Liberals Continue to Fall Behind on Housing

September 10, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa, ON –Scott Aitchison, Conservative Shadow Minister for Housing, issued the following statement concerning the latest report from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC):

“Today, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s own housing agency confirmed that the Liberals have left Canada in a housing crisis so deep that even doubling housing starts would only restore affordability to 2019 levels.

“After promising the ‘most ambitious housing plan since the Second World War,’ Mark Carney is on track to build less than half the 500,000 homes he pledged to deliver. CMHC reported that Canada still needs double the housing construction currently projected to improve affordability over the next decade.

“New estimates show that Canada’s housing starts need to rise to between 417,000 and 469,000 per year to restore affordability to pre-2020 levels by 2036. Instead, housing starts under Mark Carney are projected to fall from over 250,000 to as low as 212,000 by 2028. This comes as population growth is expected to recover across most major cities, increasing demand for housing and the need to build more homes.

“The report shows that high construction costs and difficult financing conditions are making it harder to build new homes. Weak condominium sales continue to discourage new developers from building. Condominium and housing construction has fallen sharply in major cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and Montréal. Compared to last year, the housing supply gap has grown larger in Montréal and Ottawa, and remained the same in Vancouver.

“It’s no wonder CMHC’s Chief Economist warned that ‘slowing home construction threatens recent affordability gains.’

“Meanwhile, Canada has become a nation of renters. Across most major markets, rentals are dominating new housing supply, with purpose-built rental housing now accounting for two-thirds of all apartment starts.

“In 2015, four out of five homes started in urban Canada were for ownership. Today, less than half are. As fewer homes are built for Canadians looking to buy, CMHC cautioned that ‘a future supply crunch in the homeownership market is likely.’

“The consequences are real. CMHC noted that ‘some households may have delayed forming because of affordability challenges.’ Young Canadians should not be forced to postpone major life decisions because the Liberals continue failing to build more homes.

“That’s why the Liberals must adopt our Conservative plan to axe the GST on new homes up to $1.3 million. This would save homebuyers up to $65,000, while boosting housing construction by 36,000 homes annually.

“Conservatives will take the GST off new homes, speed up permitting and cut development charges to lower prices and help restore the promise of an affordable home for all Canadians.”