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Finance Committee Adjorns Without Hearing Housing Witnesses

by:  CHRA
 
It was too good to be true.  The Parliamentary Finance Committee had set aside a full hour today (June 9) to hear from three groups on housing.  Itwould have allowed for ample questions and debate on how the Bill C-48 would have affected affordable housing.  But it was not to be.  TheConservatives intervened time and time again with points of order that prevented the presentations from taking place.
 
Housing advocates took a clear message to Parliament Hill today to politely ask that approval be given to the NDP-Liberal budget agreementand its $1.6 billion investment in desperately needed social housing and $100 million in energy retrofit funding for low income households is longoverdue. But, unfortunately, the Conservatives members of the committee refused to allow advocates to speak.
 
The Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA), Canada´s national voice on housing issues, was joined by Quebec´s Front d'action populaireen réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU) in making a presentation to the House of Commons Finance Committee. The Committee is studying the two budget bills.
 
"Every single MP on that Committee, and in the House of Commons, represents people who lack safe, decent and affordable shelter," saidJoyce Potter, CHRA President. "We want them to take action on behalf of their constituents."
 
Attending for CHRA, President Joyce Potter and Executive Director Sharon Chisholm were not given an opportunity to speak.  François Giguère,President of FRAPRU was just able to get his opening comments articulated before being cut off by a point of order.  However, he did say that Quebechad exhausted its funding under the current initiative and really needed the additional dollars promised in Bill C-48.  By 12:20 PM, CommitteeChair, Massimo Pacetti, gave up on being able to hear witnesses and adjourned the committee.
 
It was interesting to see the increasing dissention between the Bloc Quebecois and the Conservatives as the committee debate unfolded.  The BQwanted to hear witnesses and the Conservatives did not.  CHRA has been pushing to allow Parliament to do its work and approve its budgetincluding the NDP amendment- Bill C-48.  Parliament was clearly not doing its work today.
 
In terms of next steps, the members of the House of Commons will not get to vote on Bill 48 until they get a report back from the ParliamentaryFinance Committee.  This report is seen as advice to the House and the recommendations do not have to be followed.
 
Download the comments that would have been brought to the Finance Committee.