Debates of May 15th, 2023

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation—Main Estimates, 2023-24

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, I want just the national number, please.

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, it is a regional number depending on what part of the country one lives in.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, one can average the regions to get the number for the nation. That is what averages do. This is the housing minister. Surely he knows the average necessary minimum down payment on an average house.

Could the housing minister please provide that basic housing information?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have provided that information.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, no, he has not. If he believes he has, he should do it again.

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, I will do it again by saying that I have provided that information. It is regional, and I am happy to provide the regional breakdowns to the leader.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, he cannot provide the average down payment. I know he does not want to because it shows that since the Prime Minister promised more affordable numbers, the average necessary minimum down payment in Canada has more than doubled, from $22,635 to $47,390. That is a doubling of the necessary down payment.

The minister says regional information is different. Can he name one region where housing is more affordable now than it was when the Prime Minister made that promise?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, we know there is a challenge with the rising costs of housing. That is why we have implemented a number of policies to enable Canadians to access their dream of home ownership.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, he was the one who said that regional data was the most important, so I will ask him this again. Since the Prime Minister promised that housing would be more affordable under his leadership, could he name a single region where it is more affordable?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, I can give him the numbers. In Halifax, in 2022, the average was $541,790.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, that is more than a 70% increase. I asked for a region where it is more affordable, even one region.

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, I am happy to provide numbers. If the Leader of the Opposition wants to keep doing this for the next five hours, I am happy to do it.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, he has not provided numbers. Let us give him another try.

The Prime Minister said that housing would be more affordable under his leadership. When he took office, it was $1,400 for the average mortgage payment in Canada. What is the average mortgage payment in Canada today?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, it is pretty rich seeing the leader of the official opposition ask me these questions when he has voted against measures to help Canadians access their dream of home ownership.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.

Perhaps you would like to rule that when you are speaking, you give the floor to one person, and when you give it to the minister, he has the floor. The Leader of the Opposition should not be standing up at the same time, until he has been recognized. I find it extremely disruptive to the process. He seems to be standing up almost instantly after the minister starts speaking.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

I will just wait for everything to calm down for a second. We will play it by ear and make sure that when the hon. member is acknowledged, he can stand and keep going.

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, it is very straightforward. The Prime Minister promised in 2015 that he would make housing more affordable. Back then, the average mortgage payment needed on an average house in Canada was $1,400. What is it today?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, it is $1,459.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, actually, it is $3,149, more than double the amount. It is incredible that the minister has officials here and was not able to get the right number.

Back when the Prime Minister first promised more affordable housing, in the 10 biggest cities, it cost $1,172 for rent. What is it today?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, we know that rents have gone up. We are doing everything we can to support renters.

In terms the average rental rates, again, there is a regional breakdown. I am happy to provide those numbers.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, ladies and gentlemen, this is our housing minister. The answer is $2,200.

What we have is double trouble. The Prime Minister promised housing would be more affordable when he took office. At that time, the average needed minimum down payment was $22,000. It has now risen to $47,000. The average mortgage payment was $1,400. It has now risen to $3,100. The average rent on a two-bedroom was $1,172. It has now risen to $2,227. It is double trouble.

Speaking of double trouble, that is in the headline in a New York Post article, which says, “Double trouble: A house in Canada now costs nearly twice what it does in the US”.

Could the minister explain why a house is more expensive in Canada than it is in the U.S., where there is 10 times the people and a smaller land mass? Why?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, what we are witnessing is someone who does not have a plan for housing and someone who does not have a plan to support renters.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!