Finance committee  Of course we're concerned about the impact of interest rate increases on families, because we understand that families are stretched and additional expenses can stretch family pocketbooks. Having said that, when we look at the mortgages that CMHC insures, which we stress test on a regular basis, our observation is that mortgage defaults are caused primarily by surges in unemployment.

Finance committee  This is a role that CMHC currently plays. When you look at the programs in the national housing strategy, many of them are in fact financing programs designed specifically to help non-profits and other affordable housing providers.

Finance committee  Thank you very much for the question. I've noticed that I've been talking all the time, so I'd like to pass the mike to our chief economist, Bob Dugan, who will be able to provide a very comprehensive response to this question.

Finance committee  That's a difficult question to answer. First of all, I can tell you that when we look at our housing programs across the country, the cost to create one unit of housing varies according to location. With our programs, it ranges anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000 per unit. Do the math: If the government were to finance that level of construction, that would be the amount of support the government would have to be able to finance.

Finance committee  Yes. Forty-seven projects have been submitted. You can find them on our website.

Finance committee  That is correct.

Finance committee  I want to highlight that this program is a program that has not been launched. It was part of, I believe, a party election platform. There was an intention to focus on that as part of the mandate letter for Minister Hussen who is the minister responsible for CMHC. It is correct that the objective of this proposed program is to provide incentives at the local level to incent housing supply and to really provide municipalities, or provinces and territories for that matter, with incentives to unblock some of the barriers to housing supply and creation.

Finance committee  Again, my answer to this is a little bit anecdotal, because CMHC doesn't have a direct view of where the funding is coming from, but there have been a number of reports issued by Canadian banks that have shown a transfer of funds from parents or grandparents to first-time homebuyers.

Finance committee  With respect to the solutions lab, you're absolutely right. The solutions lab is a program really to encourage stakeholders to look at innovative solutions to the housing problems we face in Canada. I do want to reiterate that there is no requirement by the Government of Canada or CMHC to adopt any of the proposals that come out of the lab's reports.

Finance committee  CMHC has done no work on the topic of the capital gains tax and the impact of taxation on housing. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to answer this question. My apologies.

Finance committee  The entire solutions lab is a $24.5-million program over 10 years. It's my understanding that for Generation Squeeze, I think, the amount of funding was in the range of $250,000.

Finance committee  I'm not familiar with the two-time payment. I'd have to look into that part of your question. My apologies on that.

Finance committee  At CMHC we feel that all types of housing supply are good supply. We feel that condominium buildings are great, but so are detached homes for Canadians as well. We think it's very important for CMHC, as Canada's housing authority, to provide the market with better information about the type of housing Canadians need.

Finance committee  The very short answer is that during the time you refer to, about 10% to 15% of the housing starts were social housing starts funded by the federal government, and the percentage right now is much lower. To give you a sense, 10% to 15% of say 200,000 is 20,000 to 30,000 units per year.

Finance committee  That is correct.