Human Resources Committee on April 23rd, 2026

[Lindsay Boldt]

In the direct-build model of the six sites that are out there, that is the approach they have taken with those six.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

None of the units being built are for people to own. This is all for rent. Is that correct?

[Lindsay Boldt]

Build Canada Homes is open to proposals. It's not rental-only, but that would depend on the proposals that come forward.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Is it structured in such a way that those projects that are for rental, whether they are at market or below market, are the ones prioritized to receive the funding?

[Lindsay Boldt]

They would expect to see, if someone comes in with a proposal.... Again, if you have a non-market community housing provider coming in, they would have structured the rents of the units they are looking to be supporting and operating in such a way that they would likely need to have a certain percentage that are market rate in order to offset the depth of affordability they can achieve on those other units.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

From talking to a lot of young people across my riding and across Alberta, I know that their dream is still to own a home, an apartment, a condo or a townhouse. They don't want to be in a state of perpetual renting. It sounds as though the plan is to make it so that all of these homes being built will put them in a state of perpetual renting. The affordable space is only going to be for people who aren't able to own. Is that correct?

[Lindsay Boldt]

This is a space where you have the different complementary federal tools that would be leaning in on trying to support. You have homeowners who are looking to enter the market. We want to make sure that we're leaning in on other federal tools that may help those homeowners afford a home and enter into the market in that way as well.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

You've clarified it a little. I really appreciate how passionate and knowledgeable you are on this subject. It's been very useful.

Oftentimes, when we're studying a bill, we get the legalese of the documentation and then we get a briefing, as we're going through clause-by-clause, that gives us the answers that, had we had this before we had entered into the study of witnesses, we would have had a better opportunity to put forward amendments and understand exactly where the different pieces are.

It really would have been nice to have heard some of this before we were at this stage, because you're clearly very knowledgeable and very passionate about what you're doing. I want to thank you and commend you for that.

I'm a bit frustrated that the process happened the way it did. We're in a space in which we have a limited option to create amendments at this point, even though you're now bringing up some really important things that might have warranted amendments, had we had the time to do it beforehand.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you.

We have resources to go beyond 10:15, so I'll continue, unless there's dissent on that.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

When do we have resources until?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

We have until 10:45.

Ms. Larouche, you have the floor.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Chair, at this point, based on what I've heard, I'd like to hear Ms. Boldt's comments on the fact that housing falls under Quebec's jurisdiction.

Ms. Boldt, the information we're getting is that, once the bill is passed, there will be an online application portal, so there will be a single place to submit applications. We're also hearing that Quebec would have the final say on these projects.

I'm trying to understand how the bill will work in practice and how you see that. We've been talking for some time now about the creation of this new agency, approval from the Minister of Finance and the Build Canada Homes process.

Given that, in Quebec, the province will have the final say on projects, how do you see that working? This remains under Quebec's jurisdiction, and the province is best placed to understand its needs. That's why we're saying this. Under the circumstances, how do you see the portal working, given that Quebec will have the final say?

[Lindsay Boldt]

Thank you for the question. I will turn the floor over to my colleague Mr. Langelier.

[Jean-Sébastien Langelier, Executive Director, Strategic Policy and Integration Sector, Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities]

Thank you for the question.

There's nothing in the bill that spells out exactly how the portal will work. We know that there is currently a memorandum of understanding with the Quebec government. The bill gives Build Canada Homes the flexibility it needs to enter into partnership agreements with the provinces and to recognize the specific nature of affordable housing investments in Quebec.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

So I understand that the bill doesn't specify how the portal will work.

However, if there's a specific element of the bill that you'd point to regarding that flexibility, something that confirms that Quebec will have the final say, what would it be? Can you point to one part of the bill that actually shows that flexibility?

[Jean-Sébastien Langelier]

The bill authorizes Build Canada Homes to enter into agreements with the provinces. There are provisions that focus specifically on that. In addition, we already have examples of collaboration involving Build Canada Homes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

We've had a very good discussion on the various clauses. There are no amendments proposed for clauses 2 to 33. Is there unanimous consent to group them for the vote?

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Chair, I think our shadow minister is going to be returning imminently, so I wonder if, out of respect, we could not make that decision until we have some clarity on that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

The shadow has appeared.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

If you give us a two-minute suspension, he can confirm what his....

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

We'll suspend for a few minutes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Committee members, we are back in session. I believe Mr. Reynolds has questions.

Mr. Reynolds, you have the floor.

[Colin Reynolds, Conservative, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, witnesses, for coming today.

You had mentioned that there's a developer piece in this. I'm curious about what that looks like. I know when governments build things, having been in construction myself for many years, cost overruns can get out of control. Private developers always have a budget and a financial backstop, but government organizations tend not to have those backstops.

Could you explain the developer piece? Does it mean the government is going to take on a project, hire subtrades and manage the project? What does that look like?

[Lindsay Boldt]

To clarify the three functions of Build Canada Homes, there's the financing aspect; there's the developer function, thinking about building on and pulling in public lands; and then there's bringing forward modern methods of construction and trying to drive towards that more innovative and productive homebuilding industry.

That second element, the developer, in my mind, is a spectrum. There is a way with these direct-build sites that Build Canada Homes is leaning into that aspect you described, in which it's the federal government managing the development and managing the partnerships that will take place on that federal land. There is more of a light-touch aspect to that, and it may come to opportunities to bring forward partnerships on federal land. There may be opportunities in which bringing in the federal land is the key to unlocking affordable development for some proponents.

Then, there are the elements—recognizing the question that came up previously in this committee—around rural communities, for example, and we can think about their capacity to lean into affordable housing development.

Build Canada Homes has that expertise to offer advice if a community is trying to determine if one of its parcels of land is appropriate for housing, and it is leaning into trying to provide some of that advice to help its partners figure out how they may develop affordable housing on public land.

[Colin Reynolds, Conservative, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Does this mean it's going to take on the role of a general contractor? I don't exactly understand how that works.