Debates of June 11th, 2025

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

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

Mr. Chair, transportation infrastructure is a part of the housing infrastructure investment that happens through the department, working in partnership with provinces, territories and local governments that lay out the planning in the community scale.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Chair, the Liberal government plans to build 500,000 new homes. To meet that plan, the government would have to build 1,370 homes every single day. Did the government build 1,370 homes today?

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

Mr. Chair, with reference to roads and highways that have received funding over the past decade, more than 58,000 kilometres of roads and highways have received funding from the department.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Chair, did the government meet its goal of building 1,370 homes today, yes or no?

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

Mr. Chair, there have been many more homes than that built across Canada, in part with funding from the department.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Chair, has the government met its goal of building any of the 1,370 homes in any day the minister has been in charge of housing, yes or no?

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

Mr. Chair, the department has funded, through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, hundreds of thousands of homes in these recent years. The scale is significant, and it needs to double from here.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Chair, how many homes have the Liberals built in the last 29 days, since the minister has been in charge of housing?

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

Mr. Chair, the department funds provinces, territories and local governments to help them in the process of building. The government is not directly building, but we should be in the business of that going forward to make sure affordable housing is getting built.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Chair, to be on target, the government would have to have funded the building of 39,730 homes within the last 29 days. Has it met its target, yes or no?

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

Mr. Chair, the target around doubling housing construction in Canada is for the years to come. We need to scale up from the current level. The goal is to double construction across Canada, and we will use every tool we have available to us to do that.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Chair, do young people deserve the right to own a conventional home like their parents did, yes or no?

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

Mr. Chair, we want all Canadians to have access to safe and secure housing. Certainly the younger generation needs more opportunities to afford homes; that is why we are doing the doubling of construction across the country.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Chair, did the Liberal government allocate more than $26 billion to prefab container homes through the new Crown corporation, yes or no?

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

Mr. Chair, that is not part of the current estimates, the budget estimates we are discussing here today. That is a commitment going forward that the government will tackle, and it hopes to have support on it from the members opposite.

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Chair, does “build Canada homes” include the government's developing and owning homes for Canadians, yes or no?

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

Mr. Chair, as said, we need to use every tool we can that is available to us. Certainly, federal land is an opportunity, working with partners.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Chair, does the Government of Canada condemn BC Ferries' decision to purchase ferries from a state-owned enterprise in Communist China?

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

Mr. Chair, I am not clear how this has anything to do with the Housing and Infrastructure department.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Chair, will the Government of Canada continue its $30-million subsidy of BC Ferries?

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

Mr. Chair, the BC Ferries investment is not part of the ministry's estimates.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Chair, will the ferries from China be subject to tariffs like Chinese EV tariffs put in place by the government?

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

Mr. Chair, again, the member should direct those questions to the appropriate minister; they are not related to the department.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Chair, table 176 of the main estimates outlines $2.4 billion in transfer payments to the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. What portion will be allotted to British Columbia?

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

Mr. Chair, I can get the member that detailed answer shortly. I do not have it at my fingertips, but I can do that.