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Investing.com -- Liberal Leader Mark Carney, during a speech in Vaughn, Ontario, has pledged that his government will re-enter the homebuilding industry with a plan he describes as the most ambitious in Canada since World War II. Drawing parallels to the post-WWII housing crisis, Carney stated, "We will build at a pace not seen since the second world war."
According to Carney, despite Canadians’ best efforts, the high cost of housing makes it difficult for many to afford rent or homeownership. He announced a new approach to address this issue, aiming to build homes faster, smarter, and more affordably. The plan includes public-private cooperation on an unprecedented scale, with the goal of doubling the rate of new home construction to nearly 500,000 units per year.
The first part of his plan introduces a new entity, "Build Canada Homes." This organization will act as a developer for new homes, stimulate the housing industry, and provide financing for affordable home builders. As a developer, it will collaborate with the industry to construct affordable homes at scale, including on Federal lands.
Carney believes that prefabricated and modular building will play a significant role in the future. He has committed to providing more than CAD$25 billion ($17 billion USD) in financing to prefabricated builders in Canada and CAD$10 billion ($7 billion USD) of low-cost financing to builders to construct affordable homes.
The second part of the plan aims to stimulate growth by improving the functioning of the housing market itself. Carney stated that taxes and regulations have been stifling the industry, and Canadians are bearing the cost. Over the next five years, his government will halve development charges and charges on homebuilders for all multi-unit housing. By funding new housing infrastructure, Carney believes this will offset the loss of revenue.
The Canadian government built tens of thousands of affordable starter homes for returning veterans and their families after World War II. "Canada built its way out of that crisis into post-war economic strength," Carney declared. Now, with the country facing a new housing shortage due to decades of under-building and a post-pandemic immigration surge, Carney argued it’s time for the government to finance home construction once more.
Carney also criticized election rival and Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, accusing him of wanting to merely "fiddle with the tax code and slash programs that work." In contrast, Carney views this housing initiative as an opportunity to grow jobs and competition in all Canadian industry.