OTTAWA — The federal Liberal cabinet wrapped up a three-day retreat in Charlottetown promising concrete action on housing but without any specific new initiatives on the table.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the housing challenge “has been decades” in the making and promises the government is focused on “getting more housing built.”
But the ministers departed Charlottetown with no new announcements or even a commitment to follow through on advice given to them by housing experts during their sessions earlier in the week.
Housing affordability has become a critical issue for Canadians in recent months with a perfect storm of rising interest rates, soaring rents and population growth outstripping the available housing supply.
A new Leger poll suggests four in 10 Canadians blame the Trudeau government for the housing crisis, while about three in 10 blame their province.
A report presented to the cabinet this week lists 10 things the federal government can do on housing, including cutting federal sales taxes on new rental construction and issuing a new federal benefit to Canadians who are at risk of becoming homeless.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
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