Sean Fraser

[Housing, November 29th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I want to begin by thanking my hon. colleague for her advocacy, which helped secure $42.4 million for Kitchener to help the city build more homes quickly. The city is already moving on ambitious zoning reforms and changes to permitting processes that make it easier to build homes near transit, services and opportunities. It is exciting because it is moving forward with new projects, adding hundreds of social housing units for low-income families and taking part in an extraordinary initiative, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, to build 10,000 homes at half price in the region in which the city is located.

The Conservative Party plans to cut this essential program, which will only result in—

[Housing, November 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we know that it takes investments to solve the housing crisis. We put billions of dollars on the table to help communities cut red tape, change their zoning practices and speed up permitting so they can build more homes faster. The Conservative response to this program, which is helping construction go up and rents come down, is to advocate for cuts to communities, including cuts in communities represented by 68 Conservative members of Parliament.

We are going to put money on the table to help cities build homes more quickly. It is a shame that Conservative members of Parliament will not even stand up for the communities they represent to get their fair share of this important funding.

[Housing, November 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her advocacy on behalf of the community she represents.

We are putting billions of dollars on the table to help cities cut red tape, change their zoning practices—

[Housing, November 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, honestly, it is hard to accept the Conservative Party's question, because we have signed an agreement with la belle province, Quebec, to build more than 8,000 affordable housing units with a major investment of $1.8 billion. This agreement is a success.

The Conservative Party's position is to scrap the agreement and scrap the program that supports the construction of affordable housing, which is unacceptable. The question is not acceptable and neither is the position.

[The Economy, November 25th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the difference between the Liberals and Conservatives in question period is that I do not need to have my notes in front of me to actually speak in the House.

The Conservatives are being rewarded in caucus when they repeat their slogans in the House but not when they defend their communities at home. The hon. member will not even admit that his community would be better off receiving money for housing. He stands up and votes against measures once, twice and three times to deny tax breaks to families in his community.

We are going to be here to support working families. I wish that the Conservatives would join us for once.

[The Economy, November 25th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is as though we are playing bingo, with the number of slogans that are being read off, and people cannot take their eyes off the sheet.

This is from a recent article on Conservatives talking about their own leader: “If you repeat the slogans, you get rewarded.... You are celebrated in front of the entire caucus for being a good cheerleader”.

The difference between us and them is that I do not have to hold—

[The Economy, November 25th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, a working-class Canadian voting for the Conservatives would be like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders. Members should think about that.

We want to build an economy that works for everybody. When we raised taxes on the wealthiest 1% to cut them for nine million Canadians in the middle class, the Conservatives opposed those measures. When we stopped sending child care cheques to millionaires to put more money in the pockets of nine out of 10 Canadian families, they voted against it. Now, we are proposing to cut taxes on household items, which is going to help families and workers in this country. However, yet again, they oppose it.

I urge my colleague to drop the talking points and get over the stickers in caucus, with whatever the member is about to read, and get on with supporting households.

[Housing, November 19th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of many of the conversations that have taken place today, I will not impugn the motivations of any particular member, but I am reminded of a famous quote attributed to former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, who supposedly said, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics”.

The statistics that he is using right now dramatically misrepresent the situation. This year compared to last year, housing in my home province of Nova Scotia is up 23%. This year compared to last year, the city of Halifax is on pace to build more homes than it ever has in our history.

The plan is working. Conservatives are advocating for cuts; we will make investments.

[Housing, November 19th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, something is interesting. Over the course of the last couple of days, the few times that Conservatives have actually shown any interest in the housing file, they have manipulated statistics to try to paint a false picture. If we look at the report from CMHC that came out this week, we will see that housing starts are up this month. They are up this year due to the investments that we are making directly in communities.

What is fascinating is the member has been banned by his leader from advocating for his community. His constituents have sent him to this House, and his response is to ignore their needs and, instead, do whatever his leader asks him. That is not representation.

[Housing, November 19th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his tremendous advocacy for the city that he calls home.

The member has asked a question about the member for Toronto—St. Paul's, who, I will acknowledge, is a new member, but I have watched him in question period and when we review the tapes, we are going to see that he seems to believe the role of a member of Parliament is to mimic the slogans and talking points that he hears his leader put on the floor of the House of Commons.

While we believe the role of a member of Parliament is to advocate for their communities, he will sit idly by, supporting his leader's position to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from his city. His constituents deserve an MP who will stand up to his leader and stand up for his city.