The Conservatives want you to believe that they will be the saviour of the housing crisis. Let's be clear. When the Conservatives were elected in 2006 and under the Liberals until 2021, Canada lost over 1,030,000 units of housing that were rented at $750 a month. That was under both the Liberals and the Conservatives. That's part of the housing crisis we're faced with today. Both of them created this problem.
To Ms. Bowers' answer, she should know that the housing benefit change came from the department. It told applicants that if their rent was paid directly by the government, it would not pay the housing benefit. That's why the most vulnerable people did not get the support they needed. That was a unilateral change by the Liberals.
On the GST, my question to the minister is this: Why is the GST exemption not being applied for co-ops? Would the minister support the NDP's suggestion to amend the bill so that housing co-ops could access the GST exemption? In addition, will the government also allow for existing social housing projects to qualify for the exemption?