OTTAWA – On Thursday, NDP Public Service and Procurement Critic Gord Johns brought forward a motion to determine which government buildings could be converted into housing and to ensure that public land isn’t sold off to rich private developers, so that more Canadians have a safe and affordable place to call home.
“Canada is experiencing one of the worst housing crises we’ve ever seen. Rent is astronomically high in every city across the country, and it’s become harder for people to buy a home,” said Johns. “It’s well past time for the Liberal government to do something to lower prices and build more homes. People feel sick and tired of the Liberals' plans, which always come too late and benefit luxury condo developers.”
Johns’ motion would call the Minister of Housing, the President of the Treasury Board and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to participate in a Parliamentary study on the Government of Canada’s real estate portfolio to build housing. Johns is hopeful that the committee will support initiatives to turn government property into non-market, social housing while also ensuring that the government doesn’t sell off public land to rich housing developers, like has happened with the Greenbelt in Ontario, under Conservative Premier Doug Ford.