Mr. Speaker, I challenge the interpretation here that royal assent is required in the matter before us. It involves no additional funds. We are talking about the allocation of existing funds of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. This transfer to the provinces is for exactly the same purposes—for the same activities—as those of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. In fact, it is as if existing funds were delegated—and so, no additional funding. As regards the funds in the CMHC reserve, according to Marleau and Montpetit, at page 655 of House of Commons Procedure and Practice ,
An amendment is therefore inadmissible if it imposes a charge on the public treasury.
The matter before us does not involve a charge on the public treasury, but rather existing CMHC funds distributed among the provinces for purposes identical to those of CMHC.
The Corporation has agreements of this type with the provinces with regard to affordable housing and uses similar agreements. So no new funding for new activities is involved, because the activities were planned by CMHC. All we are saying is that, under C-363, the additional funds would be used by the provinces, thus distributed among them. They would be distributed on the basis of population for CMHC purposes. All that has changed is the agent. There are no additional funds. The type of activity is the same. The money simply goes to the provinces and territories, which carry out the activities of CMHC as if they were delegated.
Let us go back to page 655 of Marleau and Montpetit's House of Commons Procedure and Practice . I have no doubt, Mr. Speaker, that you will reach the same conclusions. CMHC has generated huge surpluses. They would be used by the provinces for social housing, in order to make housing more accessible to all Quebeckers and Canadians. A royal recommendation is not needed at this point—no supplementary votes, no treasury money and no new activities.