Mr. Speaker, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation estimates that a household is living in core need when it is paying 30% or more of its income for housing, heating and hydro.
In Canada, it is estimated that over 800,000 households, including some 220,000 in Quebec, spend more than half of their income on housing, a situation that forces them to cut back on essentials such as food, clothing and medication.
Currently, affordable social housing units are scarce. There is little availability in residences for low-income seniors, while single parent families are the ones that are experiencing the most serious housing problems.
The Bloc Quebecois is asking the Prime Minister to show that social housing is a priority for him by immediately investing close to $2 billion annually. This is the amount that the federal government must pay to make up for its withdrawal, over the past 10 years, from that sector.