Joe Fontana

[Housing, June 2nd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member and all in her caucus for their hard work on cooperative housing. As everyone knows, we have signed a historic agreement with the Co-operative Housing Programs Administration Agency to better administer and work with us as we continue to build more and more cooperative housing.

It is incredible that the Bloc Québécois, which purports to support cooperative housing, has never asked the question of how we could do it. Let me say this.

It is my firm conviction that this kind of collaboration will ensure the sustainability and prosperity of an extremely important sector of the population—

[Government of Canada, May 13th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, we look forward to a confidence vote on the budget on Thursday.

Let me tell members that 1.7 million households across this country in every province and territory want affordable housing.

We intend to work with the aboriginal communities, with not for profit housing, with co-op housing, with the provinces and with the private sector to make sure that we invest $1.6 billion in housing. We urge all the opposition members to support this. We thank the NDP for supporting this budget. Why can't you?

[Housing, May 13th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member believes in working men and women and those working men and women are the professionals who in fact should, when asked by people, check the insulation and then ask whether or not they want to make renovations. They should call the professionals.

They are the working men and women whom we support on this side and I hope he would support them on his side.

All insulation is not Zonolite and all Zonolite is not contaminated with asbestos. We are providing information. It is not a health risk if left undisturbed. People should call the professionals before they repair their homes.

[Government of Canada, May 13th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, what we know, at least on this side of the House, is that Canadians believe in due process. Our Prime Minister put in place the Gomery commission to get to the whole truth, nothing but the truth and to issue a report. Let him do his work.

We have an opportunity to have a confidence vote. It is on the budget. It will happen on Thursday.

[Sponsorship Program, May 13th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the people do not know enough now. Judge Gomery has been given a broad mandate to hear all the evidence and to hear from all the parties to ensure the people have all the information they need. People have already said that they want to wait for Judge Gomery's report until such time as they have an election. Let Judge Gomery do his work.

[Sponsorship Program, May 13th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, our Prime Minister had the courage and conviction to put the Gomery commission in place to get to the truth.

We have been witnessing today and in the past number of days that people have been coming forward. Judge Gomery is doing a very, very good job on behalf of Canadians to get to the truth.

We are not afraid of the truth. You might be afraid of the truth, but we definitely are not afraid of the truth.

[An Act to Authorize the Minister of Finance to Make Certain Payments, May 10th, 2005]

That sounds like George Bush's plan.

[An Act to Authorize the Minister of Finance to Make Certain Payments, May 10th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I was suggesting to the member that if he could call me a poor preacher then I could call him a Judas to the housing cause, because as a member and a leader in Quebec on cooperative housing, I have indicated over the past seven months that we have introduced a number of different instruments, a number of different programs, that have helped people across the country, especially in Quebec, including using some of the surpluses of the CMHC.

What does the Bloc say about housing? Absolutely nothing. In fact, when I was in his leader's constituency I had a homeless person plead with me that we do more for the homeless people in Quebec, in Montreal and in the riding of his leader.

I implore the member to support the people of Quebec, the homeless, and the people who want to buy homes, to support the people, including Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain, FRAPRU, which wants us to build more social housing in Quebec.

[An Act to Authorize the Minister of Finance to Make Certain Payments, May 10th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, if I am a poor preacher then you are a Judas to the housing cause--

[An Act to Authorize the Minister of Finance to Make Certain Payments, May 10th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, what I want to point out to the hon. member is this. If people were renewing their mortgages in 1993 under a Conservative government and are now renewing their mortgages under the Liberal government in 2005, we have probably put $4,000 to $5,000 in their pockets after taxes. Why? Because that is what we have been doing. We have had the lowest interest rates in the past 20 or 30 years.

More housing is being built this year. Why? Because of our small business and economic programs. In the past year, 250,000 homes were built and 450,000 homes were sold. Why? Because the economy is doing well.

I know that those members do not want to hear the good news, but Canada is on the move. I know they are a bunch of fearmongers, but the fact is that the country is doing well. There will continue to be tax cuts for small business, and there will be granny flats, secondary suites and more income for seniors. That is how we are going to help families: more income in terms of affordable housing. That is what we are going to do. That is why this budget is a people budget and that is why those members cannot stand it.

All you want to do is talk about big tax cuts to big corporations as opposed to speaking or thinking about the people of Canada, regardless of their income.