Debates of May 15th, 2023

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

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Chair, I am sorry, but that is wrong. The national housing strategy is missing the mark, and the Auditor General has pointed that out. In fact, the Liberals do not even know what they are doing. They are developing housing that is not helping those most in need. The minister should read the Auditor General's report.

Real estate investment trusts enjoy preferential tax treatment in that they do not pay the corporate tax rate. The seven largest real estate investment trusts alone have saved a combined $1.5 billion through federal tax loopholes. The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates that the federal government will lose another $300 million in taxes over the next four years.

Will the federal government stop rewarding real estate investment trusts for pushing out long-term tenants and jacking up housing prices? Will it end their special tax treatment and make them pay their fair share?

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

Mr. Chair, I am really perplexed by the logic of the hon. member. She says that our national housing strategy is not really doing anything on the ground. Contrary to that, I can report back to the hon. member that we have invested in either repairing or building 500,000 units; this has supported almost two million Canadian households. That is the impact the national housing strategy has had on this country since we came into office.

In terms of the real estate investment trusts, we are taking the matter seriously. That is why we launched a federal review of the tax treatment of real estate investment trusts.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Chair, actually, it was the Auditor General who did the report. The minister should read that, by the way.

When he says they have launched a review, the clock is ticking. The units are being lost. For every one unit the government builds, we lose 15. That is the reality of the crisis, the magnitude of the crisis that we are faced with today and the government says it is doing a review. Get on with it. Implement what is needed. The housing advocates have tabled reports for the minister. All he has to do is act.

Now I want to turn to a different issue. The mayor of Edmonton met with the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance regarding their $277-million indigenous housing plan. The Prime Minister and Minister of Finance promised that they would have the federal government's support and CMHC is aware of that. Now the Liberals are reneging on their promise. Worse still, they are blaming the NDP because they say the NDP wanted to see meaningful action on a for indigenous, by indigenous urban and rural northern housing strategy. To be clear, the NDP absolutely want that, but we also called for new allocations for other streams, including non-indigenous housing programs and for the funding of those programs to be proportional to the need for indigenous peoples.

Will the minister stop pointing fingers and honour the promise to the city of Edmonton and fund the indigenous housing plan?

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

Mr. Chair, I just want to correct a few things that have been asserted by the hon. member.

The Auditor General looked at the Reaching Home strategy and she looked at the performance of the Reaching Home strategy mainly during the pandemic. The Auditor General did not look at the entire national housing strategy program. I just want to clear that misconception.

Secondly, the hon. member seems to downplay the impact of the national housing strategy. Just one program of the national housing strategy, the national housing co-investment fund, delivers an average affordable rent of $700. We are committed to building 30,000 additional units. The rapid housing initiative is committed to building almost 15,000 units. We are in the process of delivering 10,000 affordable units and are committed to a further 4,500 units of deeply affordable housing for the most vulnerable members of our community.

In terms of what we are doing with the urban, rural and northern indigenous housing strategy, we are co-developing that with indigenous peoples across the north, across rural Canada and across urban Canada. In budget 2023, we are building on the investment of $300 million to add another $4 billion to the URN housing strategy.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Chair, that comment from the minister really just goes to show he has not even read the report from the Auditor General.

For years now, in the midst of this unprecedented housing crisis, unhoused people seeking relative safety in encampments have been displaced in my riding in the Downtown Eastside from Oppenheimer Park to CRAB Park to Strathcona Park, and now from the sidewalks of the streets. Encampments took place without any plans in place to ensure people can be properly housed.

I have written four letters to the minister, calling on him to provide leadership with a multipartite initiative, similar to the previous Vancouver Agreement to address the crisis in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, yet no action has been taken.

Will the minister show leadership and recreate a Vancouver Agreement with the city, province and community to address the housing and drug poisoning crisis in the Downtown Eastside?

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

Mr. Chair, we have. We have shown leadership and here is the proof. We have invested over half a billion dollars to continue doubling the annual funding for Reaching Home, which is Canada's homelessness strategy. We have gone from just over $2 billion to almost $4 billion in response to the urgent need on the ground. Our investments are paying off. We have prevented over 62,000 people from experiencing homelessness and placed a further 33,000 people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing.

I spoke earlier about the rapid housing initiative which is on track to build 15,000 deeply affordable, permanent housing units for the most vulnerable.

We will continue to work with all levels of government to make sure that we end chronic homelessness across Canada once and for all.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Chair, Romy Bowers said that CMHC had to ration the funding to non-profits for the co-investment fund by limiting the per unit funding to $25,000 at a time when construction costs are going up. Is this what the minister means by leadership? Was that his decision?

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

Mr. Chair, I am proud to stand behind the national housing co-investment fund. It is a great program that supports non-profits, as well as municipalities, to invest in deeply affordable housing.

We are committed to this program for years to come.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Chair, who made the decision to limit the funding for the co-investment fund to $25,000 per unit?

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

Mr. Chair, this is a program that delivers deeply affordable housing every day, right across the country. We are committed to continuing to invest in this program.

In fact, we have brought $2.9 billion forward, from future years to this year.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Chair, if it is such a good program, why is the minister working to kill the projects within it, with that $25,000 limit per unit? Why did the government not actually put in new allocation to the co-investment fund in budget 2023, instead of robbing Peter to pay Paul with a reallocation from the repair component of that stream?

Why will the government not invest the real money that is necessary to make that program a success?

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

Mr. Chair, doubling Reaching Home from $2 billion to $4 billion is real money. Putting $1.5 billion in new money in co-ops is real housing money. Putting $4 billion on top of the $300 million for the dedicated urban, rural and northern indigenous housing strategy is real money.

Bringing forward $2.9 billion in the national housing co-investment fund, so that we can deliver more deeply affordable housing, is real money.

That is our track record and I am proud of our government's work in this space.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Chair, he can be proud of the fact that the housing crisis is getting worse and worse under their watch. From coast to coast to coast, it does not matter what city one is in, in cities big or small, there is a major housing crisis, and what the government is doing is not working.

That is the reality. Listen to the people on the ground. Walk the streets. Open one's eyes. Come to my community in the Downtown Eastside and I will show us how desperate the situation is. People are dying.

Stop with the message box and get on with the program to do what is needed.

On the housing benefit, why did the government, in the middle of the delivery of the program, in February of this year, put in a new requirement, which is not in legislation, that prevented people who are on income assistance, who had their rent directly paid from the government to their landlord, from being eligible for the housing benefit?

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

Mr. Chair, the hon. member thinks that we are the only order of government that is responsible for encampments, that is responsible for addressing municipal issues and provincial issues. We are doing our part, as I said, from doubling from $2 billion to $4 billion in addressing homelessness.

We are committed to doing our part. While encampments fall under the jurisdictions of provinces, territories and municipalities, we are committed to working with our partners to do everything we can to save lives.

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion (Housing)]

Mr. Chair, housing issues are deep-seated and complex. There are many interrelated problems and many stakeholders involved. To address the major challenges, we must all work together. That means working with the private sector, the non-profit sector, indigenous communities, the provinces and the territories. This also means that all homes must be built in partnership with municipalities, and our government recognizes that. Unlike the Conservative Party, we believe that municipalities are an integral part of the solution.

That is why we developed the housing accelerator fund for municipalities, which will be launched this summer. It encourages systemic changes in the way housing is built in this country by providing incentives to communities to reduce red tape and streamline their process.

The fund was developed in collaboration with the municipalities. Local leaders told us that they face obstacles to the quick construction of housing. They told us what we already suspected: No one likes red tape. However, we cannot eliminate red tape by calling for cuts; we must take concrete action.

Whether it is about modernizing the services and the permit systems or encouraging transit-oriented development or bringing in inclusive zoning, improving these processes takes resources. The rapid housing fund will provide these resources. It is backed by $4 billion in investments over five years. The goal is to directly create at least 100,000 net new housing units over the course of the initiative. More importantly, the simplified process that will come out of this work will continue to bear fruit for a long time to come, beyond the existence of the fund itself.

The fund will focus on the production of affordable housing with greater energy efficiency and on densification. As such it will not only build more houses, but it will build stronger communities because it will include a certain number of different initiatives to address the problem of housing affordability from several angles at a time.

The vast majority of these initiatives involve renewing, recovering and revitalizing the partnerships we have with the housing sector. This includes bilateral agreements with each of the provinces and territories to help us move forward together on housing. This includes distinction-based strategies to support housing in first nations, Métis and Inuit communities. This includes new and innovative initiatives to work directly with the not-for-profit and private sector.

This includes, for example, working with Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada and other sector stakeholders to create a co-op housing development program. It also includes a revolutionary partnership with Habitat for Humanity to create hundreds of new homes for families across the country. These communities will be ready for the future and leave no one behind.

Clearly, our government knows that this is an excellent program. It is also clear that we are not alone. As I mentioned earlier, the housing accelerator fund has already received support from across the housing sector, including from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Canadian Home Builders' Association and the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association.

Also, at a parliamentary committee meeting last summer, Éric Cimon, the director general of the Association des groupes de ressources techniques du Québec, called it wonderful news. This kind of support is critical because, as I said at the beginning, it takes partnerships to build housing. We need a comprehensive approach to housing if we are to make it affordable again.

That is the reasoning behind the national housing strategy that the government launched in 2017. There are obviously several examples in Quebec. As I was saying earlier to my Bloc Québécois colleague, there is the example of Chez Doris. Chez Doris will be able to acquire and transform two connected buildings on Saint-Hubert Street in the borough of Ville-Marie. This project will provide 19 rooms for vulnerable women who have experienced homelessness or are at risk of becoming homeless. Community support will also be provided to encourage social interactions and improve their quality of life. The national housing strategy is not only about paying for the bricks and mortar; some aspects of the program are also about supporting certain operations to ensure that these projects are sustainable.

For example, we can talk about the permanent, culturally safe housing centre created by Projets Autochtones du Québec, or PAQ, which opened on February 27. This centre provides 18 rooms that can accommodate up to 22 indigenous men and women experiencing chronic homelessness. It is located in downtown Montreal near the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal and the PAQ's main shelter. Psychosocial support is provided by experienced workers. It is also a space that is culturally adapted to indigenous communities.

Lastly, I will talk about La Résidence des Ateliers, a project that has taken a number of years to implement. This project, which provides 200 housing units for seniors with direct access to the Rosemont metro station, would not have been possible without the national housing strategy.

These kinds of initiatives are happening because we are able to form partnerships with municipalities and community organizations. I am thinking, for example, of the UTILE student housing project in Quebec City, which provides 200 affordable housing units for students.

These projects will be possible and we will be able to accomplish them because we are going to work with all levels of government and community organizations across the country.

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Chair, we have had several very successful projects funded in Guelph, including Silver Maple Seniors Community, a seniors residency. We had the Parkview Motel converted for supportive housing. We have Cityview Village by Habitat for Humanity.

As the market is responding to the programs going out, we are seeing progress. In fact, Guelph Today said that housing prices in Guelph are down 16.3% over last year.

Could the hon. member talk about how the programs being initiated, the partnerships being developed and the work with the builders take time to develop, but we are seeing the momentum building?

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Chair, I believe that with the national housing strategy we are also giving partners the means to be real partners. The housing accelerator fund for municipalities will do just that.

Our government has taken a systemic approach. I am thinking of the infrastructure programs that will be linked to transportation. I am also thinking of environmental projects that will help renovate existing homes to reduce electricity bills. Transit projects will have a housing component. Therefore, the entire program and the government are taking a systemic approach.

The national housing strategy will ensure, in the continuum of housing supply, that we work with the most vulnerable by fighting chronic homelessness and also with those who can manage to buy a home. We will work to limit the generational gap between those who want to buy a property today and those who bought one 30 or 40 years ago.

That is an overview of the national housing strategy and the government's approach.

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Chair, I appreciate my colleague's work and her speech. I know she has a very good understanding of this range of needs.

In my riding, we need projects with services. Yes, there is a need for social housing, but it must be accompanied by services. I wonder if the member could talk a bit more about this. These projects have been suggested by the community. We need to work with the province, including social services, in order to ensure that services are provided in addition to affordable housing.

I would like my colleague to comment on these types of projects that meet real needs.

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Chair, I have spoken about this often in the House, but when I was younger, we never found a home that was adapted to the needs of my disabled brother, who was in a wheelchair. My mother, who is now retired, would not be able to afford housing on her own with the pension she is receiving.

We are talking about the need to provide housing, but that also means ensuring that people have both a roof over their heads and the social safety net that comes with it. The national housing strategy includes programs that provide that support. For example, there is the program called reaching home and other national housing strategy programs.

I think we can be proud to be part of a government that is thinking not only about building housing, but also about taking care of the people who live there.

[Terry Sheehan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour]

Mr. Chair, the Minister of Housing was recently in Sault Ste. Marie for some pretty historic announcements. Legion Branch 25 came to me because its building was becoming decrepit and inoperable. Through our office, the Legion's good work and that of many other people, we got a hold of a builder, Sam Biasucci of SalDan, and the Legion applied for the funding the Minister of Housing has been talking about. It is for 107 units, 30% of which are affordable. This is going to house veterans as well as other community members. It is an amazing project.

At the same time, the minister announced about 276 units through the Aboriginal Housing Services Corporation. About 90 of those units will be in the Sault Ste. Marie area.

I want to ask the Minister of Housing his thoughts on those projects and what he thinks about replicating that model, because we see a lot of Legions that need repair.

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Mr. Chair, this is an example of what can be done at the local level through investments in the national housing strategy.

We were able to partner with local Legions in a number of communities, including Sault Ste. Marie, and with local indigenous governments and organizations to build deeply affordable housing, housing that not only rejuvenates local Legions, some of whose buildings are falling into disrepair, but also creates more supportive and deeply affordable housing units for veterans and members of the community, including indigenous people right across Ontario.

The national housing strategy programs provide for flexibility and for leveraging local properties, land and buildings to unlock federal housing investments, which are a combination of loans and grants that are very favourable to achieving deeply affordable housing units, while also creating accessible units that are energy efficient and that, in some cases, as in Sault Ste. Marie, extend the lifespan of buildings.

It is an example of what we can do together through local partnerships with the federal government's national housing strategy.

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

Mr. Chair, by my count, the rapid housing initiative has certainly landed on the ground in the Durham region and in my riding of Whitby. The national housing strategy is one of the largest investments in housing in at least 30 years, as far as I remember. There certainly was not any for the decade under PM Harper.

We have the housing accelerator fund, co-operative housing investments, rent-to-own financing, the rental housing payment, the first home savings account and many other measures. Our government keeps adding measures that create a holistic approach to housing, so I wonder if the minister can speak to the importance of taking a holistic approach.

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

Mr. Chair, the hon. member points to a really important aspect of our national housing strategy: We are investing throughout the spectrum of housing to meet the needs of Canadians wherever they are in the housing spectrum.

We have the rapid housing initiative, Reaching Home for those who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of experiencing homelessness, the national housing co-investment fund to build deeply affordable homes, the rental construction financing initiative to ensure we are building more rental supply in this country, and measures to enable first-time homebuyers to access their dream of home ownership. We are also investing in co-ops. All of those things are examples of the federal leadership that was sorely lacking before we got into office, and I am proud of the results the national housing strategy is having at the community and local levels.

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

Mr. Chair, I will be splitting my time with two of my colleagues.

My first question for the minister is this: Does he believe that Canada is in fact in a housing crisis?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion]

Mr. Chair, does the hon. member believe that every Canadian has a right to housing? We do. Do the Conservatives?