OTTAWA - The following statement was released by Claude Dauphin, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), following the filing of a motion on housing by Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet, NDP MP and Official Opposition Housing Critic:
"FCM would like to thank the NDP and its Housing Critic, MP Boutin-Sweet, for their hard work shedding light on Canada's Housing Crunch.
The motion in question urges the Government of Canada to work with the provinces, the territories, municipalities and community partners to maintain and increase federal investment in social housing. FCM's 'Fixing Canada's Housing Crunch' campaign echoes the NDP's concerns about growing wait lists and the ongoing expiry of billions in annual federal operating agreements, as they impact Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
Housing is also an important economic driver for Canadian communities, but the high cost of housing and household debt levels are the greatest domestic risk to the country's economic recovery, according to the Bank of Canada. Municipalities are calling on the federal government and all parties to play a leading role in developing a long-term housing plan with all orders of government and ensure predictability of investments in the future."