The federal NDP has promised Canadians a 20 per cent federal tax on foreign investors who compete to buy homes, a curb on house-flipping, and 500,000 new homes built across the country.
Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh kicked off a cross-country tour on Thursday, July 8 with a stop in Duncan on Vancouver Island where he spoke about his party91裸聊视频檚 commitment to affordable housing.
Among developed nations, Singh said, housing prices have increased more in Canada than anywhere else during Trudeau91裸聊视频檚 time as prime minister.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e got to stop those pressures that are driving up the cost of housing,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淏ut we also have to build more houses that people can afford; homes that are in people91裸聊视频檚 budgets. Whether it91裸聊视频檚 to rent or to own, we need more homes. And that91裸聊视频檚 why we are committed to building 500,000 new homes that people can afford. This will make a difference here in the Cowichan Valley, on the Island, and across Canada.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭he housing crisis across Canada is hurting people and their ability to find a good home,91裸聊视频� Singh said. 91裸聊视频淔rom evictions to the lack of affordable homes, people are having to leave the communities they live and work in to find a place to live. And the pandemic has made things worse. Justin Trudeau has been in power for six years and since then, housing prices have only gone up. He91裸聊视频檚 focused on protecting the profits of the ultra-rich, while Canadian families are struggling to find homes they can afford.91裸聊视频�
Canada invested heavily in building new homes after the Second World War, Singh noted, but there hasn91裸聊视频檛 been significant federal involvement in housing since the 1990s.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e spoken with so many people, and they tell me heartbreaking stories about how they want to stay in their community, they want to stay in the communities where they have friends and families and connections and their work, but they simply can91裸聊视频檛 afford it,91裸聊视频� Singh commented.
Singh spoke alongside Cowichan-Langford-Malahat MP Alistair MacGregor, who talked about housing issues in the Cowichan Valley, where nearly 5,000 affordable housing units will be required by 2025, while the federal Liberals have announced funding for 4,500 across the country.
91裸聊视频淏efore I became an elected official, I worked as a case worker, and many of the issues I was dealing with with families across the table really did centre on housing,91裸聊视频� the MP said. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e had too many conversations with people who had to make those difficult choices each and every month between finding the money for rent, utilities, and putting good quality food on the table. And sadly that situation has persisted even during the last six years that I91裸聊视频檝e been fortunate enough to be the Member of Parliament for this area.
91裸聊视频淗ousing is really one of those key issues that really is a nucleus around which everything depends. If you don91裸聊视频檛 have access to safe, secure and affordable housing, really if affects everything else.91裸聊视频�
Businesses in the Cowichan Valley are struggling to keep workers, MacGregor noted, because workers can91裸聊视频檛 afford to live in the area. And skyrocketing housing prices affect not only the housing-insecure but also people trying to get into the market for the first time
91裸聊视频淒espite some of the efforts that we91裸聊视频檝e seen at increasing the supply, the affordability is such a huge factor because people have not seen their wages rise commensurate with the housing crisis.91裸聊视频�
In addition to the other commitments the NDP has announced, the party is also urging the federal government to put measures into place to tackle money laundering that increases real estate speculation, stimulate construction of co-op and non-profit social housing, waive the federal portion of the GST/HST on construction of new affordable rental housing, reintroduce 30-year CMHC-insured mortgages for first-time homebuyers, and double the homebuyer91裸聊视频檚 tax credit to $1,500.
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