360 REALTORS®. 200+ MP meetings. One goal.
Last month, REALTORS® from across Canada PAC-ed the nation’s capital for another successful Political Action Committee (PAC) Days, advocating for accessible homeownership for all Canadians.
CREA’s most politically engaged members were spotted travelling from East to West Block across Parliament Hill meeting with hundreds of Members of Parliament (MPs).
During these meetings, REALTORS® brought forward a number of issues, including two key proposals:
- The modernization and expansion of the Home Buyers’ Plan.
- The introduction of intergenerational RRSP loans for new homebuyers.
We know not everyone was able to make the trek to Ottawa, so we’ve compiled a few highlights.
As our Chief Economist Gregory Klump has been stressing over the years, real estate in Canada is local – meaning, the housing market in Toronto isn’t necessarily reflective of the market in Charlottetown (and shouldn’t be treated the same, either). PAC reps made sure to highlight this during their discussions with MPs, providing clear contrasts between regional housing markets across the country.
Back in the conference room, attendees heard from a number of public policy experts, journalists and politicians, including a sampling of Question Period from MPs Rachel Harder, Sheila Malcolmson and Yvonne Jones during the “MP Panel: Reflections from the Trenches” discussion. David Gergen, former U.S. presidential strategist and CNN commentator, touched on the “Trump effect” and Minister Jean-Yves Duclos spoke to this government’s national housing agenda.
Attendees were also treated to a bit of fun with FINTRAC (you read that right, fun with FINTRAC), as speaker and private investigator Chris Mathers offered an engaging and insightful discussion on anti-money laundering that left members wanting more.
In addition, PAC reps made sure to keep things social – snapping, tweeting and posting using our event hashtags: #CREAPAC17 & #CAP17ACI. Attendees then watched their photos come to life as we turned them into a magnificent mosaic.
How many photos does it take to bring a #CREAPAC17 masterpiece to life? About 1,400. Thanks for making it happen! pic.twitter.com/SEzykPD6SI
— CREA | ACI (@CREA_ACI) October 16, 2017
To relive the 32nd annual PAC Days and view photos from MP meetings, follow CREA on Twitter and Instagram.
For details on this year’s REALTOR® Recommendations and to learn more about all of CREA’s Federal Affairs activities, head to the REALTOR® Action Network.
