Critics shouldn’t “interfere” in Ottawa’s plan to build millions of homes to solve the country’s housing crisis, Housing Minister Sean Fraser says.
“That’s 65 homes per hour,“ Ms. Lewis said. ”We’ve been here just over 30 minutes. Has your government built 32 homes in the last 32 minutes, minister?”
Mr. Fraser, who appeared before the committee May 21, responded saying, “My view is people who would suggest a problem is impossible to solve shouldn’t try to interfere with the person who is trying to actually solve it.”
“If your goal is to throw up obstacles every way, feel free. Have a field day. I want to solve the housing crisis. My goal is actually based on what I think it would take to solve it,” he said.
Ms. Lewis again asked how many homes the government has built. Mr. Fraser said it’s not Ottawa’s responsibility to built the homes, only to offer the “incentives” for new houses to be built.
“We have funding on the table, but it’s actually the private sector and nonprofits who build the homes, not the government,” he responded.
The Liberal government’s promise last month to build 3.87 million new homes by 2031 would accelerate construction to a rate never before seen in Canada. Construction of the promised homes in addition to the country’s current construction rates would necessitate 731,500 starts each year.
Construction Plans
Mr. Fraser last month called Ottawa’s housing plan a work in progress when questioned by reporters on the status of the builds.“Some of the background work is done, but we do have to set up the machinery of government in an appropriate way to actually deliver on some of these challenges,” he said on April 17. “But it’s a brand new thing, so it will take a little bit of time to set up.”
He noted that while it can take up to three years to construct a large apartment building, the government is looking to convert existing structures into residential buildings, accelerating the process.
“Governments across Canada are sitting on surplus underused and vacant public lands like empty office towers or low-rise buildings; there is great potential to build more housing,” Mr. Trudeau said, adding that Ottawa would purchase the land and lease it to co-ops and “affordable rentals.”
Lands with existing federal buildings on them could also be expanded for housing, Mr. Trudeau said.
His April report said Canada would need to build 181,000 more homes a year than it currently does. The figure does not take into account recent federal efforts to bolster housing supply or Ottawa’s newly imposed cap on temporary residents.
