Justin Trudeau

[Housing, June 21st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, not only would the Conservative leader cut programs that are helping Canadians in what is, yes, a difficult housing market, but he also is choosing to pick fights with municipalities when we should be working with them, as the Liberals are doing, to increase densification, to accelerate permitting, to change zoning, and to make sure we are tying infrastructure investments, like the transit investments we are making in record numbers, to concentrations of housing and increasing housing stock.

We know we need to continue to deliver more housing supply, and we are working with municipalities and provinces to do just—

[Housing, June 21st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we across the House floor all recognize that Canadians are struggling with the cost of housing. The Conservative solution is to cut the programs that are supporting Canadian families, cut the programs that help municipalities invest in accelerating housing, cut the programs that help Canadians save up for a first down payment, and cut the programs that are delivering housing solutions for Canadians. We recognize there is more to do, but it does not start by cutting the existing programs that are helping Canadians.

We are going to continue to work in partnership with the municipalities and help Canadians through these difficult times.

[Housing, June 21st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we have one of the strongest recoveries after the pandemic of all our peer countries, including seeing the creation of 900,000 new jobs across the country since before the pandemic.

Our investments in supporting Canadians have made a real difference and have created growth in the economy. At the same time, we have continued to step up to support families in the construction of new homes by working collaboratively with municipalities to improve densification, to accelerate zoning changes and permitting, and to work to build more housing.

As the Conservative leader chooses to pick fights with municipalities, we are going to work collaboratively to get housing—

[Housing, June 21st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, if the leader of the official opposition were actually taking the housing crisis seriously, he would have supported our investments in that area rather than going after municipalities.

Our plan involves working with the municipalities, particularly by investing $4 billion to speed up residential construction approvals and create 100,000 new homes, by tying infrastructure investment to housing, by helping Canadians save money to buy their first home, by providing support for low-income renters and by converting surplus federal lands to affordable housing.

We will continue to be there to help with housing.

[Housing, June 20th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we continue to be there with programs and plans to address this housing crisis across the country.

Our plan is to collaborate with the municipalities, including by investing $4 billion to speed up residential construction approvals, and by creating 100,000 new housing units. We are tying infrastructure investment to housing. We are helping Canadians save money to buy their first home. We are providing help to low-income renters, and we are converting surplus federal lands to affordable housing, among other things.

We will continue that work.

[Housing, June 20th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we know Canadians are struggling with the cost of housing, whether it is a young family looking to buy their first home or a student struggling to pay the rent. That is why we have been taking action on many fronts. We are helping Canadians save up for their first home. We are investing in building and repairing more homes, including through supporting local governments to fast-track the creation of 100,000 new homes. We are providing support for low-income renters. We are also ensuring that houses are used as homes by curbing unfair practices that drive up prices, including with a foreign homebuyers ban and a federal anti-flipping rule.

We will continue to support Canadians challenged with housing.

[Democratic Institutions, June 20th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, after the partisan excesses that the other parties have been responsible for in recent months, we are here to work together with them to show that we can all take the issue of foreign interference seriously. That is why we are working with them now to determine the next steps. We have always taken this issue seriously, and we will continue to do so, regardless of the partisan games the opposition parties play if they come back to this.

[Democratic Institutions, June 20th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, after the opposition parties turned this issue into a partisan free-for-all through personal attacks against the former governor general, we offered to work with them to create a process that everyone could agree on and that would not be spoiled by acrimonious partisan debates. That is why we are currently discussing positive proposals with the different parties to find a way for everyone to take this matter seriously, as we, the government, have done from the start.

[Housing, June 20th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we are going to continue to put forward a positive vision for Canadians for the future, investing in great jobs, investing in fighting climate change and supporting families through the challenging times they are in right now. While the Conservative Party continues to promote cuts, division and anger, we are going to continue with a positive vision for the future.

[Housing, June 20th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, see how quickly he pivoted away from the disastrous by-election results they got last night.

The fact of the matter is that we are going to continue to stay focused on investing in Canadians, on putting forward a positive vision of this country that is resonating from—