As the federal government looks to spend billions to increase the supply of housing across the country, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland dismissed concerns that the ambitious building program was unrealistic or unsafe.
Ms. Freeland spoke to reporters in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, on April 23 and was asked about how the federal government expects to build 10,000 homes in Newfoundland and Labrador per year when the province’s home builders association has claimed that in the best year of construction, just 3,300 homes were built.
Alexis Foster, executive director of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association in the province, told CBC last week: “Historically our best year was 3,300 homes. So it’s a huge gap that we’re faced with right now.”
Ms. Freeland replied to the question on whether the plan was too ambitious, saying: “I think the issue is supply, supply, supply. And I think every day we have to get more and more and more ambitious on housing.”
She added that while it was “a more ambitious plan than we have ever seen,” she believed that with all levels of government working together along with the private sector, home building could move faster.
“We’re working closely with the province. And then most importantly, the people who do the actual building are stepping up here and building things. But of course, we have to keep on going, we have to do more faster,” Ms. Freeland said.
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Safety was another concern raised to Ms. Freeland, particularly whether she believed that rushing the creation of housing to unprecedented levels could come with the possibility that corners might be cut and safety standards not upheld.
Ms. Freeland rejected the concerns, saying, “I know that builders across the country, I know that municipalities across the country, I know that building inspectors across the country are not cutting any corners when it comes to the health and safety of Canadians.”
While the 2024 budget proposes to make billions of dollars of investments to increase the Canadian housing supply, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has noted that the government will also be required to solve issues surrounding construction sector labour shortages.
The CMHC noted that more construction sector workers are retiring than being replaced and that the sector is struggling to replace workers.
As many as 22 percent of residential construction workers are expected to retire in the next decade, the same period in which the Liberal government hopes to increase the number of homes built to at least 3.87 million by 2031.
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