Statement by FCM president on NDP housing bill tabled today (17/02/2012)

The following statement was released today by FCM President Berry Vrbanovic following the tabling of Bill C-400, the Secure, Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing Act, by New Democrat Members of Parliament Marie-Claude Morin (Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot) and Andrew Cash (Davenport):     

"The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) supports the NDP's bill calling for federal action on housing and support for our communities to give Canadians new housing options they can afford.

A healthy housing sector that is able to meet a broad range of needs is a vital part of the economic and social wellbeing of Canada's cities and communities.  

FCM's recently released report: The Housing Market and Canada's Economic Recovery focuses on the immediate priority of lowering investment barriers to rental housing. To keep Canada's economy growing, we need to make it easier to invest in and expand the rental housing market. New rental construction will create jobs, support a more mobile workforce and give cash-strapped young families, new immigrants, and an aging population housing options they can afford.

Chronic homelessness and lack of affordable housing are not just social issues; they are core economic issues. They strain the limited resources of municipal governments and undermine the economic well-being of our cities-the engines of national economic growth, competitiveness and productivity.

FCM supports the call for comprehensive, integrated, and long-term federal action on housing and, as an immediate priority, calls on the federal government to help our cities and communities restore Canada's rental housing market."