Question Period Note: Housing affordability and supply challenges

• Mr. Speaker, as we all learned and experienced during the COVID 19 pandemic, home is a sanctuary - a place of safety and refuge. We know housing prices are a real concern, especially for those looking to buy their first home. Addressing housing affordability is a priority for this government.

• In 2017, we made a historic move by re-engaging in housing with the first National Housing Strategy, now a 10‑year, $72+ billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home. Through the Strategy we are addressing the need for housing supply.

• In the Speech from the Throne, we made a clear commitment to additional actions. We are working with partners to build more units per year and increase affordable housing. The Government will also help families buy their first home sooner with a more flexible First-Time Home Buyer’s Incentive, a new Rent-to-Own program, and by reducing the closing costs for first-time buyers.

o Strong housing demand throughout the pandemic combined with limited supply has led to significantly higher house prices across the country.
o Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $72+ billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home.
o The NHS supports the Canadians made vulnerable, which includes women and children fleeing domestic violence, seniors, Indigenous peoples, those experiencing homelessness, people with disabilities, those dealing with mental health and addiction issues, veterans, LGBTQ2+, young adults, racialized groups including Black Canadians, and recent immigrants and refugees. 
o To help more Canadians access housing that meets their needs and they can afford, the NHS sets out to achieve bold outcomes by 2027-2028, including:
 Reducing chronic homelessness by 50%;
 Reducing or eliminating housing need for 530,000 households;
 Creating 160,000 new housing units, and repairing and renewing more than 300,000 housing units; and,
 Protecting 385,000 community housing units and expanding by another 55,000 units.

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