Ministers on Co-Operative Housing, Credit Card Fees for Businesses

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and a trio of ministers hold a news conference in Ottawa to highlight housing measures and support for small businesses.

Housing Minister Sean Fraser announces a $71-million investment through the Affordable Housing Fund to build or retrofit 1,660 co-operative homes across Canada. Social Development Minister Jenna Sudds provides an update on the number of child-care spaces that have been created as part of the government’s early learning and child-care plan. Small Business Minister Rechie Valdez confirms that the government has finalized agreements with Visa and Mastercard to lower credit card transaction fees for small businesses.

The deputy prime minister faces questions from reporters on the Conservative private member’s bill (C-234) that calls for propane and natural gas used by farmers to be exempt from the federal government’s carbon pricing. She is asked as well about efforts to stabilize grocery prices, and new data from Statistics Canada that show an increase in sexual assaults reported in the military in 2022. (December 5, 2023)