Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to discuss the answer and to revisit the question I asked in November, when I asked the government about media reports of a new building code. I pointed out then that under the current government, the dream of home ownership had become increasingly out of reach for many Canadians, particularly young Canadians. This is a function of many things, which include rising prices and the restrictions on access to credit that have taken place under the government's watch, but this new building code would become a further barrier to home ownership, as it is something that would have the potential to drive up costs.
The answer I received that day was unsatisfactory, like many other answers members of the government and the parliamentary secretaries give, when they congratulate themselves and pat themselves on the back. It talked about the low carbon economy fund and the benefits of efficient buildings, which is all well and good.
However, the main problem with this new code, as was reported then, is the business of the requirement for compliance at life-cycle events for a building. Many consumers who heard about this at the time were concerned. I know that my colleague, the member for Banff—Airdrie, has also raised questions about this. The concern is about the marketability of a property and the requirement reported at that time that a homeowner would be obligated to ensure compliance with this new building code at a life-cycle event, such as the sale of the property.
For seniors, in particular, who come to the time in life when they no longer wish to occupy the home that perhaps they raised their families in and who would maybe have older homes to suddenly be confronted with the cost of compliance with a new code would be troubling. The member for Kootenay—Columbia, in the debate on the previous bill, mentioned the difficulty and expense of retrofitting a building.
The energy efficiency of a building is part of its market value. People will pay for an efficient home. Efficiency creates its own incentives. No one wants to pay more to heat a home, and there are many built-in incentives in having an efficient home.
I was concerned about the answer I received then, and I remain concerned about the government's direction with this new building code. We are concerned about how they are going to compel provinces to comply and compel existing homeowners to comply, which is probably the most troubling part of this new building code, as it was reported last fall.