Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that “housing isn’t a primary federal responsibility” at a funding announcement in Hamilton, Ont. on July 31.
Instead of taking responsibility for the housing needs of Canadians, the federal government has been participating in the same “ambiguity, turf guarding, buck passing and finger pointing” they accuse other governments of doing, as was recently seen in the treatment of refugee claimants in Toronto. The production of non-market housing fell off a cliff in 1992 when the federal government downloaded responsibility for affordable housing to provinces.
Evidence-based supply targets for provinces and municipalities would reflect the fact that 78 per cent of households in need of housing can afford no more than $1,050 a month for rent and homeless people no more than $420 a month. Fourth, the government must meet the needs of its rapidly growing population and ensure middle-income families can afford to raise their children in urban areas.