Voters in the recent federal election raised housing as a major concern across the country. Unfortunately, the new Liberal government seems intent on following an old and failed playbook on the housing crisis that prioritizes private sector profit over ensuring everyone has a safe and affordable home.

The new minister for housing, Gregor Robertson, has already stated he does not think housing prices should go down and Prime Minister Carney’s new mandate letter highlights public-private cooperation, the housing industry and skilled trades.

Will Prime Minister Carney ensure public funding for housing helps achieve the right to housing for all? Is he willing to build public, cooperative and non-profit housing that is safe from the whims of financial markets and truly affordable for workers?

Will the Prime Minister confront the corporate landlords, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and pension funds who have been targeting workers’ homes for profit? New research shows these financial landlords in Toronto charge monthly rents 44 per cent higher than the average neighbourhood price.

If the new federal government is serious about addressing Canada’s affordable housing shortage it must address these five priorities on housing.

  1. Data: Create a public database of the names and locations of real estate investors and collect data on evictions and homelessness
  2. Tenant rights funding: Increase funding to organizations that provide legal and informational services to tenants and tenants’ rights advocacy organizations
  3. Community housing: Build more social housing including public, cooperative and non-profit housing
  4. Align federal housing funding with the right to housing and review policies for large-scale investors: Review and revise government policies such as the lack of private-sector regulation, taxation loopholes and low-interest borrowing
  5. National rent and vacancy control: Implement a strategy on rent regulation that includes national rent control and vacancy control

You can find more information in the Advocacy Action Guide on implementing the recommendations from Canada’s first review panel on the financialization of purpose-built rental housing developed by the National Right to Housing Network.

For a deeper look at the issues, check out CUPE’s submission to the National Housing Council Review Panel on the financialization of purpose-built rental housing here.