Housing  Mr. Speaker, our colleague is a former mayor, and he knows, therefore, that the affordability challenge Canadians face, whether it with respect to rent or the challenge of buying a home, is due to a lack of supply. This government recognizes that. That is why we have moved ahead to put incentives on the table for the private sector, for example, for builders, like lifting the GST on the construction of purpose-built rentals, period.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, as I have said and emphasized, the challenge of affordability with respect to housing writ large has to do with the lack of supply. When demand is high and supply is limited, we are always going to have an expensive situation. We see that with respect to housing. What this government is doing is working with municipalities to see more homes built.

Finance  Mr. Speaker, those are quite the words from the Leader of the Opposition. I remind him that, when he was responsible for housing during the Harper years, there was $300 million spent for housing, with fewer than 100 homes built. We can do the math: That is $3 million a home. That is the record of so-called fiscal responsibility on the other side.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, the member needs reminders, which is no problem. When the Conservatives were in office and the opposition leader was the so-called minister of housing—

Housing  Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, the Conservatives need reminders. The Harper government put $300 million toward housing. How many homes were built? There were less than 100. At a time when it is clear that the lack of supply has created a vast increase in the cost of rent, this government is moving forward to build more and help the private sector to do exactly that.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, if we are going to tackle the housing crisis, we have to work together and pursue agendas that are serious. This government has put forward a number of measures, for example, lifting GST on purpose-built rentals, period. That side is proposing a tax on the building of rentals for middle-class individuals and families.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, I have been a member of Parliament since 2015. From day one, that side has pursued an austerity agenda. The Conservatives want to cut the Canada child benefit. With respect to supports for seniors, they have never been there. With respect to supports for businesses during the pandemic and since, they have never been there.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, I have worked with the member for a number of years now, and I do not doubt for a moment her commitment to housing. She knows, because she voted for it, that we doubled the funding for homelessness through the reaching home initiative, and Toronto has received $290 million to combat homelessness.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, the current government was the first government in Canadian history to recognize that there is a human right to housing. We continue to act in that vein through the national housing strategy, a strategy that has resulted in 70,000 people being taken off the street; 122,000 who were very close to being homeless are no longer in that position.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, last week I had the opportunity to visit Peterborough, that member's riding, where I announced $42 million for the construction or renovation of over 1,100 units of housing. What is interesting is that the member voted against every program that made that funding possible, and then she tried to take credit for it.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, in fact, if we look at the record not just in British Columbia but also across the country, we see that the federal government has been a partner. To not-for-profit organizations that are doing the outstanding work on the ground, the result is obvious. Sixty-nine thousand people who were on the street are no longer on the street.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, the housing crisis, as we know, is underpinned ultimately by a crisis in supply or the lack thereof. What the government is doing is partnering with municipalities across the country. For federal dollars, municipalities have the chance to build more. In London, for example, 2,000 more units of housing will be built in exchange for a $74-million investment.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, an example of recklessness is the Conservatives' record on housing. There was $300 million spent when they were in power on housing, and less than 100 homes were built. What is also reckless is the fact that they would abandon municipalities that want to build more homes.

Claude Pensa  Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour the life of Londoner Claude Pensa, who sadly passed away recently at the age of 93. The proud son of Italian immigrants, he never forgot his roots, and his family was incredibly proud of him as a result. They are also proud of him for practising the law for 57 years, namely at the firm he co-founded, Harrison Pensa.

Seamus Grew  Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour the life of Seamus Grew, whose life was tragically cut short in July of this year after a long and courageous battle with ALS. Seamus was born in 1944 in Ireland. Although he was certainly proud of his Irish roots, he was a proud Canadian to be sure, and he made a great contribution to this country.