Gregor Robertson
Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby, British Columbia · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, the member opposite well knows that I have appeared before HUMA a number of times to talk about the initiatives we have, as a government, to get affordable housing going, to get Build Canada Homes up and running as a Crown corporation so that it can drive the pace in getting affordable housing built. I have been at HUMA.”
“Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to our predecessors here in the House, there is about 40 years of history of the Government of Canada's neglecting to invest enough in affordable housing. That is what has created the housing crisis today. It has been built up over decades by governments of all stripes.”
“Mr. Speaker, I agree with the member. The importance of getting this done is urgent. Really, the example in Ontario is what we are working with. It shows the difference this can make on the ground for the housing market, homebuyers and home builders in Ontario, who need to get going on building more supply.”
“Mr. Speaker, we absolutely cannot forget about the important housing needs in smaller communities. Rural Canada faces many of the same challenges in terms of affordability and housing supply. Particularly in the north, housing supply is a huge challenge.”
“Mr. Speaker, well, I have a very simple question for the members opposite: Do they support working with the Government of Ontario to eliminate the HST for one year on new homes up to $1 million? This is exactly what Ontario is doing with the funding related to this housing supply bill. This is exactly what it is doing.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would say to the member opposite that we need to look at the Ontario example of how this funding is being used. The Ontario government has chosen to deploy it for eliminating the HST for this year to get its housing market going.”
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“Bill C-20. Introduction and first reading moved for leave to introduce Bill C-20, An Act respecting the establishment of Build Canada Homes . (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her concern about the challenges for co-op housing. Co-op housing is a key priority within Build Canada Homes. We will ensure that a significant portion of the Build Canada Homes funding will be targeted for stabilizing and investing in new co-op housing. As someone who has co-op housing in my riding, the most in B.C., I obviously want to make sure my constituents and those in the member's constituency and in co-ops across the country feel the strong support of the government. We are focused on delivering for co-ops.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is puzzling to hear the Conservatives saying anything about affordable housing when they have never done anything historically to support it. We have a $13-billion Build Canada Homes agency coming through and taking action, delivering with provinces, territories and cities across the country. Last week, we announced 750 homes for Nunavut, which has the biggest housing challenge in the country. We are delivering those affordable homes this year. The Conservatives need to step up to the plate, because we are knocking it out of the park on housing.”
“Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to the most aggressive investment in affordable housing in Canadian history. That starts with the first-time homebuyers' tax break of $50,000. The members opposite stalled it all through last year. We are bringing that forward and delivering it for young Canadians. We have $13 billion in this budget to deliver for Build Canada Homes, making sure we are building co-op housing and affordable rental housing, with $1 billion for supportive transitional housing to help solve the homelessness crisis.”
“Mr. Speaker, the member opposite should study the facts. The price of housing across the country is coming down. Average rents are coming down. Mortgage rates have come down. Our plan is working to deliver on affordability. We saw solid housing starts in this last year. We are focused on delivering that affordability with all types of housing across the country, in partnership with communities, provinces, territories and indigenous nations.”
“First and foremost, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his commitment to delivering for Canadians. In just 100 days, Build Canada Homes has hit the ground running, delivering real results in dealing with Canada's housing crisis. We have signed major agreements with provinces, territories and cities. We have advanced six major federal land projects. We have lined up thousands of affordable homes, with tens of thousands more coming. Shovels will be in the ground this year. In Nova Scotia alone, we are working with the province to deliver 1,430 homes faster, smarter and more affordably.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would invite that member to speak with folks on the ground in his home province of Manitoba. We are working with the Government of Manitoba to deliver affordable housing for young Canadians in Manitoba. These are unprecedented investments, through build Canada homes, on federal land. We are working with Canada Lands Company to make sure we are building and that we are giving jobs to young Canadians to build this country strong.”
“Mr. Speaker, instead of slagging generations, the Conservatives should make generational investments with this side of the House. We are focused on delivering for young Canadians. The members on the other side of the House delayed, all through the fall and into the winter, the first-time homebuyer tax break. On this side of the House, we have been pushing to do this. The Conservatives also did not vote for the first home savings account. These are tangible efforts we are making to support young Canadians, and they are being opposed by the Conservatives.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will say that members on this side, the young Canadians who represent their ridings here in the House, certainly speak to me about their priorities. They are here taking action to deliver for their fellow young Canadians. We have the first-time homebuyer tax break coming through, which will deliver up to $50,000 to young Canadians for their first home purchase. We are seeing positive trends across the country now, with rents declining over the last 12 months. That is good for young Canadians. We are delivering a groceries and essentials benefit. Young Canadians will benefit from that as well. This side of the House is delivering for young Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, the good news is that we have Build Canada Homes starting up, a one-stop shop for affordable housing, delivering housing for young Canadians in particular. The opposition can support affordable housing. It has never done it before, but it can start now. It can start helping this government deliver affordability, whether that is new homes through Build Canada Homes or bringing down rents, which we have seen drop across Canada for 30 straight months.”
“Mr. Speaker, it starts with first-time homebuyers and not obstructing bills that will deliver relief and affordability for young Canadians. That is number one. Number two, we have record annual construction in Calgary, in Montreal, in Edmonton and in Ottawa. We have housing starts that were solid last year, the fifth-best year in Canadian history. We will continue to build on that work with Build Canada Homes, which we expect the opposition's support on.”
“Mr. Speaker, the good news is that our government has brought forward the first-time homebuyers' GST break, which is up to $50,000 off their first home purchase for young Canadians. This is a new measure. It was stalled in the fall session by the opposition, unfortunately. We are ready to bring this forward. We are ready to deliver affordability for young Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Terrebonne for her question. Our government and the Government of Quebec have signed a Build Canada Homes agreement to accelerate housing construction and ensure that Quebec's priorities are met. What is more, under the agreement on the Canada housing infrastructure fund, nearly $1 billion will be used to modernize the infrastructure needed to develop new housing in Quebec. It is time to live. It is time to build together.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have some good news to share with the House. On Monday, the Prime Minister and Mayor Sutcliffe announced a new partnership with the City of Ottawa for 3,000 mixed-income and affordable homes that will be built across the city. Through this joint investment, the City of Ottawa will fast-track the construction of 2,000 units of mixed-income and affordable housing on federal lands. Build Canada Homes will be financing 1,000 affordable homes from the City of Ottawa's slate of projects. This is fantastic news, streamlining the approvals and getting homes built fast.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is rich to hear this from the party that has stalled the first-time homebuyers' GST cut since June. That is five months that the Conservatives have been stalling up to $50,000 for first-time homebuyers so they can afford their first home. It was on the floor of the House starting in June; they have been delaying it. If you want to deliver affordability for young Canadians, put your vote where your mouth is.”
“Mr. Speaker, the PBO report assumes that none of the current affordable housing programs continue. That is what would happen if the Conservative Party were in government. It has never delivered on affordable housing before, and it never will again. We are already working with provincial and territorial ministers to put together the next generation of the national housing strategy. It is a team Canada approach. We are doing the work to renew our investment in affordable housing, something the Conservatives will never do.”
“Mr. Speaker, we had a lot of engagement with the homebuilding industry, with mayors and with ministers. We have put in an enormous amount of effort. Members opposite can go out and talk to people in the community and home builders we are working with who are supporting Build Canada Homes. We have just launched and opened the portal for that. The Parliamentary Budget Officer says 87,000 homes will be built as part of this initial effort. The national housing strategy starts again in the years ensuing. It is a combination that will deliver affordable housing at an unprecedented scale.”
“Mr. Speaker, we obviously face challenges in Ontario, in the GTA in particular, around housing starts. That is exactly why we got Build Canada Homes launched. That is exactly why we are investing in affordable housing at an unprecedented scale. That is exactly why we brought forward the first-time homebuyers' GST tax cut, which members opposite have stalled since June. We need to take action. We are taking action in this House. The Conservatives are voting against action on affordable housing.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is rich for the Leader of the Opposition to speak about this. As we all know, when he was the housing minister and I was the mayor of Vancouver, he built six homes as the housing minister. That is a deplorable record. It is deplorable that the members opposite will not support a budget that has $13 billion for affordable housing, which the Parliamentary Budget Officer states will build 86,000 affordable homes. You will not vote for that. You will not support affordable housing, and that matches your historical record.”
“Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite took the time to actually read the report, he would discover that the Parliamentary Budget Officer stated this will build 86,000 affordable homes across Canada. This is the initial investment. I know it is hard for the Conservatives to understand. We are going in phases here. The initial phase is $13 billion, which they voted against in the budget. They are doing nothing to build homes, which matches the opposition leader's record in the past of six homes.”
“Mr. Speaker, this side of the House has proposed a budget that has unprecedented investment in affordable housing. The Conservative side of the House has an opportunity to support a $13-billion investment in affordable housing. Conservatives have dragged on the first-time homebuyers tax break on GST since June. That was an opportunity to save first-time homebuyers money. We are giving them opportunities to support our investment in affordability and affordable housing across Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, the good news is that the price of housing is actually coming down. We can see in the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report in October that average rents are down across Canada, the average price of housing is down, mortgage rates are down and housing starts are up. This side of the House is doing something about housing affordability; that side of the House is voting against it.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is hypocrisy to hear this from the Conservatives. All of a sudden they are concerned about affordable housing. Building starts are up across Canada this year versus last year. If we look at year to year, we are moving up. We are investing $13 billion in Build Canada Homes, which is focused on non-market housing and market housing that leverages it. We are getting no support from the Conservatives to scale up affordable housing at an unprecedented rate, and we would expect that if they are going to speak out here about it.”
“Mr. Speaker, if the Leader of the Opposition and the Conservatives actually cared about affordable housing, they would have voted for a budget with $13 billion for affordable housing. They could have voted for $1 billion to fight homelessness and build supportive housing. The Conservatives have stalled the first-time homebuyers' GST break since June. They have no credibility on affordable housing.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is standing up today for workers across Canada and for building affordable housing across Canada with BC Wood. He is standing up to reduce transportation costs across the country so BC Wood can build homes across Canada and to bring steel from central Canada to the east and west more affordably. The Prime Minister is standing up for Canadians today and we stand with him.”
“Mr. Speaker, our government is making generational investments in building the homes that Canadians need right now, and this month, Build Canada Homes took a major step in the redevelopment of sites for accelerating affordable housing in Winnipeg, in Ottawa and in Edmonton. This will add nearly 1,800 affordable homes across Canada, the housing that Canadians need. Will the Conservatives in the meantime support the first-time homebuyers' tax cut? They are stalling it, preventing first-time homebuyers from accessing $50,000 in savings.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Scarborough—Woburn for all of his hard work. We are committed to delivering a massive increase in affordable housing, starting in the GTA and all across Canada. Just last week, we made generational investments across the country to create more than 3,000 homes across Canada for Canadians, and that includes over 1,500 much-needed homes in Ontario. Those homes will give local families an opportunity to be more stable and have affordable places to live. It is time to build Canada strong.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is ignoring the year-to-date results. He is looking at month to month. He is twisting the facts. He is getting confused with the numbers. Conservatives have a tough time with numbers sometimes; we understand that. Year to date, 2025 versus 2024, we are up 5% with housing starts.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have good news for my colleague from B.C.: Budget 2025 answers the call with historic investments in affordable homes that will make a difference in people's lives, and investments in improving our roads, our transit, our public infrastructure and our community centres, hospitals and schools. With Build Canada Homes, we are closing urgent gaps and building at an unprecedented scale that brings affordability to all Canadians. Every investment is about empowering Canadians and making a difference in their lives with affordable housing and great community infrastructure.”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadians elected the new government to deliver on affordable homes and strong, connected communities, and I have good news for my colleague from B.C.: Budget 2025 answers the call with historic investments. Some hon. members: Oh, oh!”
“Mr. Speaker, the real question is, will the Conservatives support the most aggressive housing budget in Canadian history? The government is proposing the biggest investment in our history in affordable housing, putting Canadians to work to build the affordable housing we need. We are seeing unprecedented levels of housing starts. We are seeing progress in housing right now, and we are doubling up on that. We are going to build, and we expect your support on the budget in order to do more.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. Canadians need strong and resilient communities. Budget 2025 makes a generational investment in our communities with the build communities strong fund, which will support infrastructure that promotes access to housing, such as roads, drinking water, waste water treatment, health infrastructure such as hospitals, and much more.”
“Mr. Speaker, we know housing is top of mind for young Canadians, and we have heard them loud and clear. Budget 2025 delivers on affordable housing for young Canadians. It focuses on affordable housing and co-ops. It delivers on GST for first-time homebuyers. Up to 47,000 homes will see a big reduction in GST. Building all of these homes creates jobs for young people in the trades, great jobs for young Canadians. This budget delivers affordability for young Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, the new government has a very credible plan for building affordable housing. We are focused on delivering that affordable housing, with $13 billion being committed to it in the new budget. We hope the Conservatives will support this, if they care about affordable housing. However, they have voted against every affordable housing measure for 10 years now. I do not expect a lot from them, but they are raising it in the House here. Young Canadians need affordable housing. We expect their support on this budget.”
“Mr. Speaker, this government is taking action to make life more affordable for young Canadians. We are delivering on housing. If we look across the country right now, average rents are down, mortgage rates are down and home prices are going down. That is benefiting young Canadians, and we are not stopping there. We are doubling up on housing for young Canadians, making sure the first-time homebuyer tax benefits go up to $50,000, and we are going to deliver with Build Canada Homes.”
“Mr. Speaker, the government is very focused on affordable housing, in particular, non-market rental housing. We are starting with $1 billion that, with the support of the House on the budget, we can dedicate to transitional supportive housing for people who are homeless or people who are in shelters. If we get them into transitional homes and supports, they can move into permanent housing. We are focused on the tens of thousands of units of affordable rental housing that we want to build across this country. We count on the member's support in the House to do that.”
“Mr. Speaker, the hypocrisy of Conservatives is staggering. It is unbelievable to hear this kind of outrage from Conservatives, who voted against and fought against all of the affordability programs, first and foremost, housing affordability, which they have shown no support for, for decades. We are focused on delivering, and we are seeing results: Average rents are coming down, home prices are coming down, and mortgage rates are coming down. That is affordability.”
“Mr. Speaker, again, the member opposite connected the dots between housing costs and food costs. That is why the government is so laser-focused on affordable housing. We are seeing action on this. We are seeing progress to date. We have seen average rents come down across Canada. We are seeing mortgage rates coming down. We are seeing home prices coming down to make life more affordable. We are cutting taxes for 22 million Canadians and first-time homebuyers. All those measures are delivering results, and we are not stopping there.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition seems to flat out ignore the fact that the government is focused on affordability. We are focused on affordable housing, which reports outline is a critical driver for affordable food. We are taking action. Look at the trajectory we are on right now. Mortgage rates are coming down and average rents are coming down, according to the Parliamentary budget office. We are seeing progress, but we are not stopping there. Build Canada Homes will be in this budget, $13 billion of which the opposition can vote for, for affordable housing.”
“Mr. Speaker, we know Canadians urgently need more affordable housing, and Build Canada Homes is set to deliver that. We just announced, last week, the first Build Canada Homes project at Arbo Downsview, which is for 550 new homes. This project is a perfect example of how we are making real progress using innovative construction materials, prioritizing Canadian materials to build faster and smarter, and ensuring Canadians have access to affordable housing. That is just the beginning.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will restate the facts. Under the previous Conservative government, housing was completely ignored for a decade. The reinvestment has been building up, and we are taking it to the next level with a $13-billion investment in affordable housing for Canada. That includes $1 billion to focus on homelessness and supportive housing in ridings across the country where people cannot access housing. We are going to build like never before.”
“Mr. Speaker, again the facts speak for themselves. We are seeing housing starts surge in Montreal, where there was a 32% increase this past month. We are seeing it in Vancouver as well. We are seeing housing starts increase in many jurisdictions across the country. We as a new government are doubling down to make sure we are supporting builders. We are working with provinces, territories and mayors to make sure we are building affordable housing on a scale that was never embraced by the members opposite.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have news for the member opposite. He needs to check his facts. Housing starts were up in August 2025. They are up 10% over August 2024, so Canadians are building, the interest rate is dropping and the government is committed to the most aggressive affordable housing program in our history. We will see housing being built in the tens of thousands that is below-market and accessible for all Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, I know it is only the second week back, but the Conservatives are already getting the math wrong, and we need to set it straight. “Build Canada homes” will have $13 billion to invest in affordable housing across the country. We have a number of projects to launch, with 4,000 homes in six cities across the country, 700 homes in Nunavut, as I mentioned earlier, and $1 billion for supportive transitional housing. That will be roughly 5,000 homes for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. We are going to see tens of thousands of homes across Canada built. We look for members' support on the budget.”
“Mr. Speaker, to the member opposite, that is exactly why this government is committed to the most aggressive affordable housing program in our history. We need to focus on affordability. Canadians have spoken. Canadians have elected this government to deliver on affordability, with a tax cut and a focus on affordable housing. We are seeing right out of the gate that we have “build Canada homes” focusing on 4,000 homes in six cities across Canada, $1 billion in supportive housing and 700 units of housing in Nunavut. We need to scale up. We expect the Conservatives' support.”
“Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member opposite's giving me the opportunity to talk about an unprecedented $1-billion investment in supportive housing for people who are homeless or in shelters, so they can move into transitional housing, supported by health supports. We have an unprecedented investment ahead of us to make sure people can move from shelters into housing. We expect the members opposite to support that.”
“Mr. Speaker, again, I do not know why this is so confusing for the members opposite. This is a BC Ferries procurement. BC Ferries makes decisions about where it buys its ships. That decision rests with those at BC Ferries. We can do our part to invest in Canadian jobs and Canadian workers. We are focused on a buy Canada strategy, and we will deliver for Canadian workers.”
“Mr. Speaker, the opposition is twisting the facts around here. This is a BC Ferries procurement. These ferries were procured by BC Ferries, which is part of B.C. It is important to distinguish between levels of government and arm's length from government with respect to the independent decisions that were made by BC Ferries. Of course, we are all disappointed with the decision because we want to invest in Canadian jobs. We want to invest in the Canadian shipbuilding industry, and we are ramping up the initiative to build Canadian ships.”
“Mr. Speaker, like many of us in the House I was disappointed, as a British Columbian, to learn that BC Ferries had procured the ferries from offshore. The reality was that there were no Canadian bids on that procurement. That is something this side of the House is taking action on, first and foremost making sure we are supporting Canadian workers, Canadian materials and Canadian technologies. We are focused on a buy Canadian strategy, we are rolling it out, and we expect support from around the House.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will just remind the members opposite that we are focused on building affordable housing at a scale never seen before, certainly not by Conservative governments, which vacated the field on affordable housing for their decade in power. That set us back enormously. We are now building back. We are looking forward. We are going to employ Canadians in building affordable housing at a scale that is unprecedented. We expect the members opposite to support our work.”