An act to create a new housing department will not lead to more homes in Canada, federal officials told a recent House of Commons finance committee meeting.
The committee was discussing legislation called the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Act, which if enacted would establish the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.
The department would be responsible for “various responsibilities relating to housing and the reduction and prevention of homelessness,” according to Bill 59, An Act to Implement Certain Provisions of the Fall Economic Statement.
The legislation is not necessarily about creating more homes for Canadians, the committee was told on March 19, as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter.
Conservative MP Philip Lawrence asked Gerard Peets, assistant deputy housing minister, what the total cost would be to create the new government department. Mr. Peets said there was no cost associated with the changes.
He said that the act was a “transformation” for the Department of Infrastructure Canada.
Mr. Lawrence asked how many new houses would be created because of the change.
“What this bill does is not about program interventions. It’s not about measures,” Mr. Peets said.
Mr. Lawrence pushed for an answer, saying, “The reason why we’re doing this is to presumably build more homes, is that not correct?”
Mr. Peets responded by saying there was a distinction between the creation of a department and policies.
“This is about the framework,” he said.
“The reason why we put the framework in place is to build more houses, is that not correct?” Mr. Lawrence asked, posing his question again. “How many houses will be built by 2030 because of these changes?”
Mr. Peets said the question relates to government policy and program interventions, not to the legislation.
When asked by Mr. Lawrence why the government was making the change, Mr. Peets said it was to “bring together things that are related.”
Mr. Lawrence asked if the goal was to build more houses.
Mr. Peets said the legislation “puts the department on a footing to advance government priorities.”
Mr. Lawrence said it was clear the bill was to create more bureaucracy, not to build more homes.
Liberal MPs objected.
“This in a court of law would be called badgering,” said Liberal MP Julie Dzerowicz.
The committee chair told Mr. Lawrence his time was up and the meeting moved on to different issues.
The Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation has previously said that 3.5 million more homes will need to be built by 2030 for the market to remain affordable.
