Debates of June 11th, 2025

Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates (A), 2025-26

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Chair, for the first seven years of my mayorship, it was a Conservative government that did not invest in affordable housing in Canada and made it very difficult for mayors.

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

Mr. Chair, let us not pass the buck. Let us take responsibility for actions. As mayor of Vancouver, he raised taxes by 141%; home prices shot up 149%, and overdoses went up 600%.

Given this information, how can Canadians trust the minister to be in charge of anything that he does in housing?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Chair, I have the honour of being elected to come here, representing the hard work that happens in cities, to deliver on the federal government's behalf, which is not what Conservative governments in my time were delivering.

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

Mr. Chair, I come from the private sector, and in the private sector, if we do not do our job, we get released.

How will the minister continue to do a job that he was not successful at doing in Vancouver? How is he going to improve it nationally?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Chair, we are very focused on rolling out the most ambitious housing plan in Canadian history. “Build Canada homes” will deliver a doubling of construction.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Chair, after 10 years of Liberal governments, their housing record boils down to double trouble: doubled rents, doubled down payments and doubled mortgage costs. Who does the Prime Minister then appoint as housing minister? It is the former mayor of Vancouver, who doubled housing prices and broke promises to end homelessness.

I have a few questions for the minister.

Does the minister know the average price of a single detached home in Nanaimo?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Chair, the prices of homes have escalated across Canada, and that is why we need to build a more affordable supply.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Chair, let me help the minister: It was $859,292 to buy a home in Nanaimo as of May 2025, up from $362,000 in 2015.

Does the minister know the current median household income in Nanaimo?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Chair, while I am curious as to whether the members opposite blame the mayor of Nanaimo for that housing price increase, or perhaps the premier of B.C., in this House, we all need to take responsibility for building affordable housing.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Chair, let me help the minister with that again. The median income now is $87,987. That is up from $62,349 in 2015.

While incomes are up just 41% in the last decade, home prices in Nanaimo have more than doubled.

Can the minister explain how that is affordable?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Chair, there are two parts to this. One is to build the strongest economy in the G7 and raise incomes. The other is to focus on building affordable housing.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Chair, does the minister think that a couple making $90,000 and paying rent can realistically save up for a down payment for a home in Nanaimo, yes or no?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Chair, it is very difficult right now for people to afford to buy homes in Canada, and that is why we have to focus on affordable supply.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Chair, let me help the minister again. It would take that couple 35 years to save for a 20% down payment or 17 years for a 10% down payment, which would add an extra $700 a month to their mortgage.

Does the minister think that is a good outcome, yes or no?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Chair, the focus here needs to be on increasing supply across Canada. Building affordable homes people of all walks of life can afford, with less than 30% of their income, is our goal.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Chair, talking about affordable homes, when the minister was the mayor of Vancouver, homelessness went up by 38%. Is that the same model he is bringing to the rest of Canada?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Chair, our focus with “build Canada homes” will be on tackling homelessness and investing in the most affordable housing we can for people who are homeless.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Chair, housing starts in Vancouver fell 25% while the minister was in office as the mayor. Why should Canadians trust him now?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Chair, we are the Government of Canada. We need to send the signal and deliver on the action to build more homes across Canada that are affordable.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Chair, if we are talking about signals, a typical home in Nanaimo now costs nearly 10 times the median income. Does that strike the minister as sustainable housing policy, yes or no?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Chair, sustainable housing policy is focusing on delivering affordable housing across Canada, which I hope the members opposite will support.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Chair, Vancouver's price-to-income ratio doubled, going from 6:1 to 13:1, when the minister was the mayor of Vancouver. Does he think that record is going to earn him the respect of Canada's mayors?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Chair, on my side of the House, we are focused on partnering with mayors, at all levels of government, as partners delivering affordable housing, not on insulting them.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Chair, it is the minister's record as a mayor that is an insult to this country. There we have it. This is the guy whom the Liberals have chosen to solve the housing crisis. He did not know the facts; he did not answer my questions, and he certainly does not understand the hardship of either a 23-year-old with six roommates or a senior living in their car.

What does the minister have to say?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Chair, I will remind the members opposite that they have not supported a single affordable housing initiative over the past decade. That was at a time when the federal government needed to deliver more and more, working in partnership with provinces, territories and communities.