Faced with the housing crisis, Ottawa is putting $5 billion on the table to convince the provinces to adopt some of its housing priorities, including the tenants’ charter of rights which the Quebec government wants nothing to do with, and imposes a deadline to receive the funds: 1er January 2025.
The sum will be paid from a new fund of 6 billion aimed at accelerating the construction and upgrade of housing-related infrastructure, such as those necessary for the supply of drinking water, the treatment of rainwater and waste management solid.
The remaining billion will be paid to municipalities in order to respond to “urgent needs” in terms of infrastructure which will make it possible to “directly” create housing, specifies the federal government.
And Ottawa warns the provinces which will not sign an agreement by the “deadline” of 1er January 2025 that the funds dedicated to it “will be transferred to the municipal component”. The territories will have three additional months.
Quebec rebelled
The Canadian Tenants’ Bill of Rights that Ottawa announced it would create last week would require landlords to provide a “clear history” of an apartment’s rent so tenants can negotiate “fairly.” It also aims to establish a standard lease nationwide.
However, Quebec recently adopted its Bill 31 on housing, and rejected the idea of a rent register, judging the measure too expensive.
Annoyed, the Minister of Canadian Relations, Jean-François Roberge, immediately replied that the Legault government will not tolerate a “new invasion” in its areas of jurisdiction. Ottawa wants to “arrive with new conditions, […] meddling in our affairs,” he protested.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and many of his ministers had planned no less than a dozen press conferences across the country on Tuesday to unveil these housing measures, which they intend to include in the next federal budget to be filed in two weeks.
The other major measure unveiled is the addition of an additional $400 million to the Fund to accelerate housing construction. The amounts are intended in particular to encourage municipalities to “reduce their administrative burden” and to invest in affordable housing. Ottawa calculates that this will “accelerate” the construction of 12,000 housing units in three years.
As part of these pre-budget announcements, Mr. Trudeau had revealed with great fanfare the day before that the next federal budget will include funding for a national school feeding program which will aim to provide meals to 400,000 more children per year in across the country.