go down this path again for another decade?
Conservative
Jamie Schmale Conservative Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON
It would be a lot quicker, to your credit, to your government's credit, to continue with allowing parents to have more money in their pocket and the maximum number of choices—basically enhancing our freedoms, not controlling our behaviour through another government program or the tax code.
Liberal
Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON
I don't think it's about controlling behaviour; I think it's a philosophical difference that we have. You believe in giving money and then washing your hands of it. We believe in maintaining quality. It's not just about access or—