Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s housing strategy is making waves across the Atlantic.
British Tory MP and former secretary of state for housing Sir Simon Clarke praised the Canadian Conservatives’ approach to housing in the U.K. parliament as an example his party should follow.
Sir Simon made the comments in a Westminster Hall debate, a forum for MPs to raise issues with government ministers.
“I do not know how we can make the case for popular conservatism when in too many areas of England people cannot accumulate capital in their own lives. I certainly feel that is why major political change may be brewing in parts of the country that we have long called our heartlands,” Sir Simon said.
“One need only contrast the recent success of the Canadian Conservatives to see the amazing difference that embracing pro-home-ownership policies can deliver, even among the youngest voters. The U.K. is falling behind in the quest for higher productivity and better.”
Poilievre, who has made tackling Canada’s housing crisis a priority of his campaign, released his housing plan last year, titled the Building Homes Not Bureaucracy Act.
The policy aims to address the housing crisis in big cities by encouraging the construction of more affordable homes and speeding up the process of building them.
His approach would mandate that big cities increase the number of homes built by 15% each year, compounding annually. Failure to meet these targets will result in a withholding of federal funding equivalent to the percentage of homes missed.
The plan rewards cities that surpass the 15% increase target with a building bonus proportional to their performance. Conversely, cities will have transit and infrastructure funding withheld until sufficient high-density housing around transit stations is built and occupied.
Additionally, the policy would impose penalties on what Poilievre calls “gatekeepers” and remove GST on the construction of affordable rental homes below market value.
While speaking to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade last week, Poilievre blasted the Liberal government for failing to address Canadians’ housing needs.
“We are spending twice as much as the rest of our competitor countries to build fewer homes,” said Poilievre.
