OTTAWA — Canada is facing a potential housing crisis due to government inaction, according to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Speaking at a residential construction site in Brampton on Tuesday, Poilievre criticized the Liberal government for its failure to address homebuilding needs. He warned that this inaction is leading to a cycle of layoffs and unemployment, particularly affecting skilled trades workers.

"The Canadian Home Builders’ Association says that 35% of their members are already laying people off," Poilievre stated. He highlighted that the Residential Construction Council of Ontario reported thousands of layoffs in the sector, primarily in the Greater Toronto Area, where unemployment rates are nearing record highs.

Poilievre also pointed to the loss of 106,000 jobs over the summer, which has resulted in Canada having the second-worst unemployment figures in the G7. He expressed concern that if skilled trades workers lose their jobs, they may not return to the industry. "If these trades workers lose their jobs, we may never get them back," he said. "They will have to move to find work, they may leave the housing sector altogether, and then three years from now, the housing shortage will be even worse than it is right now."

In response to the crisis, the Conservative Party unveiled a four-point plan aimed at improving the housing situation. The plan includes proposals to cut federal sales taxes on homes priced up to $1.3 million, reduce capital gains tax on reinvested homebuilding funds, incentivize municipalities to free up land and reduce development charges, and manage immigration more effectively.

Poilievre described the current housing situation as a "triple-crisis," where many Canadians are priced out of home ownership, existing homeowners are reluctant to sell due to low prices, and builders are unable to construct new homes. He emphasized that the government should focus on facilitating homebuilding rather than imposing restrictions. "Get out of the way," he urged. "We have great homebuilders who know how to build homes — the only thing they need is permission, but they can’t get it because of slow bureaucracy."

He also noted that the Liberal government has adopted some Conservative policy points in its 2025 election platform. Poilievre encouraged the government to continue this trend, stating, "We’re actually going to propose solutions. As we go back to Parliament, we want Mark Carney and the Liberals to steal our best ideas so that we can reverse the damage that they have done."