CUPE believes that housing is a fundamental human right and that the federal government has a key role to play in ensuring that everyone has a safe and affordable roof over their head. But years of government inaction mean that 235,000 Canadians experience homelessness every year, and over 1.7 million households are in housing that is unsafe, overcrowded, or unaffordable.
For over half a century, CUPE has been calling for immediate, bold action from the federal government on Canada’s housing crisis.
The NDP’s plan to invest $5 billion right away to build 500,000 units of affordable housing is a gamechanger. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh unveiled the plan on Tuesday, noting that the Liberals under Justin Trudeau have spent 19 per cent less on housing than Stephen Harper’s Conservatives.
The Liberal and Conservative plans for housing do little to increase Canada’s supply of affordable housing – they simply open the door to Canadians taking on more and more debt.
CUPE and our allies in affordable housing advocacy have long been calling for non-market solutions to the housing crisis, like cooperative and rent-geared-to-income housing, as well as funding for new construction of affordable units. Only the NDP’s plan will increase affordability and supply at the same time.
Read more in CUPE’s election issue note on affordable housing.
