Mr. Speaker, with regard to the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities and the costs associated with its creation, as legislated in division II of the 2023 fall economic statement, with respect to parts (a) and (b), there will be no incremental costs incurred by the government as a result of the change proposed in division 11 of Bill C-59, Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2023. The legislative changes will not impact the department’s current operations.
With respect to parts (c), (d) and (e), for further information on Infrastructure Canada’s planned spending and human resources over the next three fiscal years, including during the proposed period of transition, please see the Infrastructure Canada 2024-25 departmental plan, at https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/pub/dp-pm/2024-25/2024-dp-pm-eng.html.
With respect to part (f), the Government of Canada is advancing a broad set of measures that will unlock millions of homes by 2031. These measures build on the significant action and results already achieved since 2017 through the national housing strategy.
Upon the passage of Bill C-59, the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities will continue to assume a leadership role regarding housing policy and program development within the federal government. In partnership with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the department will keep building on existing initiatives and leverage programs to get more affordable housing options to more people.
This includes the budget 2024 announcement of an additional $15 billion in new loan funding for the apartment construction loan program, bringing the program’s total to over $55 billion. This $55 billion, in turn, will contribute to the construction of over 131,000 new homes, with commitments in place by 2031-32. Similarly, the over $4-billion housing accelerator fund is helping municipalities cut red tape and, according to municipal action plans, is set to fast-track the construction of over 750,000 homes in the next decade.
For progress reports on the 2017 national housing strategy and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s initiatives, please refer to https://www.placetocallhome.ca/progress-on-the-national-housing-strategy.
With respect to part (g), following standard reporting processes for core federal departments, the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities would be established during fiscal year 2024-25 and would publish its departmental results following the close of the fiscal year.