Ottawa, ON – After eight years of Justin Trudeau, housing costs have doubled. Today, Statistics Canada confirmed that housing starts have plummeted across the country, making housing more expensive for all Canadians.

In Canada overall, the total value of residential building permits, on a seasonally adjusted constant dollar basis, is down 15 percent compared to this time last year. This means that under Trudeau, Canada is building 17,561 fewer houses than this time last year and housing starts are expected to decline even further this year. In British Columbia, the total value of residential permits declined by 19.4 percent, and Quebec fell by 17.3 percent. Quite simply, the Trudeau Government is failing to build enough homes for Canadians to live in. 

Despite Trudeau’s “Housing Accelerator Fund,” where the Liberals give millions of dollars to local gatekeepers, the total number of single dwelling units permitted in Ontario is down 34.6 percent compared to this time last year.

Trudeau and his Housing Minister fail to understand that Canadians can’t live in photo-ops. 

In Toronto, the total number of single dwelling units permitted fell by 24 percent compared to this time last year, while the total number of residential units permitted declined by 26.1 percent in Halifax and 20.3 percent in Montreal.  

It’s clear that this Liberal Government has no solutions for this generational housing crisis. Trudeau’s own Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation confirmed this when they said “there is not a plan” from the Liberal government to build the 3.5 million homes by the end of the decade that Canada needs to restore housing affordability.

Only common sense Conservatives will build homes, not bureaucracy and bring homes that Canadians can afford.