Statement on the Housing Affordability Task Force upcoming report

Today, Greg McLean, Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre issued the following statement on the Calgary Housing Affordability Task Force and its forthcoming report:

“I appreciate the opinion that has been expressed by my colleague from Parry Sound–Muskoka regarding the coming debate at Calgary City Council on the Housing and Affordability Task Force, its recommendations, and its forthcoming report. I want to note that while we are all working towards a solution to the same problem, there will always be differing ideas and matters of debate on how we get there.  For the sake of all Calgarians that are seeking input on this issue, including Councillors, the Mayor, and all interested community groups, rest assured that our party does not have a policy supporting blanket rezoning across the city, nor with respect to removing minimum parking requirements for developments.   Mr. Aitchison’s personal opinion should not weigh on the decisions Calgary Councillors have to make in the consideration of this matter.  Calgarians deserve to hear a range of ideas and opinions on how to tackle the growing housing crisis that our city is facing. It is my hope that through debate and consultation with the public, Calgary will come to solutions that prioritize home building and affordability for our neighbors and appropriately manage concerns and the unique needs of our city.

“My Conservative colleagues and I – who represent Calgary ridings – are awaiting the report from the Task Force and more importantly, we are listening to the voices of Calgarians who want to share their vision for the future of our city and have input on how we build homes to meet the needs of Calgary families.  I want to wish Councillors the best as they undertake this work on behalf of our shared constituents and I want to personally thank my friend, Councillor Terry Wong, for his leadership in ensuring there is a fulsome debate on the issues, including those facing inner city communities like the ones I represent.  I am confident that our engaged and accountable municipal politicians will do the job which we’ve elected them to do and to appropriately represent all Calgarians.

“The Conservative Party of Canada will also continue to do our part to get houses built in Calgary and around the country.  After eight years of Justin Trudeau housing costs have doubled across Canada and too many Calgarians cannot find housing which they can afford and meets their needs. We will do our job at the federal level to ensure that we build more houses at the federal level, get rid of gatekeepers who needlessly block home building and reward cities who build the houses their communities need. A Conservative government will bring homes Calgarians and Canadians can afford.”