Human Resources Committee on March 26th, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Give a short answer.

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

As all members around this table will know, there is legislation on notice right now, and we cannot speak to legislation that's on notice. I expect to hear more and be able to speak more to this later today when the legislation is tabled with respect to that opportunity.

As I said months ago on that broadcast, we have to make sure we are being very strategic and careful with taxpayer dollars when we make these investments so we have maximum impact on improving affordability and making sure Canadians can access good housing.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Mr. Aitchison.

Ms. Desrochers, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister, thank you very much for being here at the committee meeting this morning. I would also like to thank the officials who are joining you.

It's really a privilege to work on housing challenges, because these are challenges that affect Canadians every day. I'm going to continue on the topic that my colleague Mr. Aitchison talked about, which is the importance of the private sector.

I know that in the last few months on this file, there's been a lot of interest from the private sector, which is typically engaging on market housing to see how it can come to the table, how it can contribute to the issue and how it can build mixed projects.

I'm wondering if you could talk about some of that engagement with the private sector and how it really wants to be part of the solution. It's not a black and white 85% or 4%, so why are we just focusing on 4%?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Thank you for your question.

We've had extraordinary interest from the private sector in the start-up phase of Build Canada Homes. We have great numbers already committed, with over 10,000 homes in the works right now. The private sector plays a critical role, as said earlier, and it's essential in the building piece in particular. We need to make sure that private sector actors are right in the centre of these partnerships where they can build fast and effectively.

The market is slower, particularly in Ontario and B.C., and there are real opportunities to build more affordable housing in those markets. When we can bring some support alongside provinces, territories and cities, we have an opportunity to make this collaboration very successful. It delivers a combination of housing, from middle-market rental to deeper affordability depending on the financials of the project.

We're seeing lots of very creative proposals come forward. We're also seeing a real willingness on the private sector side with manufacturing components. For Build Canada Homes, we're driving the pace of modern methods of construction and making sure we're using Canadian materials as much as possible, but innovation and building technologies are needed to make this industry more productive, more efficient and more innovative and to be able to build more affordably. We're seeing lots of uptake on that front too.

There are very interesting collaborations by private sector developers with community builders and with manufacturers in building technologies that will ultimately bring down the cost of building as we go forward.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Thank you, Minister.

I'd like us to briefly talk about working with municipalities and provinces. Some interesting agreements have been announced in recent weeks and months.

I'd like you to talk about how the conversation between municipalities and provinces is evolving. How are they conducting themselves to find solutions to zoning issues or delays in issuing permits?

How can the programs we're putting forward, particularly the build communities strong fund, serve as incentives for municipalities and provinces to make us commitments and come to the negotiation table with concrete commitments to reduce barriers to construction?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Thank you for your question.

Some amazing partnerships have already been announced in the first phase of Build Canada Homes' work with provinces, territories and cities, including the one we're in here, Ottawa. This was the first city to come forward with a comprehensive approach to accelerating approvals and permitting and increasing density so we can build more homes on strategic sites that are adjacent to public transit here in Ottawa.

We have a memorandum of understanding with the City of Ottawa that says they will accelerate projects. With their co-operation and collaboration, we will see a significant number of homes built in Ottawa. Some of those are on federal lands, so we can move faster and go deeper in terms of affordability, given that we have the benefit of public lands to work with.

We're seeing collaborations. Last week, I was with the premier in New Brunswick to announce a partnership with the Province of New Brunswick for 1,200 affordable homes that will be built right across New Brunswick. The province will work with cities and communities in New Brunswick to make sure they're expediting their work to get homes built. That's the kind of partnership we're seeing now from coast to coast to coast.

In B.C., we have 1,100 homes in the first phase of work, and 700 of those are supportive and transitional for people who are challenged with homelessness. In Nunavut, in the north, there are 750 homes with the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik corporation, which is an affordable housing agency.

Those are really significant first steps. I anticipate a multiple of those with those provinces and cities and the many other provinces, territories and cities coming to the table.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

That's super. Thank you.

I would love to hear you talk about rural communities and how we have to build in rural communities as well. I know we don't have time, but maybe when we come back, we can talk about this.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Ms. Desrochers.

Ms. Larouche, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister, you have created this new federal structure that cost billions of dollars. How many social housing units will actually be built in Quebec over the coming years?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

We do have an agreement with Quebec to collaborate together on Build Canada Homes, which is very exciting. There's a real willingness to partner together to build projects that Quebec brings forward to a collaboration table.

We also have $1 billion dedicated to housing-enabling infrastructure with Quebec so that we can contribute on the water and waste-water infrastructure that unlocks housing development, while Quebec will bring forward housing projects across the province that we will cofund. Both federal and Quebec dollars will be invested, with a focus on deeper affordability in that initial phase.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

The issue of housing is very much a priority for the municipalities in the riding of Shefford. I'd actually like to recognize the city of Granby, which has been a champion for housing creation.

That's why I'm asking questions about how it will work afterward, specifically in Quebec. Why did you create this new structure instead of directly funding programs that already exist and work in Quebec?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

It's a very good question.

The new structure is all about speed—being able to fund projects faster—with more collaboration with different private sector and community builders, and making sure that we're working both with communities and with the provinces and territories collaboratively.

We're seeing very strong signs of that right now with Quebec in the agreement that we've reached. There's definitely a strong signal around building in communities of all shapes and sizes. In rural communities in Quebec, we anticipate seeing, just as in New Brunswick.... In New Brunswick, over 30% of the initial 1,200 units will be in rural communities. We want to make sure we're getting the housing where it's needed to communities of all sizes.

The new model is more nimble. It is very focused on delivering affordability, so this is not just straight-up market housing. CMHC continues to have programs for market housing, the apartment construction loan program and MLI select being their two centrepiece programs that really catalyze more rental and market housing.

This is focused on delivering affordable housing. That's at the core of our work. The way we do that is by being more nimble with proposals. Rather than a prescription, we're giving flexibility to Quebec, to communities that bring projects forward and to private sector and community builders that come forward with different projects that the Build Canada Homes team can review, vet and act on much faster than a federal government has typically moved before.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

You're giving Build Canada Homes the power to invest, lend and even build. Does that mean that the federal government is going to directly interfere in Quebec's jurisdiction over housing? I understand that you want something flexible, that there's a desire for flexibility, but what guarantees are there that Quebec will receive its fair share, without any conditions imposed by Ottawa?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

We have had a very strong start in working with Quebec on the initial agreement. I was very thankful to deliver an agreement alongside Minister Proulx. In other cases, it can take longer to come to that sort of agreement. The combination of both housing and the infrastructure to build housing—the water, waste-water and stormwater infrastructure, which is essential—is a really positive development, and we had both of those running together in order to catalyze the housing that will get built.

In steady contact with the ministers, I have no doubt that Quebec will bring lots of opportunities to that collaboration table. That's the new approach we're taking of bringing together both parties, sitting down and working through the best projects and how fast we can process those and get them built.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Minister, beyond housing, you also have responsibilities regarding homelessness. However, we feel that the federal government is withdrawing from the issue of homelessness. Some cities are asking to be recognized as designated communities so that they can receive direct funding. That's the case in Granby, which, because it isn't designated, receives only 20% of funds, whereas the need on the ground would justify much greater funding, comparable to what the designated communities receive, namely up to 80%.

What do you have to say to the city of Granby, which has these homelessness problems and would like to intervene?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

That's a very important question.

The homelessness initiative doing most of the work from the federal government side is Reaching Home, which has been a very large initiative over many years now. Nearly 112,000 Canadians have found stable housing through the Reaching Home process. Prevention services have been provided to over 200,000. Build Canada Homes has $1 billion available for supportive and transitional housing in this first phase.

We will certainly work with Quebec, and I thank you for flagging the needs in Granby. That's something we can keep in mind to make sure we are reaching people where they are to provide those services and supports.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Minister and Ms. Larouche.

Mrs. Falk, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Thank you very much, Chair.

Thank you, Minister, for taking the time to be here at our committee.

We know that Canadians are facing a housing crisis. Something that has been said in the House, not just in this Parliament but also in previous Parliaments, is that a major driver of high costs is slow construction due to government itself. This is through red tape. This is through taxes. This is slow approvals. Builders have constantly told our committee—again, not just this Parliament but also the Parliament previous—that less government involvement, not more, is what would allow them to build homes faster and more affordably.

A few minutes ago, you commented to my colleague that government needs to be careful with taxpayer dollars, that it's something the government should be cognizant of. My question for you is, why couldn't two other Crown corporations, CMHC and Canada Lands, receive these funds to do the work, as opposed to creating a whole new bureaucracy and a whole new Crown corporation?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

I'd say the Build Canada Homes launch is all about streamlining the federal government's engagement with affordable housing.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Could those departments not streamline and be nimble?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

As I mentioned in my initial comments, the Canada Lands Company folds into Build Canada Homes as part of this work, so Build Canada Homes—

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Isn't that the problem, though? Isn't it part of the problem with bureaucracy that we're just creating different levels of red tape and different streams and regulations instead of mandating what's already been created?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

In this case, we need a government agency to manage the federal government's investment in affordable housing. There needs to be a team focused on that. Canada has spread that over a number of agencies. Build Canada Homes is about streamlining and consolidating, having a one-stop shop for affordable housing in the Government of Canada, which has not existed.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

I just don't understand why we're creating a whole new hierarchy of rules and red tape to do that, when we could be doing that through departments that are already created.

Thank you, Minister.

Chair, I'm going to pass the remainder of my time to MP Reynolds.