by Trevor Greenway

Local Journalism Reporter

The federal election is upon us – and it’s coming fast. With just three or so weeks left until Canadians head to the polls to pick their next MP and ruling party on April 28, the intensity will ramp up fast. 

National headlines will give you the latest on Canada vs. Trump and how the respective leaders stack up against the U.S. president, but here in the Hills, we will be grilling our candidates on the local economy, the environment, Quebec politics and local journalism as we inch towards election day. With just three publications left until the vote, we are focussing our coverage on a series of Q&As focused on local issues. 

Issue number one is the housing crisis in the Gatineau Hills. We asked all five candidates to answer the following question and gave them a 150-word limit on their answers, which have been edited for grammar, length and style. 

Q: The Table de développement social des Collines-de-l’Outaouais (TDSCO) found that more than 3,000 residents in the region are living in homes they can’t afford. This is based upon the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) affordable housing threshold of 30 per cent of a household income being put towards housing. What will your party do to ease the housing crunch in the region?

Sophie Chatel, Liberal party

Families across Pontiac–Kitigan Zibi are struggling to afford a place to live. 

The housing crisis is real, and it’s hitting our region. Under Mark Carney’s leadership, the Liberal party is ready to act with an ambitious housing plan. 

We’ll double the pace of construction to 500,000 homes a year, launch Build Canada Homes to get the federal government back into building, eliminate the GST for first-time homebuyers, unlock private capital, cut red tape and lower building costs. 

No single solution exists, but we’ll be an active partner in getting more homes built. Programs like the Rapid Housing Initiative and Housing Accelerator Fund have delivered over 1,000 homes in the Outaouais, with a new phase supporting water infrastructure, so municipalities can build more housing. 

[Pierre] Poilievre says he’ll cut these programs. I’m committed to working with all levels of government and local partners to ensure everyone has an affordable home.

Claude Bertrand, Green party

Shelter, like food, water and clothing, is fundamental to survival. The Green party recognizes that for many Canadians the high cost of housing is making it difficult to meet other basic needs. 

Canada needs to rapidly double its stock of social housing. 

The Green party wants publicly-funded housing to be truly affordable. It makes no sense to continue basing payments for a social housing unit on prices in today’s inflated housing market. 

Real affordability means that an individual or family in social housing should be able to pay their rent or mortgage with 30 per cent of their regular income. 

And there should be covenants to ensure that public housing cannot at some future time be purchased by profit-driven corporations. Given our 150-word limit, there is no room to cover other Green party ideas for responding to the crisis in private and public housing. 

I look forward to further opportunities to communicate with voters on this critical topic.

Gilbert Whiteduck, NDP

Under Conservative and Liberal governments, the federal government severely cut support for affordable housing over recent decades. Billions in federal funding since has gone to private developers, who have hiked rents and house prices. This resulted in the affordable housing crisis we are in. To help solve this crisis, the NDP would:

• Make federal Crown land available to build 100,000 rent-controlled homes and speed up approvals, while respecting the treaty and inherent rights of Indigenous communities;
• Invest $1 billion to purchase more federal land to build more rent-controlled homes;
• Create a Community Housing Bank to provide low-cost financing to co-ops, non-profits and Indigenous communities;
• Help non-profits buy affordable apartments;
• Ban corporations from buying existing affordable rental buildings and hiking rents;
• Provide low-interest publicly-backed loans to families buying their first home, saving families thousands annually.

Todd Hoffman, People’s Party of Canada

nada is a concern for many. 

The People’s Party of Canada (PPC) has a plan to help ease this problem which in essence is the shrinking of individual savings. Here are three, of several, consideration points. Firstly, the PPC would privatize or dismantle the CMHC, a government agency that fuels the housing crisis instead of cooling it down. All it has done is encourage Canadians to buy houses they cannot afford. 

Secondly, The Bank of Canada inflation targets need to be modified, from two per cent to zero per cent. This would cool down inflation in all sectors, including housing. 

Thirdly, the PPC would work to end supply management by the food cartel. This would lower the next biggest household expense, which is groceries, thereby putting more disposable income in people’s pockets. 

The PPC will have people living in homes without financial stress.

Brian Nolan, Conservative party

A Conservative government will take concrete action to address this crisis by increasing housing supply, making home ownership more affordable and supporting rental and affordable housing projects.

• Increasing housing supply

We will work with municipalities to cut red tape and fast-track housing approvals, ensuring that new homes can be built faster and more efficiently. By incentivizing local governments to meet housing targets, we can increase the number of homes available and reduce upward pressure on prices. Additionally, we will promote the development of multi-unit housing and rental projects to create more affordable living options for residents.

• Making home ownership more affordable

The rising cost of home ownership is pushing families out of the market. A Conservative government will focus on lowering inflation and stabilizing interest rates through responsible fiscal management, making it easier for families to afford mortgages. We have announced that we will remove the GST on homes below $1.3 million for everyone, which will provide significant relief, particularly in our riding.