Jennifer McKelvie
Ajax, Ontario · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to share the good news that the build Canada homes act, Bill C-20 , has just passed the Senate. This is another great initiative we have under way to bring down the cost of housing and, in particular, rent.”
“Mr. Speaker, there is some good news. I would like to point out that housing starts are 3% higher than in the same period last year. Completions have increased by 10%, meaning more homes are being finished. We are seeing growth in places like B.C., Ontario and Montreal. New construction is up by about 18%.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to start by thanking all our partners in housing, the municipalities, provinces, indigenous communities, planners, builders and everybody else who is working together, because the trends are indeed moving in the right direction. Housing starts are up, housing sales are up, and rents are down.”
“These federal funds would be transferred to provinces and territories to be used exclusively for measures that increase housing supply, including but not limited to reducing development fees or levies on new home construction and making incremental investments in provincial and territorial programming already in place to spur housing deve…”
“A tangible example of this is a recent agreement with the Province of Ontario that reflects our commitment to help municipalities reduce development charges by 30% to 50% or more. These types of costs directly affect whether housing projects move forward.”
“In response, our government remains focused on solutions and on doing the hard work to support our communities, our industries and Canadians. The current government was elected on a strong mandate to build, and a key area of focus for the Prime Minister and our whole caucus is easing the housing crisis.”
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“Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for caring about community safety. I think everyone in this House stands united in caring about safety and ensuring the communities we serve are safe. Our government does take this issue very seriously. I signed up to run because it was a commitment of this government to address bail reform and strengthen our borders. Right now before us, we have Bill C-2 , which is giving law enforcement the tools it has been asking for. Our government has already made an initial investment of 1,000 additional RCMP officers and 1,000 additional border services agents. In addition, we will be bringing forward comprehensive legislation on bail reform that I am very much looking forward to and that I am sure Canadians are very much looking forward to. Importantly, it has been—”
“Once the provision comes into force, CSC will begin proactively contacting these additional victims to explain their rights and offer services that may be helpful to them. To prepare for this change, CSC is currently working with all provinces and territories to establish information-sharing arrangements. I am thankful for the opportunity to share the great work of CSC with everyone here today.”
“CSC presently has over 9,000 victims who are registered to receive information about the offender who harmed them, as well as tens of thousands of contacts with victims. To ensure that all victims have access to the information they are entitled to receive, CSC continues to raise awareness about its program. To further reach additional victims who may want to receive information from CSC, Bill S-12 , which was passed into law, will require courts to inquire whether a victim wishes to receive information about an offender and their progression throughout the course of the sentence. Courts will also forward the name and contact information to CSC for any victim who wishes to receive such information.”
“The program has adopted a victim-centred, trauma-informed approach as the basis for its interactions with victims and survivors of crime. This demonstrates CSC's commitment to acknowledging the harm done to victims of crime, validating their concerns and providing them with the information they need to uphold their right to protection. CSC encourages victims to provide a victim statement related to the continued impact the crime, incarceration and release of the offender have had on their life. These statements can include relevant information about the offender, along with any safety concerns the victim may have, requests for conditions and the location of the offender. This is the principal way victims exercise their right to participation within the corrections and conditional release process. It is important that we support them.”
“CSC, as well as the Parole Board of Canada, is committed to ensuring that victims of federal offenders have an effective voice in Canada's criminal justice system. CSC has a national victim services program to provide services to victims and survivors of crime, which centres on an exchange of information intended to assist victims in two important ways. First, it gives victims a voice at a time when their well-being and dignity may have been undermined. This can help them regain a sense of control over their life and restore their confidence in the justice system and in society as a whole. Second, the information victims receive may assist them in pursuing their life in the aftermath of the tragic circumstances they have experienced.”
“To ensure better protection of the public, parole officers work with and share information with police agencies to assist in enhancing each offender's ability to reintegrate into the community as a law-abiding citizen, while ensuring public safety. If the risk an offender poses is assessed to be too high, necessary actions will be taken in a timely manner to address problems that could lead to potential harm to community members. This approach includes intervening and supervising offenders effectively so they are less likely to violently reoffend, as well as exploring options to enhance supervision and community partnerships. One last area of the criminal justice system I would like to reflect on is victims and the government's commitment to upholding their rights to information, protection, participation and restitution.”
“The rate for violent offenders returning to federal custody for new violent offending has not surpassed 0.5% over this time frame. To promote safer communities, CSC strives to gradually release and safely reintegrate federal offenders through structured community supervision, and it works with criminal justice partners to ensure that this goal is met. CSC has improved safety and security by enhancing its intelligence capabilities and capacity through dedicated officers who participate in release planning and consult with staff on supervision strategies for offenders in relation to risk assessments.”
“Such training results in both technical and transferable skills that are needed in the Canadian labour market; the goal of training is to provide offenders with knowledge and skills that are transferable to many community workplaces. It is really important to remember that when it comes to criminal justice policies, we will continue to be guided by evidence. Research shows that our communities are best protected when, rather than being released at the end of their sentence with no controls or supports, an offender is gradually reintegrated into society through supervised release. I will highlight some statistics to demonstrate this success. (1740) In terms of parole, since 2015 and 2016, 99% of day parole supervision periods for violent offenders have not ended in a return to custody for new offending.”
“Offenders who are employed in the community were almost three times less likely to have their release revoked for a new offence than those who were not employed. To further these successes, vocational certifications, essential skills training and employability-related training are all available at all federal institutions, in addition to CORCAN-operated on-the-job training sites, which are at 36 federal correctional institutions across the country and seven community-based operations. Furthermore, the service provides apprenticeship opportunities to offenders through on-the-job training assignments in all institutions, as well as during transitional employment in community industries.”
“Further to correctional programs, I would also like to discuss another one of CSC's notable programs that effectively supports offender reintegration, which is CORCAN. This program works to successfully contribute to a safe environment, both in our federal institutions and in the community. One way that our government is working to enhance public safety is by providing offenders with employment and employability interventions and services, including on-the-job and vocational training. This allows them to gain experience and the skills they need to become productive, law-abiding citizens and skilled workers when they return to community. We have seen several research documents, dating back to 2014, that have noted a connection between employment and positive reintegration results.”
“All correctional programs are delivered by qualified, trained and certified correctional program officers and indigenous correctional program officers, and the service applies ongoing measures of quality control to ensure that correctional programs are delivered as designed. To be fully effective, CSC provides correctional follow-up services to offenders who complete institutional correctional programs as part of a consistent continuum of care throughout the correctional process. This aftercare often includes participation in institutional and/or community maintenance programs. When looking at all correctional program streams combined, men who completed the programming had lower rates of any revocation during their first release than eligible non-participants, at 23% versus 41%.”
“I want to acknowledge the tremendous work of correctional staff, who assist offenders by identifying problematic behaviours and attitudes and by targeting risk factors related to their criminal behaviour. One way CSC works to reduce recidivism is through the provision of correctional programs for offenders under its care. CSC's correctional programs are empirically based interventions grounded in structured behavioural, social learning and cognitive approaches. Offenders are referred to correctional programs at an intensity matched to their level of risk. Research demonstrates that this enhances program effectiveness. CSC offers a broad range of correctional programs to offenders in institutions and in the community, addressing multiple types of criminal offending in a comprehensive and integrated manner.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith . Today, I am here to rise in the House and speak to the motion introduced by the member for Battle River—Crowfoot . We all know that protecting the safety and security of Canadians in our communities and upholding the rights of victims remain top priorities for our government. The Correctional Service of Canada works to keep Canadians safe and support and assist federal offenders in their journey to becoming law-abiding citizens by promoting rehabilitation and safe reintegration. Research has found that their programs and services work to reduce the rates of recidivism.”
“Under the ministry of housing and infrastructure and our minister 's leadership, and through “build Canada homes” and other federal investments, such as the affordable housing fund and the co-operative housing development program, we are building up Canada's housing supply like never before and building Canada strong.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada recognizes that every person in Canada deserves a place to call home. That is why we have launched an ambitious plan to unlock private investment, cut red tape and build housing at a scale and speed this country has not seen in decades. That is what we brought to Canadians in April. That is what we were elected to do. We are working together with all our partners to use every tool available to get the job done. From concept to construction, the Government of Canada is increasing the pace of homebuilding to build the homes we need and lower costs for Canadians.”
“We are investing in purpose-built rental supply through the apartment construction loan program, and we are launching the Canada rental protection fund to help community housing providers acquire housing, preserve existing rental stock and keep rent stable over the long term. In addition, we are strengthening investments in community housing through the affordable housing fund, which is helping to build and repair thousands of deeply affordable homes across the country. We have also launched the co-operative housing development program, which is the largest investment to build new co-op housing in the last 30 years. This is how we deliver for Canadians. This is how we build resilience. This is how we build Canada strong.”
““Build Canada homes” will catalyze a new housing industry using Canadian innovation, Canadian workers and Canadian lumber to build homes by Canadians for Canadians. We are also supporting first-time homebuyers with targeted financial measures by eliminating the goods and services tax, GST, on homes valued at or under $1 million, and by reducing the GST for homes up to $1.5 million. We are lowering upfront costs and therefore making it more affordable for young Canadians to enter the housing market. Combined with tools like the tax-free first home savings account, we are making it easier to save for a down payment and achieve the dream of home ownership. In addition to these measures, we are making historic investments in new housing all across Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, we agree that Canadians deserve safe and affordable housing that meets their needs. That is why the Government of Canada has put together an ambitious housing plan that will take bold action to unlock private investment, cut red tape and lower the cost of homebuilding across the country. We are committed to doubling the current rate of construction to 500,000 homes per year. We know rising construction costs, labour shortages and the increasing cost of materials are barriers to building. That is why we are changing how we build and are creating “build Canada homes”. This new, lean, mission-driven federal entity will accelerate the development of new affordable housing. It will invest in the growth of the prefabricated and modular housing industry and will provide significant financing to affordable home builders.”
“Madam Speaker, I was wondering if the member could outline some of the measures that would help with affordability, especially for families. We heard loud and clear, during the last election, that this was an important issue, and I am sure that is reflected in this budget. Maybe he could summarize some of those measures for us.”
“Madam Speaker, the act before us, the one Canadian economy act, seeks to break down internal trade barriers within our beautiful, great country and also advance national infrastructure projects. I am wondering if we can count on the member's support.”
“Mr. Speaker, I joined the government because we have a credible plan for affordable housing. We are building on the past success of the government in that regard. Our first measure includes a cut to the GST for new homeowners. We are also looking to launch “build Canada homes”, and we will be working alongside our municipalities to decrease development charges while making sure that municipalities remain whole.”
“Today, many of Ajax's streets are named after veterans who served on HMS Ajax , and it is home to innovative businesses, the historic Pickering Village, the St. Francis Centre for Community, Arts and Culture, and beautiful green spaces. I wish Ajax a happy 70th anniversary.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise in this great House for the first time representing the beautiful community of Ajax, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. I want to thank the residents of Ajax for placing their trust in me, and I want to thank my family and volunteers for their support. I also want to recognize my predecessor, the hon. Mark Holland, for his many years of service. We wish him well. As Ajax celebrates this milestone, we recognize its place in history and its vibrancy today. The area was home to Defence Industries Limited, the largest shell-filling plant in the British Commonwealth during World War II. With a new name needed for the town, a competition was held among its employees, and they selected the name Ajax after one of the ships that defeated the German battleship Graf Spee near Uruguay in 1939.”