The federal Liberal government, MP Dean Allison argues, is incapable of delivering on the paramount issues that matter to everyday Canadians, like housing. Pictured: Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser. Photo Credit: Sean Fraser/X.
Earlier this week, federal Liberal housing minister Sean Fraser visited Southern Ontario. As he participated in local events, he attempted to defend the initiatives of the Trudeau government in improving housing accessibility and affordability. One of Fraser’s stops was to Club Roma, in St. Catharines, where he took questions from residents who shared the community’s infrastructure struggles, as well as their own personal stories of hardship.
Throughout his tour to the area, Fraser argued that there is no single solution to solving the housing crisis, which he suggested has been caused by a combination of market-based realities, as well as inaction on the part of provincial governments. Fraser capped his multi day excursion in Hamilton, where he announced $97 million in new funding, which he said would assist in constructing and repairing a combined total of 8,600 homes in Niagara ($43,718,135), Hamilton ($24,731,924) and Halton ($2,246,659).
Dean Allison, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Niagara West, had some key thoughts on Fraser’s appearance in the region.
“All the policies that these guys have been doubling down on; inflation, carbon tax, rents, have exacerbated the crisis in housing,” Allison shared with the Niagara Independent. “We have a whole cluster of bad policies, here, that are making it hard for developers to build and people to own homes.”
The federal Liberal government, Allison argues, is incapable of delivering on the paramount issues that matter to everyday Canadians, like housing.
“These guys are amazing at announcing things, but they are absolutely brutal at following through,” Allison contended. “I really believe this government is incompetent… we could list a hundred things they haven’t been able to get done.”
Allison believes that the NDP, which entered into a supply-and-confidence agreement with the Trudeau Liberals in 2022, is responsible for not holding the government accountable.
“Every time there is a vote of confidence, Conservatives vote this government down,” said Allison. “Every time, the NDP has a chance to vote with us, but they keep choosing to talk out of one side of their mouth, and we just don’t see them working to help the average Canadian get ahead.”
Tony Baldinelli, Conservative Member of Parliament for Niagara Falls, also shared his perspective on the past near decade of the Liberal approach to housing.
“After nine years of Trudeau’s disastrous policies, the cost of rents and mortgages have doubled, and the dream of home ownership has died for most Canadians,” said Baldinelli. “The Liberals have made everything worse, yet they are all smiles for the cameras during their photo op announcements telling Canadians they never had it so good.”
“In Niagara, housing is in crisis,” Baldinelli continued. “In February the Niagara Independent reported the average price of a home in the Niagara Region increased from $229,800 in 2013 to $629,700 in 2023 – a shocking increase of 174 percent over just a ten-year span. Further, that price growth in Niagara Region was double the national average with Niagara Region mortgage payments increasing from an average monthly rate of $1,036 in 2013 to $3,479 in 2023 – a stunning growth of 235 percent.”
“When Common Sense Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre proposed sensible legislation to build the homes by pressuring the gatekeepers into speeding up permits among other measures, the Liberals voted unanimously to stop it,” said Baldinelli. “Trudeau and his Ministers photo ops are not worth the hypocrisy or the cost. Common Sense Conservatives will remove the gatekeepers so we can build the homes Canadians can afford.”
The Office of Paul Calandra, the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, responded to the general criticism that Fraser directed toward the provinces, and stood by the Ford government’s record in taking significant action to tackle housing related issues.
“Ontario is committed to building the housing that our province needs, and while our plan has delivered the highest housing starts Ontario has seen in over three decades, home builders across the province continue to face a challenging economic environment that is impacting the pace of new home construction,” Calandra’s spokesperson insisted. “These challenges are due to high interest rates and the federal government’s inflationary and high tax policies, including the federal carbon tax, a tax that homebuilders have said is adding significantly to construction costs and impacts their ability to build the housing our communities need.”
“That is why our government is redoubling our efforts to support the building of even more homes faster with recently passed legislation that cuts red tape and streamlines approvals for new home construction. At the same time, we are investing over $3 billion dollars in housing-enabling infrastructures, which our municipal partners have identified as the number one obstacle they face in building the housing we need.”
With these ends, and more in mind, Allison is confident that there will be a significant opportunity to move ahead on key housing initiatives should the Conservatives form government in 2025.
“There are a lot of good ideas out there, and we discussed some of them recently when I brought our housing critic, Scott Atchison, down for a visit,” Allison said. “We need to provide incentives to encourage people to get things done, support those who actually want to get things done, but most of all, the government needs to get out of the way and let the people get things done!”
Nick Redekop completed his Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Labour Studies at Brock University. He has previously served in municipal and federal politics. In his free time, Nick enjoys following sports, taking part in outdoor activities, and reading biographies. Nick resides in Niagara Falls
