Jagmeet Singh wants to lower rent and keep renters in Halifax in the homes they love « Canada’s NDP
HALIFAX –On Thursday, Canada’s NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was in Halifax urging the government to help lower your rent. Singh is calling for the feds to build more homes that people can afford, faster, save existing affordable homes when they come on the market and provide better financial support for people with the greatest housing need so that no one is forced out of the communities that they love.
“Across the country, rent is at a record high. People are getting kicked out so landlords can make more money or they’re seeing their rent double when ultra-rich investors buy their building to increase their profit,” said Singh. “Justin Trudeau keeps acting like everything is fine or pointing fingers at cities and provinces while the housing crisis gets worse on his watch – that’s not leadership. It’s become harder than ever to find an affordable place that fits your family and your budget. And it doesn’t have to be that way.”
In the last decade, Canada has been losing affordable homes far faster than new ones are being built. Under Justin Trudeau’s leadership, for Canadians looking for a new place, rent is up by 60 per cent.
In Halifax, the cost of a two-bedroom apartment is up over seven per cent this year, hitting $2,230 a month. According to a report from rentals.ca, the number of renovictions are growing and, in 2022, Halifax’s vacancy rate hit at a record low of one per cent.
“Students, seniors and hardworking families who are looking for housing are rightly worried about finding an affordable, decent place to live in the city,” said Singh. “Despite all of this, Justin Trudeau and Andy Filmore are so out-of-touch that, in the last budget, they didn’t announce anything new to help with the housing crisis. And earlier this week, the prime minister actually said the federal government doesn’t play a major role in housing despite having a federal housing minister and the tools to help Canadian renters. While Pierre Poilievre called out these comments, he was in a government for over nine years stacking the deck higher for rich investors and making things tougher for everyday Canadians. Right here in Halifax, former Prime Minister Harper promised tax incentives for the building of affordable housing, but they broke that promise—and Poilievre was a key member of that government. The reality is both the Liberals and Conservatives have fueled the housing crisis hurting renters.
I’m fighting to create a housing market, that works for you— not ultra-rich investors –because everyone deserves a home that they can afford that fits their family’s needs.”