Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Mason, this is all very interesting. You just said that without the National Housing Strategy, it would take 10 years. But it looks like it takes 10 years to have housing that meets affordability criteria. The issue of construction is being debated everywhere, but it is not being built unless there is demand. How can we speed up the process to get more affordable housing?
That is my concern. We are halfway through the strategy. I understand that every three years you reflect on the situation. From a strategic point of view, you ask what is going well, what is not going well and what could be improved so that things change?
Here is one program, for example. A decision was made to move forward with a third phase of the Rapid Housing Initiative. In general, this program has received good feedback from everyone for its agility and responsiveness.
In British Columbia, there are some interesting initiatives. I do not know if they all work. For example, a system has been put in place to allow non-profit organizations to purchase housing so that affordability is maintained, on a sustainable basis.
So there are many programs, some of which are more burdensome. New money has been added. Midway through the strategy, what recommendations would you make to at least give the impression, based on the numbers, that it is making a real difference to people looking for housing?