Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to speak to such an important subject.
What was not mentioned in the budget was the end of long-term contracts and agreements. This will result in the gradual loss of social housing. People using these units do not necessarily have the means to afford housing at market prices.
They are therefore forced to live in mouldy homes with holes in the walls. In this environment, children have difficulty concentrating, especially when there is mould in schools as well.
We should therefore avoid phasing out the rent subsidies that currently exist, but there is absolutely nothing in the budget about this.
Also, rather than vote against the national housing strategy, they should have adopted it to make sure that we have enough rental units. Right now, there are not enough. That is one of the reasons why people are forced to find housing that is not healthy for their families. They do not have a choice because there are not enough units on the market that match their needs and their budget.
There are so many things the government could have done about housing in the budget, but unfortunately, it did nothing.