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Poilievre Vows to Construct 2.3 Million Homes within Five Years


Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pledges to increase Canada’s housing supply by 2.3 million homes in the next five years through various initiatives announced during the election campaign.

The Conservative Party aims to achieve 305,000 housing starts in the first year of governance, 352,000 in the second year, 405,000 in the third, 465,000 in the fourth, and 535,000 in the fifth year. Moreover, the party predicts that selling federal lands in urban areas will lead to 288,000 housing starts.

“When you tally it all up, it totals 2.3 million homes for Canadians in five years; for the young Canadians stuck in their parents’ homes, for renters struggling to save for a down payment, for seniors fearing eviction due to soaring rents,” Poilievre stated during a campaign event in Scarborough, Ont., on April 21.

Poilievre highlighted that Canada has the second slowest approval time for building permits out of 35 countries and suggested that his government would offer additional funding to municipalities that permit more than 15% additional homebuilding annually, while reducing funding for cities that fall short of their construction goals. He also proposed that cities must pre-permit housing and authorize high-density housing near transit stations to receive federal funding.

The Conservative leader also mentioned that his government plans to eliminate the GST on new homes under $1.3 million and encourage local governments to reduce development taxes on new home construction.

During his first 100 days as prime minister, Poilievre plans to allocate 15% of appropriate federal land and buildings to be pre-zoned and sold for constructing new affordable homes. Additionally, his government will restrict immigration to “ensure that we always add new homes faster than we add people.”

“The market will become more open, and Canadian renters and buyers will have more property options, rather than being in competition with an excess number of people,” he stated.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney has pledged $35 billion in new housing investments, including $25 billion in financing for prefabricated homes and $10 billion for low-cost financing and capital for building affordable homes for students and seniors.

Carney has vowed to expand the Liberals’ $4 billion Housing Accelerator Fund and further reduce barriers to home construction by halving municipal development charges for multi-unit residential properties. Carney has also proposed a policy similar to the Conservatives, stating his government will eliminate the GST on the sale of new homes under $1 million for first-time homebuyers.

The Liberal plan aims to double the speed of residential home construction to nearly 500,000 new homes annually through a new federal housing entity called Build Canada Homes, which would function as a developer, oversee affordable housing construction, accelerate construction, and provide funding to home builders.



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