OTTAWA - As Ottawa gears up to launch a new agency to build homes faster, internal government documents describe how dire the housing situation has become in Canada.

Briefing materials prepared for incoming Housing Minister Gregor Robertson this past May acknowledge that costly housing is hurting the economy and making it difficult for people to find places to live.

The documents say the government has fallen behind on investing in housing offered below market rates, a shortfall that is hitting newcomers and vulnerable Canadians especially hard.

Government figures show the cost of building the average home in Canada has increased 58 per cent since 2020 and could rise further, thanks to U.S. tariffs.

The federal government plans to create a new Build Canada Homes agency to ramp up the p

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