FVREB Goes to Ottawa

Now in its 38th year, Political Action Committee Days (PAC Days) is a herculean effort organized and led by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) to provide a forum in which Board executive officers, policy makers and government relations committees are afforded facetime with their local MPs to discuss and address the most pressing issues facing the Canadian real estate industry. Like many of our peers, for the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) it is a prime opportunity to advocate at the highest levels for policies that promote home ownership and support the interests of REALTORS®, while fostering a stronger and more stable housing market.

In tandem, CREA puts on a rich, knowledge-filled conference aimed at providing REALTORS with actionable takeaways they can employ in their day-to-day efforts to help home buyers and sellers navigate through the complexities of the housing market.

Day One – Sunday, October 15

The first day is like the warm-up act to the main event, designed to entice, inspire and build anticipation – and this year’s warm-up delivered.

12:30 pm – Dil Puar, CREA’s Director of Government Relations walked attendees through a sort of primer for PAC Days, focussing on the dos and don’ts of how to approach MPs and convey concerns in a concise, succinct, and yet compelling manner, setting the stage for maximizing the impact of our meetings.

1:45 pm – A fireside chat with the former Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms. A mother of four, Bottoms freely shared her lessons learned in terms of overcoming adversity and challenges, while trying to keep her focus on addressing the key issues facing the city. Her remarks served as an inspiration to attendees to never give up, and her vulnerability enamoured her even more with the audience.

2:30 pm – The effervescent Nik Nanos, Chief Data Scientist and Founder of Nanos Research, and a stable fixture at the PAC Days Conferences, painted a comprehensive picture of the current political landscape. His insights on the challenges facing the current Federal coalition government included the one-two punch of high public backlash stemming from first, accusations levelled at India for their presumed involvement in the killing of Sikh activist, Hardip Singh Nijjar, and secondly, the fiasco surrounding the misstep of former Speaker of the House, Anthony Rota, who recognized and honoured a known Nazi at a ceremony in the House of Commons. Nanos also noted the impact that Conservative Opposition Leader, Pierre Poilievre is having on the Canadian populace, emphasizing that “while we still have a long way to go until Federal elections in October 2025, sentiment could change quite a bit between now and then.”

3:30 pm – The always entertaining PAC Days Media Panel. Chantal Hébert, one of Canada’s leading political columnists, Rob Russo, former Managing Editor of the Parliamentary Bureau of the CBC, and Don Martin, former host of Power Play on CTV traded jabs and provided perspectives on the state of politics in Canada. The upshot: we are living in interesting times especially as realtors are concerned, with the issues of housing supply and affordability at significant crisis levels. The panel concluded that the future for many home buyers doesn’t look good – not exactly a stretch, if things keep going as they are.

6:30 pm – A meet-and-greet with Leader of the Official Opposition, the Honourable Pierre Poilievre caps off day one. In a speech that received a standing ovation, Mr. Poilievre acknowledged “the urgency of the housing issue and the need for smart, strategic, and tangible action”, stressing again the need for homes, not bureaucracy, and reiterating his pledge to tie federal support to tangible progress on housing starts.

Day Two – Monday, October 16

9:00 am to 5:00 pm – Let the fun begin. Day two is when the rubber hits the road as REALTORS® meet with their MPs on the Hill. FVREB delegates had audiences with Ed Fast (C), MP for Abbotsford; and Ken Hardie (L), MP for Fleetwood-Port Kells.

1:00 pm – Who better to discuss the notion of trust, and why it matters than Peter Mansbridge? Canada’s preeminent journalist and anchor emeritus has conducted well over 20,000 interviews and told in the simplest yet most profound way as only he can that “trust can never be taken for granted and not only must be earned but requires ongoing work and attention in order to be maintained.”

2:15 pm – Panelists Tyler Meredith, Partner, Meredith Boessenkool Policy Advisors; Anne McGrath, National Director, New Democratic Party of Canada; and The Honourable Lisa Raitt, P.C., Vice-Chair, Global Investment Banking, CIBC Capital Markets explored the depths of back room politics, although many felt perhaps not deep enough.

3:00 pm – Day two closed out with a welcome balm of levity with an entertaining and interactive freestyle social session on human behaviour, led by The Nature of Things host, Anthony Morgan.

Day Three – Tuesday, October 17

9:00 am to 5:00 pm – The final day saw more FVREB-MP meetings on the Hill. For FVREB delegates these included: Tako Van Popta (C), MP for Langley-Aldergrove; Sukh Dhaliwal (L), MP for Surrey-Newton; John Aldag (L), MP for Cloverdale-Langley City; and Brad Vis (C), MP for Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon.

9:00 am – The Conference Board of Canada made the case for why Canada needs a “targeted immigration policy” to address the dire state of skill shortages in the real estate development sector, citing the need to “expedite credentials approvals for foreign trained and skilled workers.”

10:00 am – The Honourable Sean Fraser, Federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, outlined actions being undertaken by government, the highlight of which was the Housing Accelerator Fund, part of the $82 billion National Housing Strategy investment by the feds. The fund provides incentive funding to local governments encouraging initiatives aimed at increasing housing supply, with a goal of accelerating the construction of 100,000 new housing units across the country within five years. Under the fund, Ottawa can sign agreements directly with municipalities; 87 BC communities have already applied for funding. Fraser also told attendees, “the government is committed to supporting the development of complete, low-carbon and climate-resilient communities that are affordable, inclusive, equitable and diverse.”

11:15 am – David Coletto of Abacus Data, delivered an apt and urgent message to help close out the conference. The message of his presentation, The Urgency of Now: Canadian Public Attitudes Towards Housing Affordability, was unequivocal: the outlook for Canadians is dim and grim. The dream of a single family home with a white picket fence may not always be achievable and he called upon REALTORS, as front line soldiers in the crisis, to help clients adjust their mindsets.

When you add to the mix, numerous additional briefings, presentations and mixers, CREA’s three-day event delivered ample opportunities for REALTORS to deliver a united message in the face of unprecedented challenges facing Canadians seeking housing solutions.

The profession’s embrace of and participation in the PAC Days underscores the importance of collaboration, dialogue, and advocacy in shaping the future of Canadian real estate. There is no easy fix to the housing crisis in this country. Nor is there a quick one. The many moving parts and complexities – between private and public sector, between city planners and builders, among local, provincial and federal governments – calls for wisdom, patience and above all harmony. All stakeholders have a role, indeed a duty, to do their parts – including REALTORS – and CREA’s event ensures they are equipped with the tools and actionable intelligence to make an impact. Here’s hoping next year’s event sees us further down that road.

The Rule of 3

Being an effective partner means coming to the table with solutions. Under CREA’s leadership, attendees at PAC Days rallied around three strategic messages to MPs.

• Housing Roundtable
  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.
• Infrastructure Funding
  Leveraging federal infrastructure funding with municipal, provincial, and territorial partners requiring the creation of more housing supply.
• Immigration Strategy
  Developing a housing workforce immigration strategy to attract tradespeople from abroad, while streamlining the immigration process for qualified professionals willing to work in the construction industry.