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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“Mr. Chair, I think there is an opportunity to build affordable housing across the country, and there are many different tools needed to do that. Certainly, Canada Lands Company manages an inventory of lands and does some building activity there. CMHC does a lot of finance and mortgage work, but there remain gaps in the system to scale up the affordable housing we need to deliver.”
“Mr. Chair, I am buoyed by this interest in “build Canada homes”. Certainly, on this side of the House, we want to make sure this effort is quick and nimble. We are focused on building these affordable homes as soon as possible, using all the tools of government.”
“Mr. Chair, I am certainly looking forward to speeding this process up. The idea with “build Canada homes” is that all the different departments and agencies of government are working in unison to deliver affordable housing across the country, leveraging federal land.”
“Mr. Chair, certainly we are looking forward to leveraging federal lands, going forward, to get a lot more housing built across Canada. Part of “build Canada homes” is to use federal lands. In this case, most of those units under development currently will be delivered in the years ahead.”
“Mr. Chair, I am clear that the members opposite have not supported any of these affordable housing programs in recent years. I hope, based on these questions, that there is going to be a change of approach here, and the members opposite will support scaling up these investments in affordable housing.”
“Mr. Chair, I have outlined the scale of investment that is happening through this department. We are talking about $16 billion of hard-working Canadians' money that is being invested in affordable housing and infrastructure. We hope to have the member's support for that.”
“Mr. Chair, on this side of the House, we are very committed to transparency. We will be tracking and working with the local governments to see how they are progressing on delivering the housing units they are rezoning for.”
“Mr. Chair, I am proud of the work the Vancouver affordable housing agency did in catalyzing thousands of units across the city. That is why I am focused now, here in the federal government, on delivering on behalf of all of Canada.”
“Mr. Chair, the department has several programs that will benefit rural, remote and indigenous communities and organizations that consider their unique needs. Examples are programs that integrate flexibilities, such as rolling intakes for smaller communities, and flexibility for indigenous recipients. Our program officials work very closely with the potential recipients to provide application support.”
“Mr. Chair, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada acknowledges the infrastructure gap in many indigenous communities that needs to be addressed. To help address that, we have many supports in our programming to ensure that indigenous communities can benefit from our programs. For example, programs have funding minimums that are dedicated to indigenous communities: higher cost shares, sometimes up to 100% for indigenous applicants; broader eligibility; and longer intakes and capacity supports during the application process. We also have programs such as the rural transit solutions fund, which are targeted toward rural and remote communities.”
“Currently, the Climate Help Desk is open and offers direct technical support to communities. Public infrastructure owners and operators responded to the inquiries on the best practices in their sectors for low-carbon and resilient infrastructure projects. This is an important partnership in which the department can answer questions about the department's climate requirements for funding programs, promoting our best practices for the infrastructure assets and providing the technical guidance, support and advice to incorporate climate-smart solutions into the projects.”
“These are massive impacts, very disruptive to community and to our economy, and we need to make sure, through the department's work, that we are encouraging the use of nature-based solutions, such as green roofs and coastal wetland restoration, to mitigate the effects of flooding, erosion and urban heat islands. We saw the unprecedented impact and loss of life in B.C. in 2021 from the heat wave. All new infrastructure investments are required to incorporate resilience guidelines, standards and codes. Our department also conducts research to develop the tools, the technologies and the guidance for public infrastructure management and to inform the code standards and specifications for climate resilience. The department has also developed a climate tool kit to support infrastructure that is more resilient to climate change.”
“Mr. Chair, resilient infrastructure does not just make good economic sense, it is critical to keeping Canadians and our communities safe. That is why we have committed almost $4 billion, through programs such as the disaster mitigation and adaptation fund, the infrastructure Canada investment program and the national infrastructure fund, to help mitigate and adapt infrastructure to the impacts of natural hazards, like forest fires and floods. More than this, we are building resilience into all of our programs to ensure that strong measures for climate resilience are the foundation of program design. The impacts are very real. We are seeing it on the prairies right now. We have seen it, from our previous conversation here, related to the floods in B.C. and the Fraser Valley in 2021.”
“That is why the government is bringing very direct and concrete links between housing and infrastructure funding. Investments will be aimed at developing complete, livable and inclusive communities that support jobs, economic productivity, environmental sustainability and enhance the quality of life in a way that really reflects the strategic long-term objectives of building climate resilience; supporting communities transitioning towards net zero, being energy efficient and clean; and helps communities identify their public infrastructure needs.”
“Mr. Chair, Canada is grappling with significant housing challenges. Housing needs vary across the country, depending on province, territory or neighbourhoods, and they are very distinct to those local needs. A collaborative approach is needed to address the current housing crisis where all the levels of government are participating. Housing and infrastructure are intertwined. They go hand in hand. The infrastructure needs to be in place in order for people to be housed there and for people to live their lives. The infrastructure needs to be in a state of good repair. We cannot build new housing or densify neighbourhoods if we do not have that base of water, sewers, transportation infrastructure, roads and transit, as well as community buildings to support the residents in place when they move in.”
“Mr. Chair, I neglected to congratulate the member on her election and her constituents for electing her here to do the good work on behalf of Oakville. As with me, she is new in the House. The federal government has a responsibility to taxpayers to ensure that their money produces results, and that means we work with the provinces, territories, local governments and third parties directly, depending on the program, whether it is supporting building a new subway station or creating a firebreak to protect against wildfires. In all cases, we work with our partners to ensure that the funding is going to the purpose intended and is achieving the results that Canadians expect.”
“Mr. Chair, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada utilizes different funding models to meet specific goals and outcomes. While, in some cases, there are allocations that are based on population, the department also deploys competitive and merit-based models, or even combined funding models, depending on what outcomes are sought. Needs for the different types of infrastructure vary across the country. Obviously, the cost of infrastructure is different in some locations, particularly in the north. There is no individual jurisdiction receiving a direct share of our department's available funding that aligns with their share of national population, but instead the funding is based on an approach that best meets the needs of the desired outcomes on housing and infrastructure.”
“Mr. Chair, that is not part of the current estimates, the budget estimates we are discussing here today. That is a commitment going forward that the government will tackle, and it hopes to have support on it from the members opposite.”
“Mr. Chair, we want all Canadians to have access to safe and secure housing. Certainly the younger generation needs more opportunities to afford homes; that is why we are doing the doubling of construction across the country.”
“Mr. Chair, the target around doubling housing construction in Canada is for the years to come. We need to scale up from the current level. The goal is to double construction across Canada, and we will use every tool we have available to us to do that.”
“Mr. Chair, the department funds provinces, territories and local governments to help them in the process of building. The government is not directly building, but we should be in the business of that going forward to make sure affordable housing is getting built.”
“Mr. Chair, the department has funded, through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, hundreds of thousands of homes in these recent years. The scale is significant, and it needs to double from here.”
“Mr. Chair, transportation infrastructure is a part of the housing infrastructure investment that happens through the department, working in partnership with provinces, territories and local governments that lay out the planning in the community scale.”
“Mr. Chair, I welcome the member. Infrastructure investments in the department are typically through provinces and territories, and their priorities are part of where that spending goes. Some of that is into roads. It is into all sorts of different infrastructure: water, waste water and transportation infrastructure.”
“Mr. Chair, at this stage, we are designing the future for “build Canada homes”. It is not an entity that exists yet, but I hope the members opposite will support the investment to scale affordable housing—”
“Mr. Chair, having one Canadian economy is really essential to meeting this moment, this great time of challenge for Canada with the unjust tariffs from the U.S. Housing is critical to our economy, and we need to scale up the housing industry across Canada to create jobs. We need to use Canadian materials and create the jobs that will turn our economy and make it stronger—”
“It was very difficult to get any support for affordable housing from the federal government. The new Government of Canada is very focused on delivering—”
“Mr. Chair, it has been a challenging time across Canada for decades. Certainly, in Vancouver during my time as mayor, we were at the very front end of what has become a housing crisis across Canada. The lack of affordability has permeated the country over several decades. That is why, with this new government, part of the reason I am standing here, elected by my constituents, is to bring out the learnings I had as a mayor, and formerly an MLA, in understanding how the system works at the city and provincial levels. I had challenges in my time working with previous federal governments that were not committed to affordable housing at the scale that was required. It was certainly the case with the Conservative governments I was dealing with from 2008 to 2015.”
“We will put all of our tools on the table and will put them to work to deliver more affordable housing for Canadians of all ages.”
“Mr. Chair, I will respond in English. [ English ] That is a very important question about making sure young people have the opportunity to find affordable housing across Canada. I will reference the largest, most ambitious housing plan that Canada has ever seen. We will see it take shape around “build Canada homes”, a new entity that will focus on scaling up construction and the building of affordable housing across Canada. It will double construction across the whole spectrum of housing, but will focus on affordable housing and tackling homelessness and the supportive social housing that is critical for that. We will also make sure that we deliver housing in the missing middle and for the younger generations so they can get into the housing market.”
“Providing a healthy supply of homes supported by resilient public infrastructure is essential to securing our future and long-term economic prosperity. The main estimates presented here today will support the department in delivering on its commitments to Canadians and addressing the housing crisis head-on. (1925) [ Translation ] I look forward to questions.”
“Our government will remove barriers to building homes through new measures such as reducing municipal development charges for multi-unit housing in communities across Canada. I want to end by highlighting one of the most important actions we will take in the coming months. Our government will create a new federal entity, “build Canada homes”, which will provide financing to affordable home builders. It will also use public lands and leverage public-private partnerships to modernize a new housing industry to lead the way on housing construction innovation and building technologies that scale up the prefabricated, off-site construction and modular housing market. The response to the challenges we face begins at home. We remain committed to building the housing and infrastructure that are the foundation of strong, affordable communities.”
“Under the disaster mitigation and adaptation fund, we have already invested around $2.5 billion to strengthen the resilience of communities against the threat of natural disasters to keep Canadians safe and local economies strong. Through these efforts, our government's programs are making tangible differences in the lives of Canadians. In the year ahead, my department will lead efforts to deliver on the most ambitious housing plan in Canadian history, a housing plan that includes infrastructure and transit and addresses the need for nation-building projects. As outlined in the Speech from the Throne, our government is committed to addressing housing affordability and working at scale to drive supply up to bring housing costs down for Canadians.”
“My department invests in structural and natural infrastructure projects that increase community resilience to natural disasters and extreme weather events. These investments are essential to protecting homes, businesses and critical infrastructure from natural disasters, which are, unfortunately, more and more frequent. In this moment, I think of all those impacted by the wildfires in the Prairies, and now in B.C. as well. I think of the impacts they will have and the impacts that natural disasters have increasingly had across Canada, whether they are floods, fires or heat waves. We have seen devastating impacts across Canada, and we need to build resilience into our communities going forward.”
“Through initiatives like the Canada public transit fund, we continue to support efficient public transit, which is vital to building strong communities prepared to meet the economic and environmental realities of the future. This is about making sure that people are connected in their communities and have access to affordable transportation. In a very real way, it opens up opportunities for jobs and opportunities available to future generations and builds vibrant economic hubs. Going forward, the public transit fund will ramp up to an average of $3 billion a year in permanent funding. This funding will respond to local needs by ensuring housing and transportation are planned together, by improving access to public transit and by supporting the development of more affordable communities.”
“Thanks to this fund, homes are being built across provinces, territories and indigenous communities. (1920) We are also making significant investments in critical water and waste-water infrastructure to support the construction of new homes through the Canada housing infrastructure fund. This is critical to doubling the rate of homebuilding in Canada. Under the housing infrastructure fund, 10 agreements have now been signed with provinces and territories, totalling almost $370 million in federal contributions, and this is just the beginning. The housing infrastructure fund will ensure the reduction of development charges, as a member questioned earlier, which are typically used for local housing infrastructure.”
“We will continue to implement programming to improve housing affordability and take action to reduce and prevent homelessness, including through measures such as the unsheltered homelessness and encampments initiative. Also, this year, we are investing $1.1 billion in the housing accelerator fund. The fund is creating better housing outcomes for Canadians by incentivizing municipalities to cut red tape and increase housing densification. The Government of Canada has already signed more than 200 agreements under the housing accelerator fund with local governments that have committed to increasing housing opportunities through zoning, streamlining, permitting and approvals. These actions are expected to support the construction of over 800,000 new homes over the next decade.”
“Given the dissolution of Parliament on March 23, the Governor General's special warrants of just over $2.75 million have been issued to cover the period from April 1 to June 29 to ensure that Canadians will continue to have access to the programs that support their communities. The department remains committed to delivering an unprecedented level of programming to support housing and infrastructure needs across the country, including by investing in essential programs such as the Canada community-building fund. This is a transfer-based program that provides stable, upfront funding to provinces and territories. In turn, they flow this funding to 3,700 communities for projects that meet local needs. In the coming year, the department will deliver $2.5 billion in Canada community-building fund funding.”
“This is to deliver on a suite of priorities. New investments announced in budget 2024 include the Canada housing infrastructure fund; funding through programs like Reaching Home, Canada's homelessness strategy; the green and inclusive community buildings program; the investing in Canada infrastructure program; and funding for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation programs, notably for the affordable housing fund, the urban, rural and northern indigenous housing strategy and the housing accelerator fund. Today, I am here to talk about how important it is that the department has the sufficient funding to fulfill its priorities and has the spending authority to cover the period until the main estimates receive royal assent.”
“This is something that everyone in this House should be able to get behind. Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada investments support affordable housing, modern climate-resilient infrastructure, better public transit, effective and reliable water and waste-water facilities and important community spaces. Reinvesting in our country and our economy in the face of an uncertain world means investing in Canadians. I think of how our programs have prevented almost 150,000 people from becoming unhoused in recent years. We will not stop here. Every person should have a safe and secure home. In the 2025-26 main estimates, the department is seeking just over $16 billion in total portfolio authorities for investments in housing; public transit; and northern, green and sustainable rural and major infrastructure projects across the country.”
“When we look around our neighbourhoods, there are homes, apartments and different sorts of housing, and they include a complex network of transit systems, active transportation, roads, water and waste-water infrastructure, cultural facilities and so much more. Our government helps build our communities and the critical infrastructure that goes with them, and I am honoured to be the minister partnering with governments at all levels to ensure that this important work gets done. Our work reaches into every community and touches every Canadian. It enables our businesses to thrive locally and globally, makes life more affordable for Canadians and helps protect our environment. Canadians know that members on this side of the House will always support infrastructure, affordable housing and building up our great nation.”
“Mr. Chair, I am thankful for this opportunity to share some remarks and thankful to my colleague for giving me the space to do that. [ Translation ] I am very pleased to be here and to have the opportunity to discuss the 2025-26 main estimates for the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, and how these investments are supporting Canadians across the country. [ English ] Housing and public infrastructure have always been and will continue to be key drivers of Canada's success as a nation. They play a vital role in building strong communities and supporting economic competitiveness, both at home and abroad. Our government is committed to unleashing our success as a nation through investment in affordable housing and nationwide infrastructure. Communities are the foundation of our country.”
“Mr. Chair, I will remind the members opposite that they have not supported a single affordable housing initiative over the past decade. That was at a time when the federal government needed to deliver more and more, working in partnership with provinces, territories and communities.”
“Mr. Chair, while I am curious as to whether the members opposite blame the mayor of Nanaimo for that housing price increase, or perhaps the premier of B.C., in this House, we all need to take responsibility for building affordable housing.”
“Mr. Chair, I have the honour of being elected to come here, representing the hard work that happens in cities, to deliver on the federal government's behalf, which is not what Conservative governments in my time were delivering.”
“Mr. Chair, the cost of the housing infrastructure can affect it, depending on the market across Canada. The market in some markets, such as Toronto and Vancouver, is much higher than the percentage-driven—”
“Mr. Chair, first and foremost, governments need to invest in the housing infrastructure, and local governments typically make that investment and recover the cost through development charges. This government is looking at helping those—”
“Mr. Chair, development cost charges in Vancouver obviously vary depending on the metro region and the municipality applying those. Typically they are cost recovery for the infrastructure required to build the homes.”
“Mr. Chair, the overall price of housing needs to come down across Canada. We need to have more affordable housing in this country. We are not talking about intervening in the market to change individual home prices; the market sets those prices. The Government of Canada should be building more affordable housing to bring the overall cost down.”
“Mr. Chair, Canada's housing crisis is definitely related to a lack of supply over many decades and also to the lack of the Government of Canada's being directly involved in building affordable supply.”