The House of Commons was abuzz on Tuesday as Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confronted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the Liberals’ housing strategy, zeroing in on the effectiveness of the Housing Accelerator Fund. The debate highlighted the stark differences in their approaches to tackling Canada’s housing crisis.
Poilievre criticized the Housing Accelerator Fund, accusing the Liberals of inefficient spending and misplaced priorities. “The incompetence of this Prime Minister and Liberal City Hall in Toronto has resulted in rents doubling over the last nine years,” Poilievre stated. “What’s worse is that the Prime Minister’s so-called Housing Accelerator Fund has given a half billion dollars to Toronto, and only months later, the politicians in that city hiked up home-building taxes by 20%.”
Poilievre argued that these tax hikes contribute to the rising costs of housing, with government taxes accounting for 30% of all home-building costs. He questioned the logic of sending money to bureaucracies that, in his view, hinder home construction. “Why does the Prime Minister keep sending our money to build bureaucracies that block homes?” he demanded.
Prime Minister Trudeau responded by accusing Poilievre of hypocrisy, pointing to delays in debating a Conservative housing proposal. “We see the Conservative leader’s hypocrisy on full display. His clear lack of ambition on housing is partly how we ended up here in the first place,” Trudeau retorted. He argued that the Conservative proposal was insufficient, failing to build homes quickly enough or reach enough cities, and that it would dismantle existing agreements and reinstate the GST on apartment construction.
Poilievre, highlighting his past achievements as housing minister, claimed, “When I was housing minister, we built 200,000 homes in one year, and mortgage payments were half of what they are today. Fast forward to present, the Prime Minister has given a half billion dollars to Toronto City Hall to jack up new taxes on home building.”
In response, Trudeau criticized Poilievre’s tenure as housing minister, asserting that he had withdrawn government support from cooperative housing, supported no new apartment construction, and cut affordable housing initiatives. “The Conservative leader is simply all slogans and no answers,” Trudeau concluded.
Poilievre proposed a “Common Sense Plan” to build homes, which would incentivize municipalities to speed up permits and penalize those that obstruct construction. He blamed the current administration for the rise in housing costs and the increase in homeless encampments. “There have been 50 new tent encampments added in the city of Toronto in six weeks,” Poilievre said. “Is that his plan, to block homes and put up tents?”
Trudeau defended his government’s approach, emphasizing their investments in rapid housing construction and support for municipalities. “We are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to help municipalities across the country build more housing rapidly, create the necessary wraparound supports for people facing homelessness, and implement the most ambitious and comprehensive housing plan this country has ever seen,” Trudeau said.
As both leaders present contrasting visions, the debate highlights the complexities and challenges in finding effective solutions to make housing affordable and accessible for Canadians. The discourse will likely continue as both parties vie for public support on this critical issue.