With rent and mortgage costs sky-rocketing, NDP fights for fairness for Canadians

NDP housing critic MP Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie) made the following statement on new Consumer Price Index inflation figures released Tuesday:

“Rent and mortgage hikes are now far outpacing inflation. Rent is up over eight per cent, and mortgage costs are up by 21 per cent compared to a year ago. It’s now nearly impossible to find a home that fits Canadians’ budgets.

Trudeau’s government has been writing the rules to benefit corporate landlords, big real estate developers and banks, and everyday Canadians are paying the price. We’re seeing Trudeau do virtually nothing to make a home more affordable.

Of course, you won’t hear Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stand up to the big corporations making billions off real estate, because corporate developers rule his world. Poilievre’s chief advisor Jenni Byrne is a lobbyist for real estate investment firms, Poilievre’s top donors list is full of real estate executives and the Conservative Party of Canada’s governing body is half lobbyists, including lobbyists working for big real estate and corporate landlord. It’s no wonder he wants even fewer rules and even bigger profits for corporate property barons — and people would pay for that with even higher prices.

It doesn’t have to be this way. New Democrats want to change the rules to lower rents, to end bad-faith evictions, build more homes people can afford, and tip the scales back towards renters and first-time homebuyers."