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. Speaker, we are focused now, in this new government, on delivering housing. We are going to deliver the housing that Canadians elected us to deliver. We ran on the commitment to have the most aggressive housing plan the country has ever seen, and we are going to deliver on that plan.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are going to deliver the homes that are put forward in that plan. We are also going to use lands across Canada to build more affordable housing. Our goal is to roll out more affordable housing than this country has ever seen before in the years ahead, and we expect the support of the members opposite. This is going to be a partnership across Canada, on federal lands, with our community partners.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will caution the member opposite that there are no wrong places to build housing in Canada. We are focused on building housing across this country. We are focused on building affordable housing across this country. The reason there are new ministers here like me is for our new plan to deliver affordable housing all across Canada in communities that need it.”
“Mr. Speaker, those units remain under development. They will be developed. They will be built. Those homes will be delivered as promised. We would appreciate the support of the other members of the House for all of these housing initiatives going forward, of which we have many. We have the most robust housing agenda in the history of this House. We expect robust support for that plan.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am very honoured to be here as the new housing and infrastructure minister and to go forward with initiatives that will deliver affordable housing across Canada. We will look for the support of the members opposite. We will look for partnerships with all levels of government to deliver that. We will use all the tools of the federal government to deliver with “build Canada homes”. We have a lot of opportunities ahead of us. We have to stay focused and work together.”
“Mr. Speaker, we have a great opportunity here to build housing. When we look at the pathetic performance of former housing minister Pierre Poilievre, who delivered six affordable housing units in one year and zero in the city of Vancouver, where I was serving, that is a record that is deplorable. It is a record that this government will never repeat. We are focused on building big.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am new to this place and thankful for the opportunity to be here. This new government is focused on moving forward and building affordable housing using the federal lands we can make available and partnering in good faith with mayors, premiers and chiefs to work in partnership and in synergy with all levels of government to leverage federal lands. We will do that.”
“Mr. Speaker, the government is taking action on delivering affordability. We have done that with a tax cut for 22 million Canadians. We have done that with a cut to the GST for first-time homebuyers. We will continue to do that with actions throughout this year, and we expect the members opposite to support this. This is a new voice. Suddenly, there is concern from the Conservatives, who never voted for affordable housing and never supported a single initiative on affordable housing.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am, frankly, not surprised to hear the confusion on the other side of the House when they put the words “affordable” and “housing” together. We are taking action on it. Though the federal government does not control the price of housing, we want to see the overall cost of housing come down. That is why we are investing in local partnerships with cities across Canada to bring development cost charges down for housing and deliver affordability.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have to say it is refreshing to hear the members opposite care about affordable housing, because they never did anything about it. That made life very difficult for mayors, premiers and housing ministers across the country, who saw no support for 10 years from the members opposite and their government. We are taking action. We are committed to scaling up that action with “build Canada homes” and direct action in the weeks and months ahead.”
“Mr. Speaker, the government has been very clear about our plan for housing, the most ambitious plan for housing in Canadian history, and that is “build Canada homes”. It is moving forward on concrete actions that will save people money. We are going to take action for multi-unit residential buildings that we hope the members opposite will support in the fall to increase rental supply. We are going to take action across the board, particularly on affordable housing, and we expect support in this House.”
“Mr. Speaker, the government is committed to taking action on housing. That is why we have rolled out the GST break for first-time homebuyers, saving them $50,000 on up to a $1-million purchase. That is why we have rolled out a tax break for 22 million Canadians to help them afford housing. We are taking action, and we will continue to take action at a pace that I hope the members opposite will support us on.”
“Madam Speaker, I urge the member opposite to check the facts. The year-to-year housing starts are up across Canada. We are building more than ever before. We need to scale that to the next level, though. That is why this government ran on a commitment to build up to 500,000 homes a year across Canada. In 10 years, we have to scale up to that level, and that means cranking up a whole new industry on modular and off-site construction. We have to build faster, cheaper and greener across Canada to deliver the homes that Canadians need. That is what we are committed to.”
“Madam Speaker, as I have said numerous times in this House, there is a real focus on this side of the House on ensuring that young Canadians have an opportunity for home ownership. That is why we brought in the GST break for first-time homebuyers, $50,000 for homes up to $1 million, and a GST break up to $1.5 million in the markets that are higher priced. We are delivering a break for first-time homebuyers. We are also focused on scaling up “build Canada homes”, which will build homes that are needed at the prices that are affordable for young people across Canada in these years ahead.”
“Madam Speaker, this new government is focused on rolling out the most ambitious affordable housing plan that Canada has ever seen. We expect the members opposite to support this. They have raised many questions on this issue. Clearly, they are keen to support our initiatives to scale up affordable housing across Canada with the “build Canada homes” initiative. We look forward to that support. It is time to build.”
“Mr. Speaker, the new government is taking action on housing affordability with a GST cut for new homebuyers. We appreciate the support around the House for that initiative to make housing more affordable, but we are going to go a lot further than that. We have to revolutionize how we build housing in this country, with modular, off-site construction to make our industry more efficient and to deliver housing faster, greener and cheaper.”
“Mr. Speaker, contrary to Conservative disinformation, housing starts are up across the country right now. We are seeing both a year-over-year increase in housing starts and certainly a large increase over when the leader of the Conservative Party was the housing minister. We are going to take this forward with the most ambitious housing plan that has ever been seen in Canada. We are going to build affordable housing across this country.”
“Mr. Speaker, homelessness is a huge challenge right across the country. We face a huge challenge in tackling it with affordable housing. We need to be working with the cities, towns and indigenous communities to make sure we are delivering. There is a reason we have a new government here, with a new cabinet, that is focused on building Canada and focused first and foremost on building affordable housing for the people who need it the most.”
“Mr. Speaker, there is a reason we have a new Prime Minister and a new housing and infrastructure minister who are here to serve and here to scale up building affordable housing across Canada. Based on the experience I have had at city and provincial levels, I am here to deliver. Canada is facing a housing crisis. This government is committed to a leadership role, working with all of our partners, every level of government, and private and non-profit sectors to bring down the cost of housing. This is going to stimulate our economy. We are building one Canadian economy in the face of the tariff threats. We have to leverage the economic activity we see in the housing sector and make that a critical part of our economic growth to be the fastest-growing economy in the G7.”
“These initiatives are on top of other actions the Government of Canada is taking to make home ownership more affordable now, like eliminating the GST for first-time buyers of homes under $1 million, this is $50,000 savings, and lowering the GST on homes between $1 million and $1.5 million. These measures will help lower the upfront costs for Canadians who are entering the housing market in these weeks and months ahead. We will see that opportunity for many new homebuyers, as well as these longer-term actions to scale up and double the rate of construction across Canada.”
“Through “build Canada homes”, we will also support the adoption of innovative modular and prefab technologies that can help speed up construction, improve productivity and reduce the cost of building homes, in order to really stimulate a more dynamic homegrown industry here in Canada. “Build Canada homes” will also provide predictable funding for affordable home builders. This will add to the existing initiatives like the housing design catalogue, which provides standardized, region-specific designs for homes, including row houses, fourplexes and accessory dwelling units, or laneway homes as we call them, to make it easier and faster for communities to boost the supply and support densification.”
“We are driving supply up to drive costs down and make housing more affordable and accessible for Canadians. For 10 years, Conservative governments did nothing on this. I was the mayor of Vancouver for seven of those years, and the Conservative government delivered zero affordable housing in my city. A key piece of this effort going forward, though, is creating “build Canada homes”. This is the new entity that will take the federal government even farther into the housing game. “Build Canada homes” will work with all of our partners to help streamline development timelines, leverage public lands and reduce the financial barriers to build truly affordable homes for low- and middle-income Canadians.”
“This government is playing a leadership role in that effort, building one Canadian economy and taking bold action to solve Canada's housing crisis. We are using every tool at our disposal to build homes at a scale and speed that has not been seen for decades. That includes investing in a homegrown building industry that employs Canadian workers, invests in Canadian businesses and supports the adoption of innovative, made-in-Canada building technologies like off-site construction. This government is changing the way homes get built in this country by enhancing our domestic housing manufacturing capacity. We lag far behind many other countries around the world. We need to create jobs and build a sustainable industry in this country for the longer term at this greater scale.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are the only party that has recognized the urgent need to address the housing crisis and put forward a credible plan to address it. We will make housing more affordable by doubling the pace of construction across Canada with a housing plan that will get government back into the business of building. We will cut tape so bureaucracy is not getting in the way of homes being built at any level of government, and create new careers in the skilled trades to produce all of this extra housing. Addressing this issue means we need to work with all orders of government and with the private and non-profit sectors to pull in the same direction toward building more homes faster and ensuring every Canadian has a place to call home.”
“Mr. Speaker, we have a number of action steps in play right now, as I have answered repeatedly in the House. We are going to take action on a cut to the GST for new homebuyers, as well as to take action on reducing income taxes for 22 million Canadians. These are affordability measures that are for right now, and “build Canada homes” is on the way in to bring us a huge number of new affordable homes. I hope the members opposite will support these efforts.”
“Mr. Speaker, I think Canadians spoke loud and clear in electing members of this side of the House to deliver on housing. This government, our new government, has put forward the most aggressive plan to build affordable housing this country has ever seen, and it starts today with a break on GST for new homebuyers.”
“Mr. Speaker, our housing challenges have built up over several decades, and there is certainly the decade of inaction from the Conservative government. We are taking action. The new Government of Canada is focused on delivering on housing, with up to 500,000 housing starts. This is using every tool in the tool box, starting with a break on GST and starting with the important moves we are making to create “build Canada homes”.”
“Mr. Speaker, the member opposite will have an opportunity to support a GST cut for first-time homebuyers, which is in front of us right now. We look forward to his support on that and giving new homebuyers a $50,000 break on their purchases up to $1 million. We look forward to his support on that and his support on the cut to income taxes for 22 million Canadians so they can afford housing.”
“Mr. Speaker, the government is very focused on affordable housing. We look forward to working with all members of this House to deliver, from the new Government of Canada, affordable housing for the affordable end of the spectrum, from supportive housing to social housing and co-op housing. We need to focus where the need is greatest. That is where we will focus. We will work with the private sector to help deliver on market housing and rentals, but the stress has to be on the most affordable housing for those who need it.”
“Mr. Speaker, hearing this concern from across the floor gives me confidence that the members opposite will support a GST cut for first-time homebuyers. I hope that the same support will also extend from the members opposite to partnerships with cities, communities, indigenous communities, and provinces and territories. We will be good partners as a federal government and deliver affordability measures to make housing affordable in Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, the member opposite seems to be ignoring the fact that there is a GST break coming for new homebuyers of $50,000. This is nothing that was introduced by the members opposite. There were no measures like this. When I was the mayor of Vancouver for seven years, there was no GST break from the then government. The inaction by members opposite has led us into this crisis. The current government will get us out of it.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for giving me an opportunity to highlight the importance of our GST cut for first-time homebuyers. We will be moving forward with a GST cut of up to $50,000 on homes worth up to $1 million. This is a huge opportunity for new homebuyers, in addition to the income tax break that we are giving to 22 million Canadians. Those are affordability measures that will help first-time homebuyers.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the voters in Don Valley North for electing my colleague to this House. We will get hundreds of thousands of new homes built, with more affordable homes across Canada, and double the share of non-market affordable housing in this country by starting up “build Canada homes”, a new entity that will build affordable homes at scale across Canada utilizing public land and even existing structures. We will be cutting municipal development charges, working with municipalities to bring down those costs as well, and much more.”
“Mr. Speaker, getting affordable homes built in Canada means partnership and collaboration across all levels of government: the federal government, provinces and territories, cities and indigenous communities, to face the challenges we have on the ground in communities. For seven of my 10 years as mayor, it was a Conservative government that did nothing for affordable housing across Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, I served for 10 years as mayor of Vancouver on the front lines of a housing crisis. Cities, as many mayors and councillors here in Ottawa this week know, do not have the tools, the finances or the jurisdiction to solve a housing crisis. That is why I am here now: so the federal government can implement changes to make housing more affordable at a scale not seen in generations.”
“Mr. Speaker, the government is taking action to put more money in Canadians' pockets by cutting their taxes right now. We expect the support of the members opposite to ensure that Canadians can afford more housing options because they have more money in their pockets. It is simple math that may be difficult for the Conservatives across the aisle to comprehend, but cutting taxes on GST for first-time homebuyers and income tax delivers more affordability.”
“Mr. Speaker, I say to the member opposite that we have real challenges with housing across this country, and we have to address the affordability. We also have to tackle the trade war we face with the United States. The tariffs are having an impact on Canadians. They are impacting affordability. They are impacting our markets. That is why I applaud the actions of our Prime Minister and our ministers in addressing the challenges we face with the U.S., growing the Canadian economy and ending this trade war.”
“Mr. Speaker, again, I will caution the members opposite against insulting local government officials who are here in Ottawa this week to partner with the federal government. The only way we get housing built in this country is with alignment with the provinces, territories and local and indigenous governments. We need to work in partnership and collaboration to deliver housing for Canadians that they can afford.”
“Mr. Speaker, we have good news coming with the GST cut for first-time homebuyers. We are seeing a stall in the market as people wait for that cut. We hope the members opposite will support the cut to the GST. We are also going to focus on building more housing on the affordable end of the spectrum. That is what the young people of Canada need. That is what we need to deliver in this House for the people of Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, the critical piece that we need to invest in is more affordable housing across Canada right now, and we are doing that by delivering a GST cut for new homebuyers. We are doing that by reducing the cost of housing through development cost charges. We are working in partnership with local governments to deliver that. We also have to be sure we build more affordable housing for young people and those most vulnerable across our country.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are spending many days this week with mayors and councillors from across the country at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities meeting. I would caution members opposite against insulting our local government officials, who we are partnering with to deliver results on the ground. We will deliver cuts to the GST for first-time homebuyers. We are going to see a $50,000 savings for first-time homebuyers delivered by this new government.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is not about reducing the value of an individual's home or a senior's home. The member may wish to force seniors to sell their homes for less, but we are going to focus on building more affordable housing and delivering a cut to the GST for first-time homebuyers.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to be here. [ English ] I want to, first of all, thank the people of Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby for giving me the opportunity to represent them here. On the issue of affordability and affordable housing, first, I am very proud to be part of a government that is committed to cutting taxes from day one here in the House. I am also looking forward to pursuing the most ambitious affordable housing plan in the history of Canada, delivering a GST cut to first-time homebuyers and ensuring we bring the development costs down in—”