So strong, it’s our newest sacred cow.
The benchmark price for a Canadian home has more than doubled over the past decade, reaching $760,600 (US$572,470) in June. Trudeau’s government, which took power in 2015, has also steadily raised its annual immigration targets, with more than one million people arriving last year, straining an already tight housing supply.
Poilievre has hammered Trudeau on the issue, focusing on the anger of younger generations. Canada’s housing affordability is among the worst in the world, he told reporters Tuesday outside the Parliament building in Ottawa.
“Rent has doubled,” he said. “Mortgage payments, doubled. Needed down payments, doubled. All after eight years of Justin Trudeau.”
To be sure, skyrocketing housing costs have many causes beyond Trudeau’s control. Provinces and cities — responsible for land-use planning, zoning and permitting — bear some of the blame, as do real estate investors, foreign buyers, years of rock-bottom interest rates and other factors.
Still, Canada’s ambitious immigration targets have outpaced home building, aggravating the imbalance between demand and supply. In the 12 months to March, 4 to 5 international migrants arrived in Canada for every newly started unit of housing construction. That’s the highest ratio of new Canadians to new homes on record in data going back to 1977.
Poilievre, however, repeatedly sidestepped reporters’ questions on Tuesday about whether he would reduce immigration targets.
And we already serve a herd of them.
Where is it written that the government at whatever level is responsible for housing? Get a job, save some dough and buy or rent a house or apartment. Civic governments can mandate building codes. The feds can monkey around with mortgage rates. But the fact remains housing is a market-driven private industry not a government responsibility, no matter how much some people would wish it to be.
My God what a dimwit you are!! How stupid do you have to be to believe that our housing is Market driven when the government is bringing in 1 million new bodies every year. How can it be market-driven when it is being manipulated with a million fresh bodies every year imported into Canada? You sir are too stupid to comment here. Please go back to Liberal Party headquarters and pick up your paycheck
Move to SK! Some pretty nice houses available for less than $100K. I should know.
“Poilievre, however, repeatedly sidestepped reporters’ questions on Tuesday about whether he would reduce immigration targets.”
You don’t say. Qu’elle surprise. I’m shocked. No, really.
Poilievre, however, repeatedly sidestepped reporters’ questions on Tuesday about whether he would reduce immigration targets.
It’s the elephant in the room he doesn’t want to address. He’s either going to close the door when and if he gets in or he won’t do a damn thing.
I’m going with the latter only because his campaign co-chair is WEF darling and lobbyist John Baird amongst other Harper holdovers. Carbon taxes is another issue he doesn’t get into much.
Sorry, but I’m just not thrilled with him. He’s a one trick pony. “Housing” this and “housing” that all day every day. When he’s feeling fancy he might talk about adding another 500 ft. to Toronto Island airport.
Immigration should benefit the existing citizens.
If we, the people, feel kind and let in a certain number of refugees who can eventually assimmulate, so be it.
Otherwise, the immigrants should be of a type and number that improve the lot of the citizens.
Immigration to get to Mulroney’s 100 million by 2100 is BS (why become a shit hole?).
Immigration for the sake of immigration is BS.
Immigration just to change the racial make up of Canada is racist.
I’m guessing most here would agree with the above but why is it hard for Poilievre to state this?
Call it for what it is…Liberal vote harvesting.
“Sorry, but I’m just not thrilled with him. He’s a one trick pony. ”
Conservative in name only. Talks a good game and has fooled many into believing in him. First he allowed the Quebec dairy cartel to buy him, then he voted to accuse *all* Canadians of genocide. No thanks…I can’t support either of those things, and won’t be fooled by “but…but…TRUDEAU!”
Agreed Fred. PP is two faced and Canadians will not see much change if the uniparty inserts him into the PMO.
“Poilievre, however, repeatedly sidestepped reporters’ questions on Tuesday about whether he would reduce immigration targets.”
Maybe he just didn’t want to be called racist in every mainstream media outlet and by every lefty politician and activist. You know full well that would be the reaction.
amazing isnt it? with all the cheap labor slaving away for our elites, the price of everything keeps going up. amazing.
Our fake economy is propped up by the fake housing market which is propped up by intentional shortages by imigrating people faster than housing can be built.
I agree with “fc”. Yes, prices have skyrocketed in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver. I moved to Regina 10 years ago and house prices have remained stable, even with the increase in population. Regina has new housing developments in all 4 directions and the average price is about $ 315,000. Very “doable” for a 2 income family who has saved a 15% ($47,250) down payment.
Sadly, many young couples want the best of everything (stone countertops, stainless steel appliances) and are willing (at most) to do some painting, but would never buy a “fixer-upper”.
Here in little Prince George, prices have doubled in the last 5 years. Incomes have not. If I was still young and working in the same profession, I could not afford to buy my current house. My grandkids face a bleak future regarding housing.
And I would also like to suggest that nearly all those young people could not lay any type of flooring, cut and install baseboards or door and window trim, remove and install a toilet let alone solder a copper connection. I shudder at the thought of them installing a light fixture or electrical switch.
What happened to started homes. After WW2, during the housing boom, blocks of small 1.5 story Cape Cod detached, single family homes were built. Nothing fancy but affordable homes for young families and empty nesters.
” Cape Cod house plans for 1950s America was a marketing scheme for a booming housing market. Just like the dream we have of the seaside cottage, the soldiers coming back from World War II had the dream of families and home ownership…But it worked. Its design is simple, compact, expandable, and, for mid-20th-century developers, the Cape Cod could be prefabricated.”
Being able to be prefabricated is key. They can be built and moved whole as an RTM or built as component sections, shipped and reassembled like the old Sears homes. Either way, mass production at factories should be more cost effective than on-site stick built homes.
Not fast enough for a million immigrants per year though so a pause or sensible reduction of immigration numbers to return to a sane balance would still be necessary.
Heh.
Why worry?
When the OPM runs out,the free stuff travellers will all flock to the USA,along with millions of Canadian refugees..
The fiscal collapse of Canada will of course,be caused by “Bad Luck”.
Supply and demand is beyond the comprehension of the fools and bandits we allow to occupy our public offices.
Every municipal budget is proof.
We need more immigration because many Canadians are too proud to work at Timmies or McDonalds.
Plus we need more engineers, medical professionals and trades. We are simply not replacing ourselves.
Limiting immigration is sticking our head in the sand to hide from the reality government is making housing out of reach.
We need immigration and housing but provincial and federal government has failed miserably to mitigate the market failure of affordable housing that has only been exacerbated by government failure of inaction and duplicity of regulation and taxation.
For instance, governments limit rent increases but do not restrain themselves when jacking up taxes and the cost of regulation.
Additionally, by adding significantly to the cost of new builds, residential and rental starts are below market ability to deliver.
Those who are part of the problems, indeed some reason the proximate cause of it, are the last people to solve them.
The CPC must first get feds out of the way instead of adding another level of statism, and use moral suasion to convince provinces to get off their butts if voters won’t force their hand (and maybe some dough).
I know of what I speak as a manager of a non-profit apartment building. Yes, it’s hard work and it takes persistence to get these buildings up and find community partners to help with costs, but I also know it’s possible.
Far too much immigration – far more than is required to fill job vacancies. And it seems to be focused on people of color.
There a genocide breaking out in South Africa. Tons of hard working, skilled white south africans in grave danger.
Why is our govt not fast tracking these people? Is it because they are white?
Aye Ward, you and I both know the answer to that question.
We need more posts like this, it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out, but people are too afraid of being call waycist!