QUESTION PERIOD — Infrastructure and Communities
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
September 24, 2025
Government leader, Canadians are facing the worst housing crisis in a generation. Families can’t afford their mortgages, and young people can’t afford their rent, yet the very agency tasked with making housing affordable, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation — get this, colleagues — paid out over $30 million in bonuses last year. Nearly every executive and manager got a payout, averaging $43,000 each. At the same time, other Crown corporations like VIA Rail and the scandal-plagued Business Development Bank of Canada, or BDC, despite countless bailouts and losses, also handed out millions of dollars more. Why does the Liberal government insist on rewarding incompetence when it comes to taxpayer dollars?
I disagree with the preamble of the question, Senator Housakos, and I think that it is clear that the government is taking the housing situation in Canada very seriously. Far too many Canadians — particularly young Canadians — are struggling to find homes they can afford, so Canada’s new government is stepping up with a bold new approach and unprecedented investment to increase the housing supply in Canada. Instead of rewarding incompetence, the Government of Canada is moving forward to make housing affordable for all Canadians.
Well, the record remains, though. It’s the worst housing crisis in a generation, so clearly the government is failing.
Government leader, we’ve heard the stories from the Prime Minister about how he will take steps to ensure these inefficiencies and this waste will stop, but we haven’t seen anything. Basically, the question is simple: Will you and the government commit to slashing these lavish bonuses for these individuals who are not delivering the merchandise? There is a budget coming on November 3 or 4, I believe. Can we get a government commitment that —
I am not someone who can make commitments for the government, as you well know. The budget will be tabled on November 4, and I reiterate that as far as housing is concerned, the new government has brought forward important new investments to ensure that all Canadians will be able to obtain an affordable house, especially young Canadians.
