The consensus reflects the increasingly dire state of housing in Canada, experts say, which affects everyone from prospective homeowners feeling squeezed out of the market to lower-income families languishing on waiting lists for affordable housing. "It doesn't really matter where you fit on the housing spectrum, housing is in a state of crisis in this country," said Jeff Morrison, executive director of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association. The budget included a commitment of $2.5 billion to create 35,000 affordable housing units, $1.5 billion of which is dedicated to the government's "rapid housing initiative," which seeks to build new affordable housing units much faster than is typically possible. Vote Housing says the country needs at least 300,000 "deeply affordable" units over the next 10 years. She expressed disappointment that the Liberal government did not create an Indigenous housing plan, which both the Conservatives and NDP have pledged to do.

Source: CBC News August 19, 2021 08:00 UTC