Honourable senators, with leave of the Senate and notwithstanding rule 5-5(a), I move:

That the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and the Economy be authorized to examine and report on Canada’s housing crisis and the challenges currently facing Canadian homebuilders, with a particular focus on government taxes, fees and levies;

That the committee be permitted, notwithstanding usual practices, to deposit its reports on this study with the Clerk of the Senate if the Senate is not then sitting, and that the reports be deemed to have been tabled in the Senate;

That the papers and evidence received and taken and the work accomplished by the committee on this subject, between October 5, 2023, and November 23, 2023, during the First Session of the Forty-fourth Parliament under its order of reference relating to banking and commerce generally, be referred to the committee; and

That the committee submit its final report to the Senate no later than March 31, 2026, and that the committee retain all powers necessary to publicize its findings until 180 days after the tabling of the final report.

Honourable senators, is leave granted?

Your Honour, I accept my colleague’s report, but with all due respect, I believe there is a mistake in the reference that he just cited before the chamber. He said “Canadian homebuilders,” but as I understand it, as a member of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and the Economy, the word “homebuilders” is not part of the study that we’re conducting.

With all due respect for my colleague, Senator Yussuff, the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure met on Monday, and the exact wording of the order of reference was presented and approved by my subcommittee colleagues. We then sent out the specific order of reference that all of you received. All of the committee members also received it.

I am therefore tabling what was approved by the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure. No one on the Banking Committee told me that there was a problem until this morning. I am therefore tabling what was approved by the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure.

Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Some Hon. Senators: No.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Leave is not granted.

From what I heard, senator, because Senator Yussuff stood up and asked for questions, it was not clear that it was granted.

The steering committee had an in camera session about what to study, and the committee decided we would do a study on housing. According to the best practices of the Senate, we have a general order of reference, but we have a specific order of reference on housing.

So the steering committee, with the clerk, had a meeting on Monday. We shared the exact same order of reference that has been tabled today. The clerk confirmed to me a few minutes ago that it is exactly the same. The steering committee agreed. We shared it with all our colleagues on the Banking Committee on Monday. Everything was okay until suddenly at noon today, one of our colleagues wasn’t comfortable with some of the wording. Personally, I think that we should go ahead, but it’s up to the Senate to decide.

Senator Gignac, would you like to give notice for the next sitting of the Senate?

I have no problem with that. Just bear in mind that the Banking Committee will be cancelled today if we do not accept this specific order of reference because we already have witnesses, and we thought the order of reference was accepted before we sent out the details of our meeting today.

Worse than that, tomorrow’s meeting will also be cancelled because it is before the Senate sitting. It’s up to the Senate to decide, but we will lose two meetings this week to study housing if the wording of the order has to be changed today.

Therefore, honourable senators, the text that you read constitutes notice for the next sitting of the Senate. I will read it again for your benefit.

That the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and the Economy be authorized to examine and report on Canada’s housing crisis and the challenges currently facing Canadian homebuilders, with a particular focus on government taxes, fees and levies;

That the committee be permitted, notwithstanding usual practices, to deposit its reports on this study with the Clerk of the Senate if the Senate is not then sitting, and that the reports be deemed to have been tabled in the Senate;

That the papers and evidence received and taken and the work accomplished by the committee on this subject, between October 5, 2023, and November 23, 2023, during the First Session of the Forty-fourth Parliament under its order of reference relating to banking and commerce generally, be referred to the committee; and

That the committee submit its final report to the Senate no later than March 31, 2026, and that the committee retain all powers necessary to publicize its findings until 180 days after the tabling of the final report.

That was the notice for the next sitting of the Senate.