CanadaB次元官网网址檚 new housing and infrastructure minister says closing the door to newcomers is not the solution to the countryB次元官网网址檚 housing woes, and has instead endorsed building more homes to accommodate higher immigration flows.
Sean Fraser, who previously served as immigration minister, was sworn in Wednesday morning as part of a Liberal government cabinet shuffle aimed at showcasing a fresh team ahead of the next federal election.
He comes into the role at a time when strong population growth through immigration is adding pressure to housing demand at a time when the country is struggling with an affordability crisis.
B次元官网网址淭he answer is, at least in part, to continue to build more stock,B次元官网网址 Fraser told reporters after being sworn in.
B次元官网网址淏ut I would urge caution to anyone who believes the answer to our housing challenges is to close the door on newcomers.B次元官网网址
Instead, the minister said immigration would be part of the solution to the housing challenge.
B次元官网网址淲hen I talked to developers, in my capacity as a minister of immigration before today, one of the chief obstacles to completing the projects that they want to get done is having access to the labour force to build the houses that they need,B次元官网网址 he said.
Prime Minister JustinTrudeauB次元官网网址檚 decision to hand over the federal housing file to the Nova Scotia MP has been praised by experts who saythat the Liberals need a strong communicator in charge as Canadians deal with an affordability crunch.
As part of the shakeup, the housing file has been merged with infrastructure and communities. Fraser said the goal is to look at housing and infrastructure projects together, rather than in isolation.
B次元官网网址淚f we encourage cities and communities to build more housing where infrastructure already exists or where itB次元官网网址檚 planned to be, weB次元官网网址檙e going to be able to leverage more progress for every public dollar thatB次元官网网址檚 invested,B次元官网网址 he said.
Ahmed Hussen, who became housing minister in 2021, has faced criticism for his handling of the file as the housing crisis worsened across the country.
Hussen is staying in cabinet as minister of international development.
B次元官网网址淭he selection of Sean, I think, is a recognition that the job requires fundamentally an energy and urgency and a passion in order to be able to effectively compete with the message that (Conservative Leader) Pierre Poilievre has put forward,B次元官网网址 said Tyler Meredith, a former head of economic strategy and planning for TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 government.
Meredith said the choice to shift Fraser from immigration to housing also signals the federal government knows the two files are linked.
B次元官网网址淚f they lose the argument on housing, they will lose the argument on immigration, and they will then lose what is frankly, some of the some of the most effective pieces of their economic strategy,B次元官网网址 Meredith said.
CanadaB次元官网网址檚 population grew by more than one million people in 2022, a pace that experts say is adding pressure to housing demand. That, in turn, pushes up prices even further.
A recent analysis by BMO found that for every one per cent of population growth, housing prices typically increase by three per cent.
The Liberals have been taking a lot of heat from Poilievre for the state of the housing market. HeB次元官网网址檚blamed TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 government for the crisis, as well as municipal B次元官网网址済atekeepersB次元官网网址 for standing in the way of new developments.
Poilievre has focused on the need to build more housing and has not weighed in on whether Canada needs to change the number of people it lets into the country.
The Conservative leader has also been particularly focused on speaking to young people struggling with affordability, commonly referring to the B次元官网网址35-year-olds still living in their parentsB次元官网网址 basementsB次元官网网址 in the House of Commons.
Fraser, 39, acknowledged during the news conference that housing affordability is a major challenge facing younger Canadians in particular.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a real challenge for people my age and younger who are trying to get into the market, but itB次元官网网址檚 also a challenge for low-income families,B次元官网网址 Fraser said.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no simple solutions, but if we continue to advance measures that help build more stock, that help make sure itB次元官网网址檚 easier for people to get into the market and make sure weB次元官网网址檙e offering protections for low-income families, particularly in vulnerable renting situations, weB次元官网网址檙e going to be able to make a meaningful difference.B次元官网网址
The housing crisis that once was associated with Vancouver and Toronto is now affecting all corners of the country, and experts say a shortage of homes is at its root.
The Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation has warned the country needs to build 3.5 million additional homes B次元官网网址 on top of the current pace of building B次元官网网址 to restore affordability by 2030.
Carolyn Whitzman, a housing policy expert and adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa, said the decision to combine housing and infrastructure is a good move.
B次元官网网址淗ousing is infrastructure. ItB次元官网网址檚 essential, as essential as water and sewers and hospitals and schools, for the functioning of a society,B次元官网网址 she said.
Whitzman also called Fraser a B次元官网网址渇airly effective communicatorB次元官网网址 and noted his experience as immigration minister may also help inform his role in the housing file.
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