That is what Turner used to say.

Mr. McGrath:

A final supplementary question, Mr. Speaker. Given the serious competitive situation that exists in the cabinet between the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs which is thwarting any effort to have a co-ordinated food policy which would bring some element of relief to the Canadian consumer, may I ask the Minister of Finance if he is prepared to take a hard look at the recommendations of the interdepartmental committee known as DM-10? Is he prepared to undertake the co-ordination of policies within the government which would serve the best interests of both producers and consumers?

Mr. Macdonald (Rosedale):

Mr. Speaker, the allegations of the hon. gentleman about conflict in this regard are simply without foundation. I would have to point out to him that the question of whether there will be a drought in this particular year or frost in the food supply areas of southern United States are obviously not something that can be resolved within the context of a Canadian food policy.

Mr. Edward Broadbcnt (Oshawa-Whitby):

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of State for Urban Affairs in charge of housing. Considering that the cost of

Oral Questions

home ownership has increased by more than 12 per cent in each of the past three months over the cost of home ownership in the previous year, and considering the fact that with more than 30 items on the order paper there is not one new proposal from the minister, would the minister spend less time politicking in Quebec and give some thought to new proposals that would bring down the cost of housing for Canadians?

[ Translation]

Hon. Andre Ouellet (Minister of State for Urban Affairs):

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member surprises me by his remarks. There was a debate in the House in recent days and the figures stated show quite well the extremely dynamic action taken by the government in housing construction.

Mr. Broadbent:

A supplementary question. In view of the fact that some statistics show that the average price of a home sold in metro Toronto last year was $61,000, thus ruling out 80 per cent of income earners from any thought of buying a home in that city, and that both Montreal and Toronto have said they are only meeting 50 per cent of the need for low income rental units, I ask the minister to be specific and tell the House what the government plans in order to increase the supply of (a) low-cost housing and (b) low-income rental units?

Mr. Ouellet:

Mr. Speaker, the Assisted Home Ownership Program has been developed to help middle or low income earners to own a house. This is one of the most popular programs in Canada and I remind the hon. member that an unprecedented number of new houses were built in Canada last year.

Mr. Broadbent:

May I ask a supplementary question? Mr. Speaker, the minister has just confirmed that he does not really know what his department is doing. Considering that the Canadian Council of Social Development, for example, has pointed out that almost all the money has gone into such government programs as AHOP, which helps out middle-income people, and has stressed that there has actually been a decline in the amount of money for low-income Canadians, I ask the minister precisely what he plans to do about that important sector of the population not now having their needs met with low-rental units or low-cost housing which they can afford to buy?

Mr. Ouellet:

Mr. Speaker, I do not need to wait for the hon. member's question before acting. Two weeks ago we announced, with the cooperation of the province of Nova Scotia, a cooperative housing construction program designed exclusively for very low income earners. We just signed an agreement with the government of Ontario for home ownership at a reasonable cost by reducing the income standards applied to individuals who want to buy those houses. We are

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March 11, 1977

Oral Questions

holding discussions with other provinces on the establishment of joint programs which would help very low income earners to own a house.

Mr. Adrien Lambert (Bellechasse):

Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of State for Urban Affairs.

As part of the federal residential rehabilitation program in rural areas, could the minister tell the House whether regulations will be amended or extended to enable more rural municipalities to make use of that program, which is quite interesting as a matter of fact?

Hon. Andrl Ouellet (Minister of State for Urban Affairs):

Mr. Speaker, we hope that the provinces, which are responsible for selecting municipalities this year, will increase the number of such selections. We substantially increased that budget to meet the many applications throughout Canada, especially in the province of Quebec, so that people can make use of that program.

Mr. Lambert (Bellechasse):

Mr. Speaker, on a

supplementary.

In view of the minister's reply, perhaps he could tell us whether he has had consultations with the new Quebec minister so that the department in charge of designating municipalities can give a favourable answer to the requests the municipalities have made; in addition, would he agree to having the municipalities advise his department of the requests they have made and will make to Quebec?

Mr. Ouellet:

Mr. Speaker, the suggestion of the hon. member is very helpful. I would like to say two things: first, meetings have been held at the civil servant but not the ministerial level.

Second, to facilitate the implementation of that program, this year, in the case of already designated municipalities, we will let them know ahead of time how much money they can bank on spending in their area.

With regard to the other municipalities, 1 encourage the hon. member, if he has some in mind, to suggest to their authorities that they advise their provincial government and so facilitate the designation of the new ones.

Mr. Jack Marshall (Humber-St. George's-St. Barbe):

Mr. Speaker, may I direct a supplementary question to the Minister of State for Urban Affairs? My question relates to RRAP, which provides for grants for insulation. The Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources did not see fit to extend grants for insulation and for conserving energy to other provinces. We have been hearing for four years that the funds are going to be extended to those provinces where the need is greatest, where

low income earners who own their own homes cannot afford to maintain or insulate them. Will the minister take the initiative to get that program on a broader base?

Mr. Jack Marshall (Humber-St. George's-St. Barbe):

Mr. Speaker, I will direct my supplementary question to the Minister of Veterans Affairs. The province of Newfoundland submitted a very adequate program to help veterans on low incomes insulate their homes and repair them under the emergency repair program. There has been a delay of two or three years since they were promised by the minister, the former Minister of Veterans Affairs and the former minister in charge of housing that they would implement that program which has been presented. Why has there been this delay?

Hon. Daniel J. MacDonald (Minister of Veterans Affairs):

Mr. Speaker, as far as the program is concerned, a lot of responsibility lies with the province. I am not prepared to say at this time the reasons for the program not being implemented. I know it is a two way plan, federal and provincial.