Debates of Dec. 9th, 2024

Indigenous and Northern Affairs

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, like the member opposite, I too am very much looking forward to the fall economic statement. It has been a long time coming, because the Bloc and the Conservatives have continuously filibustered, but we are going to get a fall economic statement. I think there are going to be a lot of wonderful things in there, and through it, I am sure there are many ideas.

I can tell the member opposite that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance is very keen on trying to be sensitive to all the needs out there, and I suspect it is not an easy job establishing those priorities. However, when it is presented to the House, I am sure it will be a reflection of what Canadians really and truly would like to see.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Speaker, this is the first time I am rising today, and I just wanted to take a moment before I asked my question to acknowledge the heartbreaking event that happened in Edmonton this weekend, where Mr. Singh, a young 20-year-old student on his third day of work as a security guard, was shot dead doing the work of trying to protect people in Edmonton. It is a really devastating time for our community, and I want to take a moment to express my deep sympathies and my condolences to his family and those who loved him.

I would like to thank the parliamentary secretary for his contributions today. It was disappointing, of course, to see him stand to vote against the NDP motion to take the GST off home heating and things like cellphone bills. I understand that the Liberals believe Christmas trees are more important, but I did think those were important.

My actual question for him is with regard to housing. When we have a housing crisis issue in Canada and municipal, provincial and federal governments are implicated, what do we do when a provincial government, such as Danielle Smith and the UCP in Alberta, is not working with the municipalities or the federal government and would rather pick fights than actually get housing for Canadians?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, we continue to work with those who are prepared to work, and at times, that means we put more of an emphasis on sitting down with the municipalities or other stakeholders to get the housing programs that are necessary.

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

Madam Speaker, members are never going to believe this. Members will recall about 30 minutes ago there was an exchange between the member for Hamilton Centre and the member for Parry Sound—Muskoka. The member for Parry Sound—Muskoka referred to mayors as being incompetent. Then he stood up to say that, when he was mayor, he got so much done and made sure that housing got built.

It did not take that long to find something out from an article in the Huntsville Doppler. It is true that, when the member for Parry Sound—Muskoka was on city council, the council decreased the development charges in the municipality, but when he was mayor, the council increased development charges by 16%. There is literally no bigger gatekeeper than the former mayor, the member for Parry Sound—Muskoka, the now sitting MP, who had the audacity to stand up in the House to accuse other mayors across this country of being incompetent.

I am wondering what the parliamentary secretary would have to say to all of that new information.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, what is there to say to something of that nature? It is truly amazing. I look at it in the sense that the member is following his leader. His leader will say things, and we wonder where those things come from, just like how he says they want to give a tax break, yet they voted against giving a tax break. They literally voted against it.

The member for Parry Sound—Muskoka has done the same thing. He comes out to say that there are all those bad mayors, or bad councillors, and so forth, because they are wasting dollars. On the other hand, he held, as my colleague and friend has just pointed out, a very different position, both in policy and as a mayor, than he holds now as a member of Parliament. Consistency is a problem. The word hypocrisy is what often comes to my mind when I think of the Conservative Party.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Madam Speaker, listening to the Liberal parliamentary secretary, I have to scratch my head and wonder what country he is living in or, maybe, what planet. He talks about a housing accelerator program when it actually should be called a housing decelerator program. The Liberals have put a break on housing starts. In Vancouver and Toronto, housing starts are down to levels that they were at in the seventies.

We can compare that with the Conservative plan, which would put up to $50,000 into people's pockets when they purchase a new home, and ensure a savings, also, of $2,500 a year. If the Liberals do not want to do a carbon tax election, why not one on the housing plan that we have?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, I would love to see a contrast between the leader of the Conservative Party and the Prime Minister with detailed documentation of who has done what on the housing file.

The member opposite will find that the leader of the Conservative Party, with all seriousness, all kidding aside, was likely the worst housing minister in the history of our nation. Contrast that with the Prime Minister. We would have to go back generations to find a prime minister who has invested more resources and energy into the development of a housing policy.

I truly believe that the Conservatives have absolutely no credibility. They, for example, say that they would get rid of the housing accelerator fund, even though some of the member's own colleagues are asking for support from that fund. There is no credibility within the Conservative Party whatsoever on the housing file.

If I had the time to cite some very specific examples, I would go into housing co-ops. I would go into supports for non-profit housing units. I would talk about their lack of any form of a housing strategy. Ultimately, there are retrofits and programs to support improving housing stock. The government has worked on these types of things, and the leader of the Conservative Party did absolutely nothing, zero, on those—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. parliamentary secretary has run out of time.

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue,

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Madam Speaker, it is an honour, once again, to rise in the House to speak about access to housing, which is a fundamental issue, particularly for first nations. I would like to inform you that I will be sharing my time with my colleague, the member for Longueuil—Saint-Hubert.

I would like to start by mentioning that question period in the House is always a bit ironic. For months now, the government has been responding to questions from the leader of the official opposition by sardonically pointing out that when he was the minister responsible for infrastructure and housing, he built only six housing units. They keep pointing at him and repeating the word “six”. What is the reality for indigenous communities, however? What is the actual budget that the government gives to each community to build housing?

It is important to remember that Canada's fastest growing populations are first nations, Métis and Inuit. What is the current government doing? It is not doing anything more. It is allowing the construction of two, not six, but two housing units per indigenous community, even though the need is much greater. What does that mean? It means that the further north we go, the more we see three or four families living in the same home. We hear of situations where people have to take turns watching television and sitting on the couch in the evenings. The reality is that they do not have access to beds because three or even four families are sharing the same home. In the community of Long Point in the village of Winneway in my riding, there are 21 people living in one house. Is that normal? The answer is obviously no.

Why does that situation exist? It is because this government is stingy with first nations. It is stingy when it comes time to give communities the means to take control of their own destiny, particularly when it comes to economic reconciliation, which includes the ability to build housing.

Obviously the motion being debated in the House today is important. One of the most tangible solutions that has to be adopted comes from the first nations themselves. I think that is the right path to take in a context of economic reconciliation. I am, of course, talking about the Yänonhchia' initiative, which comes to us from leaders, including the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, or AFNQL.

I want to acknowledge the remarkable work of Lance Haymond, the chief of Kebaowek First Nation, which is in my riding. His lifelong mission has been to give the members of his community and first nations in general access to housing and property. He has also worked to ensure that the indigenous middle class could have access to prosperity. I think that is our common objective. This must be shared and accessible to all first nations members.

There is something else I would like to talk about. Today, I had to leave the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs, which had invited the Minister of Indigenous Services and the Minister of Public Services and Procurement to testify. We wanted to ask them about the fundamental issue of “pretendians” who receive government contracts even though they do not qualify as indigenous. This is a real problem. I wanted to raise the issue of government funding with the minister to see whether it is going to the right places.

I have to say I have some concerns at the moment. Last week, the Assembly of First Nations was here in Ottawa. We learned that the Liberal government organized a cocktail party with members of the first nations. If they wished to have access to the Prime Minister or the minister in order to ask them questions, particularly about housing, they were asked what was the maximum contribution that each individual could give. Is that the norm? I have been thinking about that a lot.

We hear through the grapevine that the Minister of Indigenous Services has yet to make a formal request to the Minister of Finance to ensure that initiatives such as Yänonhchia' are funded by the government. Many representations have been made. About half an hour ago, I asked the minister directly whether she had sent an official letter to the Minister of Finance to ask her to fund the Yänonhchia' initiative, which she seemed to strongly support. She has had several meetings with the NACCA proponents and Lance Haymond. The answer I received is that no, the letter has not been sent. Does this government know how to make any effort? I seriously wonder.

As of today's date, December 9, those letters should have been sent.

In fact, we know that if a budget has to be tabled in March, this has to be done. The Minister of Finance has to be asked. No formal request has been made, and that raises a number of questions in my mind.

We are talking about letters. Sending a letter is complicated. For one thing, the request has to be made formally and received by the federal bureaucracy. I sent a letter on March 12 to the Minister of Finance. She cannot deny that this request came from the House or that it was formally made with the support of the first nations.

At the time, I was already making an urgent appeal to the minister for federal support for the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association, or NACCA. I still appreciate that organization for its leadership to this day. I asked for increased funding for NACCA because the solution will come from first nations being financially self-sufficient. I asked for that increase because solutions will come from first nations members themselves and because these funds will be managed by and for first nations communities. A specific request was made as early as March last year. I would like to point out that the request was successful, because NACCA did receive additional funding.

The same thing needs to be done for housing, which is what I did on November 21 when I wrote another letter to the Minister of Finance. I am going to read from that letter, because I think it is in the public interest, especially right now.

Dear Minister,

I am writing to express my support for extending the Yänonhchia' housing finance network, an initiative that has already proven successful in indigenous communities in Quebec and that could be a key solution for addressing the housing crisis in first nations communities across the country. As the member for Abitibi-Témiscamingue, I have seen first-hand the difficulties encountered by indigenous families in accessing safe, adequate and affordable housing. However, in addition to taking immediate action to address this urgent situation, we also need to think about sustainable solutions that will enable indigenous communities to develop their own real estate market and become homeowners.

Need for urgent action to address indigenous housing crisis

The housing crisis in first nations communities is an urgent reality. Many families are living in precarious housing conditions, often in substandard, overcrowded homes. These conditions are harmful to their health and well-being and undermine future opportunities. In that regard, I fully support initiatives like Yänonhchia', which facilitates access to affordable financing for housing construction in indigenous communities. An immediate investment of $150 million to extend this model to other regions is an essential first step in dealing with this crisis.

However, it is also important to point out that indigenous communities have a middle class, people who are not living in an extremely precarious situation or are unable to access affordable housing. These families want to be able to own their own homes, a fundamental right that would help them strengthen their economic autonomy and social stability. Housing affordability for these groups must be supported by responsive funding policies that would enable these middle class families to become homeowners, while ensuring that social housing continues to be reserved for those who need it most.

A long-term vision for autonomy and prosperity

In addition to meeting immediate housing needs, it is crucial to develop an independent indigenous real estate market that will enable communities to take charge of their own real estate development projects and buy homes. This market must respond to the needs of extremely vulnerable people, who need adapted social housing, and those of the indigenous middle class, who must have the opportunity to invest in sustainable and accessible housing.

By supporting real estate development projects that enable indigenous communities to manage their own land resources, we are also promoting self-sufficiency and creating sustainable economic opportunities. That requires financial mechanisms suited to these communities, such as low-interest loans, targeted subsidies and training programs to help families navigate the process of purchasing property and managing real estate.

In the next part of my letter, I spoke about a targeted response for the most vulnerable and support for the indigenous middle class. I can come back to that, but there is a tremendous opportunity there that the government cannot afford to miss.

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

Madam Speaker, I really enjoyed my colleague's speech. The whole issue of financial independence is closely related to the work that I was doing before I became an MP. I am far from an expert on the problem that first nations are experiencing, but I heard my colleague talk about Yänonhchia', and I would like to know more about how it works.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Madam Speaker, it is to her credit that she wants to know more.

Yänonhchia' is an initiative by and for indigenous people. That is the first thing we need to remember. Yänonhchia' also has links to major organizations such as NACCA, the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association, and the AFNQL, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, which is very active when it comes to addressing the needs of first nations. There are also concrete proposals for an inclusive future, including providing $150 million in immediate funding for housing projects, creating dedicated financial mechanisms for the indigenous middle class, prioritizing social housing for people in very vulnerable situations, simplifying land processes, which is a major issue for communities, and training programs to support home ownership. Yänonhchia' supports these values, and this government must also allow first nations to embrace them.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his very interesting speech. Over the past few years, the NDP has managed to wrestle nearly $8 billion from the minority government for indigenous housing, but that is not nearly enough. A lot more than that is needed. We consider it extremely important that this housing be for and by first nations.

I would like my colleague to tell me a little about the needs of his community and why the federal strategy has failed to produce results since 2017, despite all the money spent on it.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his interest in this important issue.

The study made several recommendations aimed at strengthening first nations' capacity and autonomy to invest in housing. I could talk about recommendations 8, 15, 16 and many others, but I want to focus on recommendation 9, which concerns one of the important needs that complements what I have mentioned. I am referring to the whole matter of recruiting, retaining and training indigenous staff who work on housing. Two housing units are made available by the government every year, if that. At the same time, these units have to be built in a ridiculously short amount of time. Quite often, money intended for indigenous peoples is returned to the federal treasury because of the many bureaucratic requirements and standards that indigenous communities are unable to meet.

An initiative like Yänonhchia' also provides indigenous leadership in the fields of architecture, engineering and advising communities on plans, specifications and urban development. It is about making it easier for indigenous people to settle on their own land. I would add that this government must be more generous towards indigenous communities through autonomous funding, but it must also give much more realistic deadlines so that indigenous people can keep the expertise they have, particularly in housing, within their communities.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Madam Speaker, the Standing Committee on the Status of Women has just completed a study on the rise in femicides. Sadly, women are being murdered because they cannot escape the cycle of violence. We studied the issue of inadequate housing for indigenous women and girls which, unfortunately, means that they make up a disproportionate number of homicide and human trafficking cases.

We just marked the end of the days of activism against gender-based violence. I would like to hear my colleague talk about the link between the importance of housing and these missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her dedication to this cause, year after year. I want to talk to her about recommendation 3, which states the following:

That the Government of Canada continue to address the 231 Calls for Justice in the National Inquiry's Final Report, Reclaiming Power and Place, and that particular attention be paid to...improving access to housing for Indigenous women and that housing has impacts on Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people....

People are sensitive to this issue. Obviously, when many families are living under the same roof, it creates major social problems. How can we promote access to education and health care when one of the foundations of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, access to housing, is compromised? This is the foundation of society.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise to speak to this issue, even though it all feels a bit rushed.

I do not quite understand. The Conservatives have an opposition day, and on that opposition day, they bring forward another motion to discuss a related topic. I would like to point out that this is an important matter, unlike what we have been doing in the House for the past month and a half. Finally, we are discussing a fundamental issue. I think the housing crisis—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I must interrupt the member.

We can hear a telephone ringing. I believe it is Santa Claus calling to see who has been naughty and who has been nice. I think Santa is going to save time this year.

The hon. member for Longueuil—Saint-Hubert.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Madam Speaker, housing and the housing crisis are fundamental issues. I talk about them often here in the House. In my opinion, the housing crisis, the language crisis and the climate crisis are the most fundamental challenges that Quebec and Canada are facing. This evening, we are talking about indigenous housing.

I will not repeat everything my colleague said. He did a fine job talking about Yänonhchia', an indigenous-led initiative to provide access to home ownership on reserves. It is a very important project, and I hope that, a week from now, the Minister of Finance will announce in her economic statement that she is providing funding to the initiative. That $150 million in funding would allow the communities to be more self-sufficient. The communities would benefit from that money. Indigenous people could create their own fund to promote home ownership, which is not common. That would be truly important.

As we talk about housing, I feel compelled to mention something that is very important right now. It is cold outside. There is snow on the ground, and winter is right around the corner. I spoke about homelessness two weeks ago when I addressed the House. I mentioned the $250‑million fund, which is related to what we are talking about. When it comes to homelessness and indigenous homelessness in Montreal, half of the people living on the street on the Island of Montreal, as far as we know, are indigenous. Homelessness is a fundamental problem.

In its budget last March, the federal government announced a $250‑million fund to tackle encampments. We were pleased. Everyone was happy that the government was finally allocating this $250 million. It seemed to understand there was a problem. Anyone who walks out of this building will see an encampment within five minutes. There are tent encampments and homeless people in every riding in Quebec and Canada. It is endemic. I have no idea how anyone can allow such a thing to happen.

The government announced a $250‑million fund in March. The discussions with Quebec dragged on, and things started to get complicated. The federal government was imposing bureaucratic hurdles. It was willing to provide funding, but first it wanted to know how big the space and the beds would be, how many pillowcases would be needed, how many pencils would be used to count the number of homeless people using the shelter and what colour the walls would be painted. There were all sorts of bureaucratic hurdles, which meant that the agreement did not get signed and the money was not allocated.

Quebec was prepared to match Ottawa's offer, which was close to $60 million. Quebec was prepared to put in the same amount. There were negotiations. Finally, the agreement was signed two weeks ago, but the devil is in the details. Not only is it winter now, but the deadline for projects submissions for this funding is January 7. I am not making this up. The fund was announced in March. The deadline for submissions is January 7. These projects will not see the light of day until the end of this winter. They will not help this winter. I have to pinch myself. When we talk about delays related to the housing crisis, this is what we are talking about.

I wrote a report that is related to the report on indigenous housing. I toured Quebec. I set out on a pilgrimage. One time, I had a meeting with a group in Saint‑Hyacinthe, I think. I thought I was being so smart. I got the numbers from CMHC and I presented them to the representatives of the community groups sitting across from me. They did not know what I was talking about. They said that the situation was much worse than my numbers suggested. On the ground, the situation was serious. They needed far more housing than what I was saying, and the vacancy rates were much lower than what I was saying. The numbers did not reflect the reality on the ground.

I travelled all across Quebec last year. Over the course of a few months, I travelled everywhere, including Lac‑Saint‑Jean, Abitibi, the Gaspé, Sherbrooke, Montreal, Quebec City, Gatineau and Granby. I went to every region. I met with people from more than 600 organizations that work every day to build social and community housing, to help the most vulnerable people in our country, in Quebec and Canada, find a place to live. These organizations help women who are victims of domestic violence, seniors, people with substance abuse problems and the many vulnerable populations that we need to take care of, that we have a responsibility to care for. I toured Quebec and then produced a 150-page report. The summary is about 20 pages long, and I have it here—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I just want to remind the hon. member that he can reference his document, but he cannot hold it up.

The hon. member for Longueuil—Saint‑Hubert.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Madam Speaker, I am talking about the report that I have in my hands right now. My colleagues cannot see it, but they can sense that there is something important in it, and I am going to tell them about it.

It is a bit funny, I have 12 recommendations. Just before the first one, I wrote that the federal government should get out of housing. I will explain why.

Every time the federal government has made a new funding announcement in the past few years, Quebec has said that the federal government is not going to spend a penny in Quebec without the Quebec government having a say in the matter. Then the negotiations begin. The federal government launched its grand national housing strategy in 2017. It allocated $82 billion across Canada. The government spent money just about everywhere. We are still wondering where exactly. It spent money in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and St. John's, Newfoundland. There was not one penny for Quebec because Quebec declined, as is its prerogative. We wanted money, not programs. We wanted money, not criteria. We wanted money, not conditions. That led to three years of waiting. Earlier I was talking about the $250‑million homelessness program. It took a year before a decision was made.

Too many players are involved in housing. At the end of the day, housing is built in cities. Cities make bylaws, manage urban planning and organize construction. In fact, cities need money. The infrastructure fund is another fund that has a critical role to play in relation to the housing crisis. This $6‑billion fund is currently being negotiated with Quebec. Just building housing is not enough. Sewers need to be built too. Homes need to be connected to the sewer system. Roads need to be built. All these things are important for housing. Two or three weeks ago, the Association de la construction du Québec came to Ottawa to say that infrastructure is fundamental and that this funding is needed.

Cities organize housing construction. Quebec also has a housing department and various programs. Then, on top of all that, the federal government comes in and adds its own conditions. Take Rimouski, for example. There are problems there. The city should and would like to house women fleeing domestic violence. That is true everywhere in Quebec, but I want to focus on Rimouski. There are needs in this area. Every day, a woman knocks on the door of a shelter for women fleeing domestic violence and then goes home. We know what going home means. It happens every day. There is a desperate need for resources. In Rimouski, creating a shelter like that would mean building a 32-unit building for women who are victims of domestic violence. As it happens, Quebec has a program for that. It might be through the Fédération des associations et corporations en construction du Québec. It used to be AccèsLogis Québec. An organization would apply and wait one to two years. Finally, it would get the go-ahead. Great, it was getting funding.

If there is not enough money, it can apply to Ottawa, which has another program that grants funding. The criteria are different, however, especially when it comes to affordability. The affordability criteria make absolutely no sense. They are a disaster. Another two years is spent waiting on Ottawa. Often, in the meantime, the four-year-old offer to purchase the property falls through. In short, the whole thing is infuriating. The process takes years.

While I was touring Abitibi, I met Stéphane Grenier, a really amazing guy. He is a university professor who cares for homeless people, including homeless indigenous people. I attended the opening of a magnificent shelter, a brand-new building with 41 spaces. It opened a year ago, but people had been working on the project for eight years. That means eight winters, eight years of people looking for an emergency shelter, only to give up because one did not exist. It is infuriating.

Here is my first recommendation. Fiscal tools are available here in Ottawa. If Ottawa agreed that this is a provincial jurisdiction and if it gave the money to Quebec, just as it does for health care, there would be fewer players involved. This would achieve two things: it would shorten project approval times and lower costs. Everyone would win.

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

Mr. Speaker, I really enjoyed my Bloc Québécois colleague's speech. He is so energetic.

I would like his opinion on the partnership approach. In Châteauguay, we are very proud of a project that was built in 2022 as part of the federal government's rapid housing initiative. It included contributions from the Quebec government and the City of Châteauguay, in partnership with the Mohawk community of Kahnawake. We are very proud of this project.

Does my hon. colleague think we should continue along this path? Will he support us in that endeavour?

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague asked a very good question.

The rapid housing initiative is a very good program; everyone applauds it. There have been three phases. The first phase was $1 billion, and the other two were $1.5 billion, unless I am mistaken. These are 100% subsidized social housing units. Everyone in Quebec loves this program.

Except now we have learned some things from talking to people from the Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain, or FRAPRU. Two weeks ago, at the summit on homelessness, we learned that there is apparently a fourth phase, but the criteria have been changed. They have added an affordability factor that is really scaring organizations in Quebec. In other words, it appears that the nature of the rapid housing initiative, which is a very good program, is going to change. No one knows how much money is still in the fund, but the criteria have already changed. This is very scary for people.

I have a message for my Conservative friends: The Government of Canada's rapid housing initiative is a very good program. They should renew it if they come to power.

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, recently, I met with a chief from a nation south of Montreal. Decades ago, he started a program of developing mortgages and home ownership on the nation. It has continued to grow and is extensive, but to be replicated, it needs to have a connection with the government. He has been a year trying to get a meeting with the minister to explain how successful it is to have home ownership, a mortgage and a credit rating.

What does the member believe the response should be from the government when a first nation has been able to do that, yet cannot get a meeting with the minister for more than a year to explain it?

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is not very surprising. It is hard to think about that despite the major headlines in the papers every day. There is talk of evictions. Earlier we were talking about homelessness. In the past five years, deaths in the streets of Quebec have tripled. In the past five years, the number of homeless in Quebec has doubled. The numbers are just as staggering across Canada.

After everything I said in my speech, it is hard to imagine that the federal government across the way understands the gravity of the crisis. At one point, we heard that 5.8 million housing units needed to be built by 2032 to achieve market equilibrium. It is fascinating. These numbers are astronomical. Watching the Liberals across the way in action makes us think that there is something that they fail to understand.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to ask a question that may be a little off topic. On the subject of housing, I think that my colleague and I share a passion for social housing and co-operatives.

We in the NDP used our opposition day to ask that the GST holiday be extended to essentials such as diapers, children's clothing and food prepared at the grocery store. We also wanted it to extend permanently to heating and cellphone plans to give people, workers and their families a break. The Bloc Québécois voted against it. I was surprised.

The GST is a regressive tax that hurts the middle class and working people the most, in terms of the proportion of the impact it has on people's wallets.

I would like my colleague to take a moment to explain why the Bloc Québécois opposed this measure put forward by the NDP.