More housing promises were made by the Liberals and NDP on day 17 of the federal election campaign.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Liberal leader Mark Carney were in British Columbia for their housing announcements.
Carney proposes to introduce several measures that will help build 500,00 new homes a year.
He wants to see more Canadian lumber used.
“While the US is trying to keep high quality, sustainable Canadian lumber out, we will use more of it here in our plan to double the pace of housing construction in this country over the course of the next 10 years,” says Carney.
Carney also plans to make money available to manufacturers to help build more prefab and modular homes.
“My government will provide $25 billion….in financing to scale the industry up massively to create high paying jobs, high skilled jobs up and down the supply chain,” says Carney.
“Prefabricated and modular housing will catalyze a productivity boom while creating tens of thousands of, not just jobs but tens of thousands of new high-paying careers in the skilled trades.”
Singh focused his attention on measures aimed at housing speculators and foreign ownership.
“We’re going to end the loophole that allows speculators to flip homes year after year. That’s got to stop,” says Singh.
“It just drives up the cost of homes, and it makes it more expensive and impossible for everyday folks to buy a home.”
Singh says he will also make a measure to restrict foreign ownership of homes permanent.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was in Edmonton on Tuesday to announce new tax rules that take direct aim at the country’s largest taxpayers.
He proposes a task force that would work to close the loopholes allowing companies to set up outside Canada for tax purposes.
“And by closing the loopholes that enable them, we will create a public name and shame registry so that global multinational and billionaire tax dodgers are named and exposed so that everyone knows who they are,” says Poilievre.
He also plans to reward whistleblowers with up to 20% of recovered money when they help expose illegal tax schemes.
“I’ll also direct CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) to re-apportion the use of its staff. We’re going to have fewer auditors going after charities and small businesses and more going after international tax evaders.”
The federal election takes place on April 28th.
