Alfonso Gagliano

[Homelessness, February 10th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question.

In the first week of January I met in Vancouver with the mayor of Vancouver and a group of people who are trying to help the homeless. CMHC has provided RRAP funding for a rehabilitation housing project on the east side for the Washington Hotel and the Sunrise Hotel in the member's riding. Thirty thousand dollars was provided for the Home Mutual Aid Society for a proposal to develop a low income housing project.

I would like to say to the member, who is an NDP member, that in British Columbia there is an NDP government and it is not participating in the RRAP.

[Homelessness, February 10th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, last year I announced the extension of RRAP. The government put in $250 million. Last December the government put another $50 million in the program to help the homeless.

Some of the provinces are participating, some are not. If they would participate we would have more money to do more.

Maybe the hon. member should speak to some of his Conservative friends like Mike Harris in Ontario who are not participating.

[Homelessness, February 10th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, let me continue to read the list I started yesterday of the things the government is doing in housing for the homeless.

Over $12 million from RRAP will be targeted to upgrade an estimated 1,450 units for those at risk of becoming homeless.

The Government of Canada and the city of Calgary are currently planning the use of the additional 1998-99 RRAP funds and loan insurance to support the development of rooming houses for the homeless and low income Canadians. CMHC will be hosting a national housing research commitee discussion group on the homeless—

[Homelessness And Poverty, February 9th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, the member speaks of Liberal compassion. We have contributed $300,000 to the Ann Golden report. CMHC is committing $750,000 to research related to the homeless. CMHC provided mortgage insurance to the Woodgreen Red Door emergency family shelter, a 50-bed homeless shelter in Toronto. CMHC is actively supporting a partnership among governments and the private sector to develop affordable housing to address problems faced by the homeless. Twenty-eight hundreds units were built in 1998 and 3,000 will be built this year.

[Canada Post, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, Canada Post's financial structure has to respond to the competitive world. Canada Post is not alone any more. It has competitors. Therefore it is appropriate that its financial structure responds to what the competition is doing.

Canada Post continues to invest in its retail service and its delivery service. Every year 170,000 new addresses are added. Canada Post just invested $100 million to address the millennium bug. Naturally it will continue to have universal service for Canadians.

[Canada Information Office, February 8th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, first off, I would like to assure the House that, right from the beginning of this period, the Canada Information Office has always respected Treasury Board guidelines.

Naturally, as is the case with any new body just starting out, it has had to use the services of various professionals in order to fulfil its mandate.

But I can assure my hon. colleague and the House that, since August 1, 67% of the contracts awarded by the Canada Information Office went to public tender.

[Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act, February 8th, 1999]

moved that Bill C-65, an act to amend the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

[Homelessness, February 5th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, we are working together and an example of this is the Golden task force. There is another conference in March in Toronto. CMHC is organizing a working group across the country. We hope that all levels of government come to a solution to this very serious problem.

Again, homelessness is not just a housing problem. Homelessness is a very complex social problem. Federal, provincial and municipal governments have to work together to solve it.

[Homelessness, February 5th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, homelessness is a very complex problem. We are working with the other levels of government. It is not only a federal problem, it is a national problem and all levels of government have to work together.

We participated in the Golden task force and we put in $300,000. CMHC also participated with the research branch. In December I announced an additional $50 million in RRAP, the program which will help make available more shelter and housing for the homeless people.

We are working together with our—

[Social Housing, February 3rd, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, first of all I would like to tell the hon. members of this House and all Canadians that the Government of Canada invests nearly $2 billion every year in subsidizing more than 645,000 public housing units.

On the Quebec issue, I have already sent a letter to my new counterpart in Quebec, Ms. Louise Harel, asking that we meet as soon as possible. I hope that we will be able to finally put this issue to rest so that, like all those Canadians whose provincial government already signed the agreement, the people of Quebec can benefit from this agreement.