More than 350 members of the REALTOR®community travelled to Ottawa earlier this month to bring the discussion of homeownership to Parliament Hill.
On top of acting as a vessel to host meaningful meetings with Members of Parliament (MPs), the annual Political Action Committee (PAC) Days featured informative—and entertaining—panel discussions with some of Canada’s biggest political players. The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, sat down with our Randall McCauley, Executive Vice-President of Reputation, while Leader of the Official Opposition, the Honourable Andrew Scheer, had a chat with CEO Michael Bourque. An MP panel consisting of Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner, Conservative MP Karen Vecchio and NDP MP Guy Caron also joined CBC’s Hannah Thibedeau to share a glimpse of what life is like on the Hill.
Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, provided insights into the recent North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations and CNN commentator Ana Navarro came to discuss the political climate in Washington. There was also a bit of comic relief, with CBC Radio One’s The Debaters pulling no punches as they argued expensive real estate markets and adult kids living in their parents’ homes.
However, the most impressive aspect of the three-day long conference were the meetings with MPs. More than 180 meetings were scheduled so PAC Reps could bring attention to our new policy asks, including:
- increasing the existing $750 non-refundable Home Buyers’ Tax Credit to a $2,500 non-refundable tax credit per qualifying home; and
- assessing regional differences before implementing nation-wide one-size-fits-all regulations that affect home buyers.
We would like to thank all the boards, associations and members who travelled to Ottawa to participate in the 33rd annual PAC Days. We look forward to your participation in PAC activities ahead of the 2019 federal election.
