Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to answer that question because our country and our families depend on these investments and this is one way to get more families, men and women back into the workforce. We all know we have labour shortages. We need to get people back to work and we all know child care is very expensive.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, welcome to the chair. It is my first opportunity to speak and see you sitting there, so it is lovely to see you sitting there. I thank my colleague. When I was a minister and a member of the provincial Nova Scotia legislature, I was so proud when the Prime Minister and the current Minister of Immigration and some members of the legislature of Nova Scotia attended my riding to make the very important announcement on child care.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Parkdale—High Park. I want to acknowledge that I am standing on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people. Since this is the first real opportunity I have had to speak, I feel it is important to begin with some acknowledgements.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, on the doorsteps in Halifax West, I heard loud and clear that housing was a pressing issue for my constituents. According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, the average cost of a home increased by about 20% in Nova Scotia in the past year. This is a big challenge, especially with the impressive growth in my riding.