Affordable Housing and Groceries Act  Madam Speaker, I think it would be good if the government did its research before announcing these kinds of measures. Yes, I think it is important for us to have that information. It seems as though this was decided very quickly, perhaps at a caucus meeting where people were unhappy and asked the government to do something about the housing crisis.

Affordable Housing and Groceries Act  Madam Speaker, the member for Winnipeg North is absolutely right that obviously it takes a lot of different kinds of organizations to properly attack the housing crisis and get a handle on it. I am very familiar with Habitat for Humanity. I have had the pleasure of volunteering on some Habitat projects.

Affordable Housing and Groceries Act  Madam Speaker, everyone knows that times are really tough for Canadians. Housing and grocery prices are higher than ever and continue to rise. There is a real need for the government to intervene and adopt public policies to try to create circumstances in which those prices are more affordable for Canadians.

Affordable Housing and Groceries Act  Madam Speaker, we know that not enough new social housing is being built. However, is it not also true that one of the most serious problems surrounding the housing crisis is the loss of existing social housing? Does my colleague think that creating an acquisition fund for non-profit organizations could help slow or even stop the loss of social housing?

Affordable Housing and Groceries Act  Mr. Speaker, New Democrats are very aware of the fact that we need non-market solutions, as well as market solutions, in order to address the housing crisis. The minister, in her remarks, mentioned three planks of the government's housing plan: a tax-free savings account for down payments; the housing accelerator fund, which talks a little bit about affordability but does not talk about social housing or make affordability a requirement of the program; and this bill's GST measure.

Allegations Against Government of India  Mr. Chair, yesterday when I heard the Prime Minister's remarks in the House, my thoughts first went to people back home in Winnipeg. I think of folks I see in the community, folks I see when I visit Guru Nanak Darbar and folks at the Khalsa Diwan Gurdwara. I wondered how that news would be received back home in the community.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regard to the $1.2 billion in budget 2022 allocated to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA): (a) which tools and resources have been added to expand audits of larger entities and non-residents engaged in aggressive tax planning; (b) what is the total number of new staff added to help with the audits in (a); (c) what is the year-over-year increase in investigations and prosecutions as a result of this investment; (d) what efforts have been made to expand the CRA’s educational outreach; and (e) what is the total amount invested for the purposes of (d)?

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to the government’s research and analysis on policies and programs that could reduce the poverty rate for children, since fiscal year 2014-15: (a) what reports, studies, or analyses have been done on implementing a guaranteed livable income; (b) of the reports in (a), what studies incorporated the Canada Emergency Response Benefit or the Canada Recovery Benefit; (c) what were the conclusions of each report listed in (b); and (d) which jurisdictions were included in the government’s review of existing basic income projects to help reduce child poverty?

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to the timeline of the government’s negotiations concerning the NextStar Energy battery plant in Windsor, Ontario: (a) on what date did the government enter into negotiations with Stellantis to ensure this facility would provide good paying jobs to workers; (b) what are the details of all agreements reached between Stellantis and the government that were made prior to May 15, 2023, including the (i) date the agreement was made, (ii) obligations of the government, (iii) document title or reference number, if the agreement was in writing; and (c) did the government have an agreement in writing with Stellantis prior to August 16, 2022?

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's regulations concerning amortizations periods for new mortgages: (a) what reports or analyses has the government conducted concerning increasing the amortization period up to 30 years; (b) what recommendations did the reports in (a) make; (c) does the government believe that increasing amortization periods to 30 years would make buying a new home more affordable; and (d) does the government intend to introduce legislative changes to increase amortization periods?

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, yes, that is a fact, and it has been done by Liberal and Conservative governments. In fact, it was a key election commitment of the sitting Prime Minister that he would not do this anymore. I think the running tally between Liberal and Conservative governments by 2015 of what had been raided out of the employment insurance account was about $63 billion or so.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, it is an important opportunity to correct the record. We are not against private developers creating new housing, but that is not what is going to fix the housing crisis. They have been doing that for decades, and it is not helping. We have been on a track to destruction for a long time.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the member will not hear that, when it comes to the corporate tax rate. We ran on increasing the corporate tax rate, not to 30% but to 19%; I think that was the latest platform commitment. We have been very clear about that. This is still well below the OECD average, so it is hardly a high-water mark when it comes to fair taxation of large corporations.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will not do that today, but we have been very clear that the day may come. We heard a Liberal member talking before about inflation and the hardship that Canadians are experiencing because of that. Any time they talk about this, they start listing the things that the NDP made them do, including the GST rebate, dental care, action on child care and pharmacare.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I think that there is always a danger of seeing something like that when we work in teams. I also think that it is possible to have a genuine partnership between the provinces and the federal government. It is a matter of how the programs are implemented and how involved the provinces are in the decisions surrounding how the program will be implemented in their jurisdictions.