For 38 years, REALTORS® from across Canada have travelled to Ottawa to meet with Members of Parliament (MPs), during CREA PAC Days to advocate for policies that encourage access to housing for all Canadians, from emergency shelter to subsidized housing to social housing and homeownership.
As a result of our continued advocacy efforts, we’ve been able to work with politicians to implement several policies including the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP), Home Renovation Tax Credit, interest-free deep home retrofit loans, and more recently, amendments to the foreign buyers ban.
This year, from October 15-17, more than 450 REALTORS® came together to meet with more than 120 MPs, and advocate for three main recommendations:
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- The establishment of a permanent national housing roundtable to bring together housing stakeholders to help address the housing crisis through an inclusive, holistic approach that emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and policy coordination.
- Leveraging federal infrastructure funding with municipal, provincial, and territorial partners requiring the creation of more housing supply.
- Developing a housing workforce immigration strategy to attract trade workers from abroad, while streamlining the immigration process for qualified professionals willing to work in the construction industry.
You can learn more about our REALTOR® recommendations at REALideas.ca.
In addition to meeting with MPs, PAC Reps came together to discuss ideas, and hear from diverse lineup of panelists and speakers, exploring federal politics, Canada’s housing crisis, and effective advocacy strategies.
On Day 1, we kicked things off with an insightful conversation on leadership with Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former senior advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden and the 60th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. The ever-popular media panel featuring Chantal Hébert, Don Martin, and Rob Russo discussed how the housing crisis has become front-page news across the country. The day concluded with a speech from Leader of the Official Opposition, the Honourable Pierre Poilievre, about what his party would do to address the housing crisis.
The following day, we heard from the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities about the steps he and his government are taking to address the Canada’s lack of supply. We also hosted an MP panel with Conservative MP, Scott Aitchison, Shadow Minister for Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, NDP MP, Jenny Kwan, Housing Critic, and Liberal MP, Peter Fragiskatos, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, who discussed the housing crisis, the work they’re doing to address it, and what we need to do next.
On Day 3, we heard from Dr. Kathryn Dennler, Senior Research Associate at the Conference Board of Canada, who walked us through how updating Canada’s immigration policy can help address residential construction labour shortages. CREA PAC Days 2023 closed with a fascinating discussion on the intersectionality of housing, innovation and sustainability.
The Outstanding PAC Team Award (Large Board) was presented to the Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® (NSAR).
The Outstanding PAC Team Award (Small Board) was presented to Brantford Regional Real Estate Association (BRREA).
From left to right, Larry Cerqua, CREA Chair, Roy Milley, recipient of the Pierre Beauchamp Award 2023, James Mabey, CREA Chair-Elect.
CREA also recognized the incredible PAC work being done by boards and associations across the country. The Outstanding PAC Team Awards honour boards and/or associations, both large and small, which demonstrate initiatives in advancing REALTOR® issues federally. This year, The Outstanding PAC Team Award (Large Board) was presented to the Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® (NSAR). The Outstanding PAC Team Award (Small Board) was presented to Brantford Regional Real Estate Association (BRREA). Lastly, for his outstanding work leading advocacy efforts, Roy Milley of NSAR was the winner of this year’s Pierre Beauchamp Award.
If you’re interested in becoming a PAC Rep and joining us in Ottawa next year, talk with your local board or association. For ongoing federal affairs updates, please visit REALTORActionNetwork.ca.
