The Liberal administration has recently concluded a three-day ministerial meeting in PEI
The federal government’s recently concluded ministerial meeting in Prince Edward Island offered promises to answer Canadians’ calls for viable solutions to the country’s housing issues, but seemingly little in the way of new concrete plans has materialized.
The three-day meeting which ended on August 23 initially vowed to tackle the crisis head-on, but the Trudeau administration’s message at the very end might not be what Canadians were hoping for.
“We are looking forward to continue to do the work we’ve been doing on housing and do even more,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, as reported by BNN Bloomberg.
Trudeau said that the government is focused on getting more housing built, but provided no further details.
“We recognize and Canadians know that there’s not one silver bullet that’s going to solve the housing challenges,” he said.
Contrary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's recent statements, academics argue that housing remains a direct federal responsibility. https://t.co/n4mDyZlPqU#mortgagenews #mortgageindustry #housingmarket #housingpolicy
— Canadian Mortgage Professional Magazine (@CMPmagazine) August 10, 2023
Trudeau addresses the next generation of Canadians
The prime minister renewed the Liberal administration’s pledge to address the housing crisis, with a special focus on the demographic that has supported him in previous elections.
“To young Canadians, I want to say something: You’ve had two crucial years of adulthood dramatically interrupted by COVID, and then you were hit by global inflation and increased interest rates,” Trudeau said, as reported by CTV News. “These events upended your educations, your first jobs, your early years of building a career and a network.”
A recent poll by Abacus Data found that younger Canadians’ trust in the federal government has been severely eroded, with Liberals falling behind Conservatives by 11 points among those born between 1980 and 1996, and by 4 points among those born between 1997 and 2005.
“Failure to be seen as doing enough on housing could be politically disastrous for the Liberals,” said David Coletto, chief executive officer of Abacus Data.
Coletto added that many policies endorsed or implemented by the Liberal administration over the past few years have failed to resonate with younger Canadians.
“With the world changing rapidly, the priorities of millennials might have evolved,” he said. “Many now have families of their own. They are increasingly entering their mid-lives. The Liberals need to tap into these evolving priorities.”
“Brand perception is crucial. Maybe the party’s image has taken a hit, leading to a drift towards the Conservatives [whose] leader – Pierre Poilievre – has been talking far more about millennial priorities than Prime Minister Trudeau.”
