The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on National Housing Day:

“Canada’s housing market just hasn’t been working. Ask anyone you know, and they’ll say it hasn’t worked for decades. Put simply, the cost to build homes is too high, and the time it takes to finish projects is too long.

“So, the federal government is fixing it, starting by making it easier to build homes faster. The Housing Accelerator Fund is a transformative program that partners with communities across the country to speed-up housing construction. It does this by incentivizing municipalities to speed up approvals, remove red tape, and unlock faster development. This helps build more homes near transit and schools and allows greater density. We’ve already signed 178 agreements across the country to fast-track more than 750,000 homes, and earlier this year, we topped up the Fund to build over 12,000 new homes.

“We’re not stopping there. The Affordable Housing Fund is helping build new affordable homes while renovating and repairing existing ones. Through the Apartment Construction Loan Program, we’re helping builders create the housing supply Canadians need. By enhancing the Home Buyers’ Plan, first-time home buyers are able to save up more money for their down payment, faster. To protect renters’ rights, we introduced a Blueprint for a Renters’ Bill of Rights, to protect tenants from unfair rent hikes, renovictions, and bad landlords. And to reduce chronic homelessness in Canada, we’re creating supportive environments and delivering essential services to those in need, including through the Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy. These are only some of the actions we’re taking to solve the housing crisis.

“All of this is part of Canada’s Housing Plan, our ambitious blueprint to build millions more homes. On National Housing Day, we keep this work going. There’s more to do.”