While the interconnected trifecta of tariffs, the economy and national sovereignty remain the north star for voters, housing hasn’t slipped people’s minds with 88 per cent of poll respondents expressing concern about housing. Further, when broken down by age, tenure, and area (urban/suburban/rural), concern remains over 80% in all subsets. No doubt then that all major parties spent time on housing this week and will continue to do so through to election day.

Following last week’s announcement from the Conservatives to cut the GST from new homes under $1.3 million, this week saw the Liberals unveil their ambitious new housing plan, which takes a ‘yes, and’ approach to cut development charges in half, reintroduce 1970s MURB cost allowances to spur investment, encourage acquisition by non-profits through seller tax incentives, and new carrots and sticks to reduce municipal bureaucracy and speed up approvals. Oh, and of course spinning out Build Canada Homes from CMHC and creating a national public builder, all with a goal of doubling housing production. The NDP, for their part, had some of their own proposals this week, but in an increasingly polarized race, Canadians’ focus lies elsewhere.

While receiving a cold reception from many on the for-profit side of Canada’s housing ecosystem, the plan is responsive to a public where a majority now blame everyone for not doing enough to address housing: homebuilders, developers, financial institutions, and every level of government. The electorate also says it holds the federal government the most responsible for the country’s housing failures, with an astonishing 89% of respondents saying government intervention is needed. More specifically, 34% think the government should take full responsibility and dedicate significant resources to fixing the problem. In a sense, the public perceives the private sector had its chance to build the housing we need, and now, in a typical (L/l)iberal move, the government must come and do what industry alone cannot. We don’t need to tell you how wrong-headed that is – we’ll let More Neighbours TO’s Eric Lombardi say it instead – but it’s where many are at.

But who can trust the Liberals on housing after 10 years, and with so many of the same players at the table? That exasperation is what the Conservatives are trying to fan, so far to little avail, including social media content like this video from deputy leader Melissa Lantsman.

No doubt housing will continue to be front of mind as we await the party platforms and watch the upcoming debates on April 16 (French) and 17 (English).

In the meantime…

Althia Raj’s “It’s Political” podcast for the Toronto Star on Wednesday focused on unpacking the parties’ housing promises, looking at intergenerational pressures, the role of government, taxes and so much more, including interviews with pragmatic thinkers including Mike Moffatt and Carolyn Whitzman.
Following their profile of Vancouver developers’ pivot to rentals, the Globe reports similarly from Toronto.
In light of the Liberals’ proposed public builder, a look at a similar model underway at the municipal scale in Vancouver in an article from late February.
The modular housing industry could be in for a boom as a result of tariff uncertainty (as well as the Liberals promise to buy billions worth of them).
A revolution in housing data is coming from McGill-founded Curbcut, soon to expand nationwide thanks to $500,000 in federal funding.
Down the street from Parliament Hill, Ottawa City Hall is passing their transformational overhaul of its zoning by-law, which will see four-units as of right on every residential lot and lots (pun intended) of new density on key corridors.
CBC compares the Liberals’ new housing proposals with the war houses of the 1940s, and — believe it or not — profiles the ways we can help developers (you read that right) build more homes.
And finally, Terry Sheehan, most recently serving as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services and the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, reminds us that housing is a pressing issue outside of the major centres, too.