Mr. Speaker, I believe that having $500 million is a good initiative but I am concerned as well.
We have seen this government increase the number of initiatives, of structures and, ultimately, the amounts that should be used to provide services to people were spent on buildings and public servants.
Five hundred million dollars, that is good news, but it is not enough. Most witnesses appearing before the Standing Committee on Finance asked that 1% of the Canadian GDP be invested in social housing and that homelessness be considered part of a wider issue called social housing.
Since 1990, I was able to see, by looking at the numbers my distinguished colleague gave us, that the number of households that were putting more than 50% of their income into housing—these households are virtually living in poverty—has increased by 41%. The needs are great. The amount needed is $1.3 billion.
I am also concerned to see that the prerogatives and jurisdictions of the Quebec government are respected. Through the Société d'hypothèques du Québec, the Quebec government would be able to administer a real program that would help the homeless and people who are in need of social housing. We will work hard to have these amounts increased and to ensure they can be used effectively to get people off the street, to help and support them during the transition.