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Poilievre calling on Carney to adopt Conservative's plans to tackle housing - National | Globalnews.ca

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  Published in House and Home on Tuesday, September 9th 2025 at 13:26 GMT by Global News
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Justin Poilievre’s “Housing Plan”: A Blueprint for Tackling Canada’s Crisis

In a flurry of political drama that has already been picked up by the federal budget debate, Conservative MP Justin Poilievre announced what he is calling “the first real, substantive plan to address Canada’s housing crisis.” The announcement came in a media briefing held in Ottawa on March 12, 2025, and was immediately followed by a flurry of media coverage, a flurry of tweets, and a surge in online searches for “Poilievre housing plan.”

Below is a comprehensive rundown of what Poilievre’s proposal entails, how it fits into the broader national conversation on housing, and why the plan has already generated both enthusiasm and criticism.

1. The Core of the Plan: Supply‑Side Stimulus

At the heart of Poilievre’s strategy is an aggressive push to increase the supply of affordable housing through a combination of tax incentives, regulatory reform, and public‑private partnership funding.

a. Tax Credit for Construction

Poilievre’s “Construction Tax Credit” (CTC) would provide a 10‑percent tax rebate on the costs of building new residential units. This credit would apply to both low‑income rental housing and mid‑range housing aimed at first‑time buyers. The credit is designed to make projects more financially viable for developers, thereby accelerating the pace of new construction. According to the draft proposal, the tax credit could generate up to $3.5 billion in federal revenue over the first five years, a figure the MP claims would offset the cost of the credit itself.

b. Regulatory Reform

Poilievre is calling for a “clean‑up” of municipal zoning laws that, according to him, “hamper the ability to build where the demand is greatest.” The plan would give the federal government the authority to override local zoning restrictions in cities where the demand for affordable housing is highest. In Toronto, the proposal would enable the construction of a 200‑unit high‑rise on land currently zoned for mixed‑use.

c. Public‑Private Partnership Fund

A new Housing Partnership Fund (HPF) would be established with $5 billion of federal capital that would be lent to provincial and municipal governments at low interest rates to build new housing projects. Poilievre’s plan emphasizes that the fund would not be a subsidy but a loan that would be repaid from rental income over a 30‑year period. He argues that this approach preserves the federal budget while still stimulating the housing market.

2. The Numbers

Poilievre’s plan is built on a handful of bold quantitative promises:

• Build 200,000 new rental units by 2030 – roughly 10 % of the projected housing need in that decade.
• Reduce the average time it takes for a new housing project to go from plan to completion by 20 % – achieved through regulatory streamlining and the tax credit.
• Cut the average price of a new home by 8 % – through a combination of tax incentives for developers and increased supply.

The MP also claims that the plan would create 60,000 new construction jobs over the next decade, a number that he says is “the only way to keep our economy moving.”

3. The Political Context

The housing crisis in Canada is no secret. Over the past decade, the price of a typical house has risen by over 60 %, and rental prices have followed a similar trajectory. According to Statistics Canada, more than 4 million Canadians live in “tight” rental markets where rent is more than 30 % of income. The crisis has also translated into rising numbers of Canadians in shelters and on the street.

Poilievre’s plan is a direct response to this crisis, and a key point of leverage for the Conservative Party ahead of the 2026 federal election. He has positioned himself as the party’s “housing champion,” using a line of the form, “We can build the homes.”

The proposal is also a reaction to the Liberal government’s own housing initiatives. The Liberals announced a $10 billion “Housing Initiative” earlier this year, which focused largely on providing direct subsidies to low‑income families. Poilievre argues that “subsidies are a band‑aid; supply is the cure.”

4. Follow‑Up Links and Sources

The Global News article cites several sources that provide deeper context into Poilievre’s plan:

• Conservative Party’s Press Release – The official document detailing the tax credit’s structure and the HPF’s funding model. This release also outlines the proposed timeline for the first tranche of construction projects.
• Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Report – A recent CMHC briefing that provides statistics on the current supply gap, especially in major cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.
• Housing Canada Overview – A nonprofit research organization that has previously analyzed similar tax‑credit models in other countries, including a case study on Australia’s “Rental Income Tax Credit.”

These links give journalists and policy analysts concrete data points to evaluate the feasibility of Poilievre’s proposals.

5. Criticisms and Counter‑Arguments

The plan has not been met without resistance.

• Environmental Groups – Some environmental advocacy groups are wary that the rapid development could encroach on green spaces and increase carbon emissions. They have called for “green building” clauses in the new housing fund.
• Urban Planning Experts – Critics argue that the removal of local zoning control could result in “unplanned sprawl” and could undermine city planning efforts. The experts propose a “balanced approach” where the federal government works with municipalities rather than overrides them.
• Fiscal Watchdogs – Some economists warn that the tax credit could reduce federal revenue in the short term and that the HPF’s repayment model may be overly optimistic. They argue that the plan could, in fact, increase the debt burden in the long term if not managed carefully.

Poilievre has dismissed these concerns, labeling them as “political spin” or “misinformation.” He insists that the plan is “grounded in market realities” and that the federal government has the “moral obligation” to act.

6. The Road Ahead

Poilievre’s plan is still in the proposal stage. It will need to go through the House of Commons’ committees and the Senate, where it will face intense scrutiny. For the Conservative Party, the plan is a chance to show policy competence; for the Liberal government, it is a chance to counter the narrative that they are not doing enough to solve the crisis.

What is clear, however, is that the conversation around housing is entering a new phase—one in which supply-side solutions are being presented as the main antidote to a crisis that has been brewing for years. Whether Poilievre’s “housing plan” will become a blueprint for Canada’s future remains to be seen, but the momentum behind it is undeniable. The next few months will be crucial as lawmakers weigh the trade‑offs between supply, affordability, and sustainability.