QUESTION PERIOD — Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
Affordable Housing
February 26, 2026
I have another very important question. According to a recent report by the Building Industry and Land Development Association, new home sales in the Greater Toronto Area — another very unaffordable market — had their worst month on record, with only 269 homes sold. Now there is another issue. This is sending a chilling signal to the region’s homebuilding industry, which is still reeling from 2025, its worst year on record. Experts are warning that the situation is poised to worsen. Yet, your government’s response is not only too slow; it is inefficient.
What tangible relief can Canadians expect from your government, beyond announcements and the creation of yet another bureaucracy?
I think that Senator Batters was satisfied with my previous answer. That’s why you have the next question.
In housing, with respect to new building projects, in the Atlantic, we are investing $443 million to build or renew 3,800 homes; in British Columbia, $2.3 billion to build or renew 8,867 homes; in Ontario, $3.2 billion for 30,000 homes; in the Prairies, $878 million for 10,000 homes; in Quebec, $2.8 billion for 4,810 homes; and in the North, $132 million has been invested to build or renew 1,186 units.
We are working on housing. We are doing more than just making declarations. We are investing, and it shows everywhere in the country from coast to coast to coast.
For the record, we are never satisfied with your answers, Senator Moreau, but I know you’re doing your best.
The solution is not more bureaucracy. At the pace of your new agency, by the time a single home is completed, there may no longer be a viable private homebuilding industry left to sustain. If your current approach is clearly falling short, why not try something different, like honouring your election promise to reduce development charges by 50%? That’s a huge issue.
Senator Martin, the reason why you don’t accept my answers is because your party is focused on delivering emotionally driven political rhetoric, which is, frankly, irresponsible in a situation of crisis. The government is investing exactly where you asked them to invest, and, at the same time, you’re not satisfied with what it is doing. Honestly, I don’t know what would satisfy you, but it seems that what we’re doing is satisfying the Canadian public largely —
Thank you, Senator Moreau. Now we’ll go to Senator Housakos.
