How finding a ministerial home for CMHC caused 'madness' in November

An aerial view of houses in Oshawa, Ont., is seen from a Canadian forces Hercules on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017.Lars Hagberg / THE CANADIAN PRESS

It is appropriate to say that the head of Canada’s federal housing agency wrote a one-word email in November to summarize the time it took to find out which newly shuffled cabinet minister was responsible for the agency, which oversees miles millions in affordable housing and mortgage underwriting expenses.

Likewise, before the federal elections in autumn 2019, things were clear, CMHC informed the then Minister of Social Development Jean-Yves Duclos, who oversaw the government’s housing strategy and anti-poverty measures, including the lack of living place.

Indeed, after the elections, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau moved pieces around his cabinet, including Duclos, a professor of economics who studied many of the issues that Canada’s Employment and Social Development and CMHC handled.

The email

Now, as is well known, Duclos became president of the Treasury Board. Her old file was divided between Ahmed Hussen, who took over the homeless and child benefit programs, and Carla Qualtrough, who managed the massive job insurance file, among other employment and training programs. The department, like all the others after the new cabinet ministers were sworn in, quickly prepared briefing papers.

It should be noted that a few emails flew, and the idea of separating housing jobs and homelessness between two ministers is considered “strange”. In fact, in an email on the morning of November 21 addressed to the top executives of the department, it is clearly read, “To divide CMHC and homelessness between 2 ministers is not ideal, similar to the world we were in previously in IS. (employment insurance)”

As such, the liberals acknowledged knowing their 10-year national housing strategy and $ 40 billion of fines in 2017 in association with provinces and territories. In a way it could be said that since then, they boast that the total cost exceeds $ 55 billion, contacting the funds to help offset the mortgage costs for first-time home buyers.

Additionally, the strategy, known within the government by the acronym NHS, aims at building and upgrading affordable housing and has obvious overlaps with a limited strategy to combat homelessness and reduce poverty levels.

Source: The Canadian Press | National Post