Evidence of meeting #131 for Status of Women in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was living.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Jackie Holden  Senior Director, Seniors Policy, Partnerships and Engagement Division, Income Security and Social Development Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Charles MacArthur  Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Romy Bowers  Chief Commercial Officer, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Irene Mathyssen  London—Fanshawe, NDP
Karen Hall  Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Sonia Sidhu  Brampton South, Lib.
Catherine Scott  Director General, Community Development and Homelessness Partnerships Directorate, Income Security and Social Development Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Phil McColeman  Brantford—Brant, CPC
Danielle Bélanger  Director, Strategic Policy, Policy and External Relations Branch, Department for Women and Gender Equality
Anne Milan  Chief, Labour Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
Anna Romano  Director General, Centre for Health Promotion, Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
Salma Zahid  Scarborough Centre, Lib.
Franca Gatto  Director, Aging, Seniors and Dementia Division, Centre for Health Promotion, Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
Sébastien Larochelle-Côté  Editor-in-chief, Insights on Canadian Society, Statistics Canada
Bob Bratina  Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, Lib.

9:05 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio

Thank you so much.

We'll now move on to Rachael Harder for her seven minutes.

9:05 a.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Thank you.

Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us today.

My first set of questions are with regard to the national housing strategy that was just recently implemented. This is a 10-year program, or at least a 10-year rollout.

Mr. MacArthur, I'm wondering if you can comment on this. With a 10-year rollout on this program, when can we expect money to be rolling out the door and invested to make a difference in people's lives? What is that rollout going to look like?

9:05 a.m.

Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Charles MacArthur

I'll step back. In my opening remarks, I talked about budget 2016, and that was a several-billion-dollar investment that started money toward the most urgent and pressing matters. I talked about there being some 6,200 units; $200 million specifically for seniors was in there. We doubled the investments in affordable housing. There was $490 million for the renovation of existing social housing. That went for two years, until the end of March.

We began rolling out the national housing strategy. The first piece to roll out is the federal community housing initiative for those who were about to lose their ongoing subsidy in federal housing. They are able to maintain that, should they choose to continue. That's over two years, while we're designing a new, modern agreement for them; we'll make sure that 55,000 units are there. That started on April 1. On May 2, we opened the door for the national housing co-investment fund.

9:10 a.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Are you saying this already started in 2018?

9:10 a.m.

Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Charles MacArthur

Yes, the federal community housing initiative, which is part of the national housing strategy, was announced in the most recent budget. I went from 2016, the front-end stuff, and now I'm in the federal community housing initiative, which started April 1, 2018, so the first year of that. I'll get the numbers, but over two years it will maintain 55,000 units with subsidies. The national housing co-investment fund started on May 2; the doors opened, and we've received some 200 applications. We will commit all the appropriation funding by the end of March. We're confident of that. I don't want to get ahead of announcements. It's rolling out now.

Four bilateral agreements have been announced with the provinces and territories, and we're confident we'll sign some more before the end of the fiscal year. That will coincide with the ending of the investment in affordable housing; the new partnership money will continue to flow.

We've started the investments. The innovation funding continues to flow, so money is flowing and it will flow over another nine years.

9:10 a.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

How do you ensure that the money goes to the most vulnerable within the Canadian population?

9:10 a.m.

Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Charles MacArthur

The way we've set up our application process, women and children are a priority. All things being equal, we will err on the side of going to a shelter. Our folks are out there on the ground, working with groups to try to bring in the projects. It's absolutely targeted at the most vulnerable folks.

9:10 a.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Are women with children considered more vulnerable than single female seniors?

9:10 a.m.

Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

9:10 a.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Can you help me understand what that scale would look like?

9:10 a.m.

Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Charles MacArthur

I'd have to get the detailed scale for you, but there's a prioritization. Vulnerable groups would include seniors, women and girls, and indigenous populations. They are considered vulnerable groups. Two projects being equal, we would err on the side of going with the more vulnerable, and we're out there trying to develop projects with the groups.

9:10 a.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

There's a program in place that helps women over the age of 65 who live on a reserve to be able to make changes to their home so it better accommodates them as they grow older, including things like handrails, etc. This exists for indigenous women who are on reserve, but what about indigenous women who are not on reserve, and what about non-indigenous people who would also like to live in their home after the age of 65 and might benefit from that type of funding to be able to make those adaptations to their home? Is anything available for them?

9:10 a.m.

Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Charles MacArthur

A number of years ago, through the partnerships with the provinces and territories, the renovation funding that CMHC had administered in the past was transferred to the provinces and territories. Provinces and territories may have—and, in many cases, do have—those adaptations.

In the national housing strategy, there's a requirement for us to improve accessibility by up to 20%. We look at projects—and it could be a portfolio, if somebody comes in with multiple buildings—to improve the accessibility to a minimum level of 20%.

9:15 a.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Sorry, what does that mean, to improve accessibility by up to 20%?

9:15 a.m.

Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Charles MacArthur

It means that 20% of the housing that's available is accessible, according to the Canadian standard.

9:15 a.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Sorry, they're accessible according to the Canadian standard...?

9:15 a.m.

Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Charles MacArthur

Yes. We have a standard.

9:15 a.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Do you mean built according to code?

9:15 a.m.

Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

9:15 a.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

For whom are they accessible, or in what way—

9:15 a.m.

Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Charles MacArthur

There are—

9:15 a.m.

Conservative

Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB

—according to what standard?

9:15 a.m.

Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Charles MacArthur

I'll get the exact standard and provide it. There is a standard.

In my speaking notes, I talked about universal design. Universal design is built so that, as the population ages, it's really easy to make those adaptations. That's a way of ensuring that it's there, but also, in our standard, if you're above 20%, we would favour that as well. We're targeting 20%.

9:15 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio

Excellent. Thank you very much.

We'll now move over to Irene Mathyssen.

Irene, you have seven minutes.

9:15 a.m.

Irene Mathyssen London—Fanshawe, NDP

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much for being here. I appreciate all of the expertise and what you do on a daily basis. I think that CMHC is a very important resource in terms of addressing housing needs. Over the years, I have come to know how significant its role is.

I have some questions with regard to the brief. On page 2, you talk about Porters Lake, Nova Scotia, and the investment in 13 new affordable housing units as an example. How does that match the need? In London, Ontario, we have an eight-year wait-list for accessible, affordable housing. The people who are waiting are among the most vulnerable. This example is encouraging, but how does it reflect what the need really is out there?