Amid rising housing prices and a shortage of housing supply, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said responsibility on the matter lays mostly with the provinces and territories, but experts say the federal government is playing a larger role in shaping housing policy in Canada.
At a housing announcement in Hamilton on Monday, Trudeau said the issue is mostly provincial jurisdiction.
“I’ll be blunt as well — housing isn’t a primary federal responsibility. It’s not something that we have direct carriage of,” he said.
“But it is something that we can and must help with.”
Housing has become a major political issue as prices continue to rise. The Canadian Real Estate Association reported earlier this year that the average price of a home in Canada is $716,000.
Poilievre has pledged to withhold federal infrastructure funding to municipalities that block housing developments.
WATCH | 3 levels of government trade barbs over who should fix housing crisis
3 levels of government trade barbs over who should fix housing crisis
15 hours ago
Duration 2:11
Two Alberta mayors and the province’s housing minister are calling for their ‘fair share’ of federal funds for affordable housing. It comes as the prime minister trades barbs with Conservatives over who should have done more to fix Canada’s housing policy.
Trudeau said he’d like to see more of an effort from the Ontario government.
“I’d love to be able to share this stage right now, not just with the mayor of Hamilton, but with the province,” Trudeau said.
“They need to be stepping up as well, particularly on affordable housing. That is something that the federal government is taking very seriously, but we need all of us to be working together on [it], and that’s what we’re here to continue to do.”
But experts told CBC News that while Trudeau’s remarks are technically accurate, they simplify a complex issue on which Ottawa could be doing a better job.
Ottawa moving into housing file: experts
The Constitution or legislation sometimes explicitly states which level of government is responsible for a particular issue, but this is not the case with housing.
“If you read the Constitution, the word housing doesn’t appear in there,” said Steve Pomeroy, an industry professor and executive advisor at the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative at McMaster University.
“However, jurisprudence has generally interpreted the Constitution that matters of local things are seen as being provincial jurisdiction. So the legal interpretation of the Constitution in a very strict review would allocate responsibility for housing to the provinces.”
But the federal government controls many institutions and areas of policy which affect the price and availability of housing in Canada, Pomeroy said, such as federal fiscal policy and bank regulation.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), which is responsible for implementing Canada’s National Housing Act, is a federal crown corporation. CMHC says it “exists for a single reason: to make housing affordable for everyone in Canada,” according to its website. The organization provides mortgage insurance, sets rules for who can qualify for mortgage insurance, collects data about housing in Canada, and more.
Nova Scotia MP Sean Fraser arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on July 26. Fraser became the minister responsible for housing following a cabinet shuffle. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Ottawa’s desire to be involved in the housing sector has fluctuated over the decades, Pomeroy said, adding that the Trudeau government has wanted to play a bigger role.
The government developed a National Housing Strategy, which includes a plan to build up to 160,000 new homes and cut chronic homelessness in half. It’s also campaigned on a number of housing policies, such as a fund for municipalities that are looking to boost housing supply, as well as a first-time home buyers savings account and a new tax for foreign buyers.
“The pendulum has swung all the way back to a very proactive federal role, notwithstanding the fact that the Constitution doesn’t actually give them the responsibility to be there,” Pomeroy said.
But Lydia Miljan, a political science professor at the University of Windsor, said federal parties and governments campaigning outside their jurisdiction is far from unprecedented. She added that money is a factor as well, as the federal government has the largest budget.
“The federal government has the power of the purse,” she said.
“And so historically they have done things to make housing more affordable, either by providing housing for low income Canadians through rent subsidies or through social housing.”
Pomeroy agreed.
“To some extent people do look toward the federal government mainly because it’s the level of government with the greatest fiscal powers,” he said.
“The challenge for cities is that they simply don’t have the revenue capacity. Building affordable housing or social housing is a very expensive proposition.”
Steve Pomeroy of the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative says the federal government is taking on more of a role when it comes to housing — but it’s not necessarily helping much. (Prabhjot Singh Lotey/CBC)
The government values the National Housing Strategy at more than $82 billion, though some of that money is loans rather than new spending.
But Pomeroy said the federal government needs to be held responsible for flaws in its approach to housing.
“To be perfectly frank, I think they haven’t done a very good job, even though they’ve started spending a lot of money,” he said.
“The way they’ve designed initiatives, they’ve been very cumbersome.”
Pomeroy said a better approach would have been to leave responsibility for housing programs with the provinces while boosting federal funding and slowly increasing the federal role over time.
Immigration vs. housing supply
Immigration, an area of federal jurisdiction, has also been a contentious issue when it comes to housing. Canada welcomed 437,180 newcomers in 2022, and the record number of immigrants is a factor pushing up demand for housing.
“You can’t just dump a bunch of newcomers in Canada when we have a housing shortage, and expect the provinces to sort of pick up the slack,” Miljan said.
Pomeroy said he’d like to see better collaboration between the federal government and the provinces, but added he thinks Ottawa has already gone too far into provincial jurisdiction when it comes to housing.
“I think to some extent the federal government is its own worst enemy on this one,” he said.
Moe is set to speak in the city of Yorkton about affordability measures this morning before travelling to the nearby village of Theodore for an event with the local Saskatchewan Party candidate.
NDP Leader Carla Beck doesn’t have any events scheduled, though several party candidates are to hold press conferences.
On Thursday, Moe promised a directive banning “biological boys” from using school changing rooms with “biological girls” if re-elected.
The NDP said the Saskatchewan Party was punching down on vulnerable children.
Election day is Oct. 28.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.
REGINA – Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe is promising a directive banning “biological boys” from using school changing rooms with “biological girls” if re-elected, a move the NDP’s Carla Beck says weaponizes vulnerable kids.
Moe made the pledge Thursday at a campaign stop in Regina. He said it was in response to a complaint that two biological males had changed for gym class with girls at a school in southeast Saskatchewan.
He said the ban would be his first order of business if he’s voted again as premier on Oct. 28.
It was not previously included in his party’s campaign platform document.
“I’ll be very clear, there will be a directive that would come from the minister of education that would say that biological boys will not be in the change room with biological girls,” Moe said.
He added school divisions should already have change room policies, but a provincial directive would ensure all have the rule in place.
Asked about the rights of gender-diverse youth, Moe said other children also have rights.
“What about the rights of all the other girls that are changing in that very change room? They have rights as well,” he said, followed by cheers and claps.
The complaint was made at a school with the Prairie Valley School Division. The division said in a statement it doesn’t comment on specific situations that could jeopardize student privacy and safety.
“We believe all students should have the opportunity to learn and grow in a safe and welcoming learning environment,” it said.
“Our policies and procedures align with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code.”
Asked about Moe’s proposal, Beck said it would make vulnerable kids more vulnerable.
Moe is desperate to stoke fear and division after having a bad night during Wednesday’s televised leaders’ debate, she said.
“Saskatchewan people, when we’re at our best, are people that come together and deliver results, not divisive, ugly politics like we’ve seen time and again from Scott Moe and the Sask. Party,” Beck said.
“If you see leaders holding so much power choosing to punch down on vulnerable kids, that tells you everything you need to know about them.”
Beck said voters have more pressing education issues on their minds, including the need for smaller classrooms, more teaching staff and increased supports for students.
People also want better health care and to be able to afford gas and groceries, she added.
“We don’t have to agree to understand Saskatchewan people deserve better,” Beck said.
The Saskatchewan Party government passed legislation last year that requires parents consent to children under 16 using different names or pronouns at school.
The law has faced backlash from some LGBTQ+ advocates, who argue it violates Charter rights and could cause teachers to out or misgender children.
Beck has said if elected her party would repeal that legislation.
Heather Kuttai, a former commissioner with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission who resigned last year in protest of the law, said Moe is trying to sway right-wing voters.
She said a change room directive would put more pressure on teachers who already don’t have enough educational support.
“It sounds like desperation to me,” she said.
“It sounds like Scott Moe is nervous about the election and is turning to homophobic and transphobic rhetoric to appeal to far-right voters.
“It’s divisive politics, which is a shame.”
She said she worries about the future of gender-affirming care in a province that once led in human rights.
“We’re the kind of people who dig each other out of snowbanks and not spew hatred about each other,” she said. “At least that’s what I want to still believe.”
Also Thursday, two former Saskatchewan Party government members announced they’re endorsing Beck — Mark Docherty, who retired last year and was a Speaker, and Glen Hart, who retired in 2020.
Ian Hanna, a speech writer and senior political adviser to former Saskatchewan Party premier Brad Wall, also endorsed Beck.
Earlier in the campaign, Beck received support from former Speaker Randy Weekes, who quit the Saskatchewan Party earlier this year after accusing caucus members of bullying.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
REGINA – Saskatchewan‘s provincial election is on Oct. 28. Here’s a look at some of the campaign promises made by the two major parties:
Saskatchewan Party
— Continue withholding federal carbon levy payments to Ottawa on natural gas until the end of 2025.
— Reduce personal income tax rates over four years; a family of four would save $3,400.
— Double the Active Families Benefit to $300 per child per year and the benefit for children with disabilities to $400 a year.
— Direct all school divisions to ban “biological boys” from girls’ change rooms in schools.
— Increase the First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit to $15,000 from $10,000.
— Reintroduce the Home Renovation Tax Credit, allowing homeowners to claim up to $4,000 in renovation costs on their income taxes; seniors could claim up to $5,000.
— Extend coverage for insulin pumps and diabetes supplies to seniors and young adults
— Provide a 50 per cent refundable tax credit — up to $10,000 — to help cover the cost of a first fertility treatment.
— Hire 100 new municipal officers and 70 more officers with the Saskatchewan Marshals Service.
— Amend legislation to provide police with more authority to address intoxication, vandalism and disturbances on public property.
— Platform cost of $1.2 billion, with deficits in the first three years and a small surplus in 2027.
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NDP
— Pause the 15-cent-a-litre gas tax for six months, saving an average family about $350.
— Remove the provincial sales tax from children’s clothes and ready-to-eat grocery items like rotisserie chickens and granola bars.
— Pass legislation to limit how often and how much landlords can raise rent.
— Repeal the law that requires parental consent when children under 16 want to change their names or pronouns at school.
— Launch a provincewide school nutrition program.
— Build more schools and reduce classroom sizes.
— Hire 800 front-line health-care workers in areas most in need.
— Launch an accountability commission to investigate cost overruns for government projects.
— Scrap the marshals service.
— Hire 100 Mounties and expand detox services.
— Platform cost of $3.5 billion, with small deficits in the first three years and a small surplus in the fourth year.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct .17, 2024.
