Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Reform Party, the NDP and the Bloc for supporting my private member's motion because this is a very important issue for co-op housing.
I wish I could say the same about the parliamentary secretary on the government side. It is typical that when we have a program that works well, the Liberals want to destroy it.
I heard what my colleague, the parliamentary secretary, said. I just do not agree. I believe there will be a devolution of social housing which will threaten co-ops. What we are saying is that there will be a loss of control.
I put forth five points.
The first one is that existing contracts are not protected under the new social housing agreements. Second, the provinces can unilaterally alter the operating agreements. Third, the co-op residents were not consulted on these agreements. Fourth, agreements do not protect the co-ops' autonomy. Fifth, co-ops can be lumped in with other social housing programs. A sixth point is that there will be a loss of financial security.
I will outline two points: federal contributions will dwindle as current funding expires and, two, new social housing agreements now require the provinces to replace funding.
A new independent, regionally based, non-profit co-operative housing agency will offer the federal government an affordable way to protect public investment in co-op housing and to ensure that public funds directed to co-op programs are spent as intended and properly accounted for.