Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has proposed a new strategy to build more homes in Canada by linking infrastructure dollars received by cities to the number of houses completed. City governments that block construction will be subject to fines and clawbacks of their federal infrastructure money, while those that speed up building permits and free up land for construction will receive bonuses and extra infrastructure funds. Poilievre cited data showing a 12.4% increase in average rent to $2,200 as evidence of housing becoming more unaffordable, and accused the Liberal government of continuing to shovel billions of dollars to government gatekeepers and city halls that block construction. He also promised that his government would require high-density apartments and condos to be built around federally-funded transit stations and would sell off unused federal buildings to provide more housing for working-class young people and immigrants. Poilievre said that millions more homes need to be built across Canada to make them affordable for everyone.
Poilievre says Tories may freeze infrastructure funding for cities without housing.
