愛污传媒

Politics

    • 'Going behind his back': Tory MPs support federal housing program that Poilievre vowed to cancel

    Share
    OTTAWA -

    A number of Conservative MPs have written letters to the Liberal housing minister asking him to grant their communities funding from a program that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre this week called disastrous and promised to cancel.

    Housing Minister Sean Fraser made the revelation in the House of Commons Tuesday while responding to a question from Poilievre.

    "What (Poilievre) doesn't know is his caucus colleagues have been going behind his back, writing me letters advocating for their communities to receive funding through the housing accelerator fund because they believe it will get more homes built," Fraser said.

    "My question for the Conservative members of his caucus, will they have the courage to stand up and tell him he is wrong?"

    Fraser said on Wednesday that at least a dozen Conservative MPs have written to his office.

    The Canadian Press has reviewed five letters sent between September 2023 and February 2024 by Dan Albas, Michael Cooper, Adam Chambers, Lianne Rood and Rob Moore. The MPs represent ridings in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick.

    The letters asked Fraser to approve their communities' applications to access the housing accelerator fund, a program that invited municipalities to compete for a pool of money based on the ambitiousness of their plans to build more housing.

    Poilievre announced on Monday that he would abolish the program and instead use the money to fund his plan to scrap the federal sales tax on new homes sold for less than $1 million.

    He attacked the housing accelerator fund during a news conference, calling it a "disastrous program that has led to less homebuilding and more local bureaucracies."

    However, Conservative MPs who sent letters to Fraser suggested the program would help their communities build more housing.

    Cooper asked the minister to approve an application from St. Albert, Alta., to build a mixed affordability housing project.

    "The requested federal funding is critical to making this needed development a reality 鈥 a development that will help address the significant shortage of affordable housing options in the community," Cooper wrote in his letter, sent in February.

    In a letter sent in January, Moore vouched for the application of Butternut Valley, N.B., which he said "will provide much needed housing in this area."

    Chambers wrote in November 2023 to support an application from Midland, Ont., which "has proposed a plan to increase housing within the municipality."

    He said the town is "prepared to consider any recommendations or conditions the government may encourage to improve their chances of a successful application."

    Poilievre has criticized the housing accelerator fund since the federal government began signing agreements with municipalities, saying it adds more bureaucracy without building any homes.

    In a statement to The Canadian Press, Poilievre's spokesman Sebastian Skamski said the Conservative plan to eliminate the GST on new homes under $1 million would "spark 30,000 extra homes per year," reduce purchase prices by up to $50,000 and cut mortgage payments by almost $3,000 a year.

    "Unlike their multi-billion dollar so-called 'housing accelerator' photo op fund, this common sense policy benefits all Canadians without bureaucratic applications and costly photo ops designed for Liberal political gain," the statement reads.

    Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Sean Fraser rises during question period in Ottawa on Oct. 29, 2024. (Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press)

    Skamski did not address the letters sent by Conservative MPs.

    The Liberal government first announced the $4-billion housing accelerator in the spring 2022 federal budget and topped it up with an additional $400 million in the most recent budget.

    Poilievre has relentlessly attacked the Liberal government over the state of housing affordability, blaming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the rapid rise of housing prices and rents since 2015.

    That message appears to have resonated with Canadians, as the Conservatives enjoy a substantial lead over the Liberals in public opinion polls.

    The palpable anger over housing affordability in the country prompted the Liberals to promise during their 2023 caucus retreat to do more to address the issue.

    In the spring, the government presented a 28-page plan to get more homes built. Trudeau said it would build almost 3.9 million homes by 2031. The housing accelerator fund is one tenet of that plan.

    The Liberal government says it has struck 177 agreements with municipalities through the housing accelerator fund, and a separate deal with the Quebec government.

    Fraser's office says the applications from municipalities that were supported by the five Conservative MPs have not yet received funding, but that the program still has $400 million available.

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2024.

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    A South Frontenac Township man is facing charges, including impaired operation causing death, in connection to a boat crash that killed three people on Bobs Lake in eastern Ontario over the Victoria Day long weekend.

    Vanita Lindsay has been paid $8,816.20 for a job she has never worked.

    Canada

    • A South Frontenac Township man is facing charges, including impaired operation causing death, in connection to a boat crash that killed three people on Bobs Lake in eastern Ontario over the Victoria Day long weekend.

    • Vanita Lindsay has been paid $8,816.20 for a job she has never worked.

    • EXCLUSIVE

      EXCLUSIVE

      Hundreds of pages of documents detailing potential asbestos exposures at Edmonton鈥檚 largest school division reveal human error led to more than a dozen worker exposures last year.

    • A national Muslim advocacy group says Montreal would send the wrong message if it takes down a welcome sign in the lobby at city hall that generated controversy because it included a woman wearing a hijab.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    • A recent case of measles detected in the Maritimes has a B.C. connection, provincial health officials say.

    • A team at London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute (LHSCRI) is the first in Canada to treat a neuroendocrine tumours cancer patient using an innovative treatment.

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    • Travis Kelce traded up his Kansas City Chiefs jersey for a Winnipeg Blue Bombers one.

    • All-star forward Scottie Barnes is out with a fractured right orbital bone. The Toronto Raptors say Barnes's injury will be re-evaluated in three weeks' time.

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    A Halifax junk remover shares some of his company鈥檚 strangest discoveries.

    When Leah arrived at work directing traffic around a construction site, she never expected to see a van painted in all sorts of bright colours, and covered in eclectic decorations, including a stuffed moose attached to its roof.

    After 14 years of repairing and selling bicycles out of the garage of her home, a Guelph, Ont. woman鈥檚 efforts have ended 鈥 for now, at least.

    Epcor says it has removed more than 20,000 goldfish from an Edmonton stormwater pond.

    Witches and warlocks have been flocking to New Brunswick waterways this month, as a new Halloween tradition ripples across the province.

    New Brunswicker Jillea Godin鈥檚 elaborate cosplay pieces attract thousands to her online accounts, as well as requests from celebrities for their own pieces.

    A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    • Three people were found dead after a fire tore through a rental home on Vancouver Island earlier this week. Investigators believe one of the victims initially escaped the blaze, but ran back inside to rescue others before he succumbed to smoke inhalation.

    • A carelessly discarded cigarette was the cause of a devastating fire in Vancouver鈥檚 Strathcona neighbourhood earlier this month, firefighters say.

    • Canada's Transportation Safety Board says the fatal crash of a British Columbia logging helicopter was caused when the chopper's rotor system broke up mid-flight.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Ontario鈥檚 deficit for 2024-25 has shrunk by $3.3 billion since the Ford government released the provincial budget earlier this year, and the province says it expects that deficit to flip to a larger-than-expected surplus within the next two years.

    • Three teens are in custody and two other suspects are wanted in connection with a home invasion caught on camera in Markham this week, York Regional Police say.

    • Costco locations in Ontario will join hundreds of other grocery and big-box stores that can start selling wine and beer as soon as this Thursday.

    • Police in Alberta have arrested a Quebec man on numerous charges related to human trafficking.

    • Police are investigating after a body was found on the Blood Tribe First Nation.

    • The looming threat of a Canada Post strike is creating anxiety for some Calgary small business owners as any sort of slowdown in their shipments could mean thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

    • A South Frontenac Township man is facing charges, including impaired operation causing death, in connection to a boat crash that killed three people on Bobs Lake in eastern Ontario over the Victoria Day long weekend.

    • Ottawa's city council voted on Wednesday to enable city staff to look into the feasibility of implementing a 'bubble bylaw' that could restrict demonstrations near certain community spaces, including schools and hospitals amid an increase in hate crimes.

    • Two men are being treated for burns after being injured while working at an apartment building in Ottawa's Alta Vista neighbourhood.

    • The union representing special constables in Montreal鈥檚 Metro wants its members to carry guns and stun guns after a rise in violent incidents, but the STM said it isn鈥檛 considering it.

    • The Quebec Human Rights Commission is calling for the young people being housed at Mont Saint-Antoine to be relocated immediately to a safe environment suited to their needs.

    • Montreal police (SPVM) confirmed that a body was found in the l鈥櫭巐e-de-la-Visitation nature park in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough.

    • EXCLUSIVE

      EXCLUSIVE

      Hundreds of pages of documents detailing potential asbestos exposures at Edmonton鈥檚 largest school division reveal human error led to more than a dozen worker exposures last year.

    • The city and company behind a proposal for a thermal spa adjacent to Edmonton's river valley took questions about the project from Brander Gardens residents Tuesday night.

    • Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid will be out injured for two to three weeks, the team announced on Wednesday.

    • The lawyer for a homeless man who died at a Halifax encampment is arguing in court today that his client's welfare payments should have been as high as those received by people with permanent housing.

    • The Nova Scotia Liberals and Progressive Conservatives both made health-care announcements on the campaign trail Wednesday.

    • Nova Scotians are heading to the polls on Nov. 26. Here鈥檚 everything you need to know in order to cast your ballot in the provincial election.

    • Police say a 44-year-old man was rushed to hospital after an unprovoked attack in a Winnipeg park involving a machete and bear spray.

    • Along with costumes, candy, and carved pumpkins, the haunted house is a Halloween staple. Several homeowners in Winnipeg have gone above and beyond for Oct. 31, with animatronics, actors, and lots of lights.

    • Travis Kelce traded up his Kansas City Chiefs jersey for a Winnipeg Blue Bombers one.

    • Saskatchewan RCMP has confirmed that 37-year-old Nathaniel Hewton, a candidate for mayor in Regina鈥檚 upcoming civic election, is wanted in relation to an assault investigation.

    • The Saskatchewan Party has avoided being swept off the map by the NDP in Saskatoon with 愛污传媒 confirming that Ken Cheveldayoff has been re-elected in Saskatoon Willowgrove.

    • Delegates from 74 Saskatchewan First Nations head to the polls on Thursday to elect a new chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN).

    • All lanes of Highway 401 are closed eastbound near Townline Road in Cambridge.

    • Kaitlyn Braun, the woman who pleaded guilty to defrauding numerous doulas last year, has pleaded guilty to four additional charges.

    • Halton Regional Police are investigating a shooting after a man with a gunshot wound showed up at Guelph General Hospital on Monday.

    • Delegates from 74 Saskatchewan First Nations head to the polls on Thursday to elect a new chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN).

    • The Saskatchewan Party has avoided being swept off the map by the NDP in Saskatoon with 愛污传媒 confirming that Ken Cheveldayoff has been re-elected in Saskatoon Willowgrove.

    • A Saskatchewan father is awaiting autopsy results, to see if human remains belong to his missing son.

    • A North Bay woman was sentenced this week in connection with the fatal stabbing of Nicholas Nicholls in 2021.

    • Environment Canada issued weather alerts Wednesday in anticipation of severe thunderstorms, heavy rain the first accumulating snowfall of the season in the northeast with up to 10 cm expected.

    • Costco locations in Ontario will join hundreds of other grocery and big-box stores that can start selling wine and beer as soon as this Thursday.

    • A Langton, Ont. man has been found guilty of failing to stop at the scene of a collision causing death in connection with the death of a 14-year-old boy on Dec. 6, 2023.

    • A London man is facing a total of 53 charges in connection to a multiple theft investigation.

    • Isobel Gibson remembers the long, hard days picking vegetables and tending to crops when she was a Farmerette.

    • Provincial police charged a driver allegedly clocked speeding 76 kilometres per hour over the posted limit in Amaranth Township on Wednesday morning.

    • The City of Barrie is putting its money where councillor's mouths are with a major injection of cash for affordable housing.

    • Emergency room at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre going high-tech.

    • Essex County OPP arrested a Windsor man after recovering $300,000 in stolen property, including 11 vehicles.

    • Some Windsor residents will cut back their spending on Halloween. Others have said they will spend the same amount of money on Halloween candy and costumes as years past, despite a rocky economy.

    • Babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Windsor Regional Hospital are celebrating their very first Halloween by trick-or-treating.

    • Three people were found dead after a fire tore through a rental home on Vancouver Island earlier this week. Investigators believe one of the victims initially escaped the blaze, but ran back inside to rescue others before he succumbed to smoke inhalation.

    • Prison officials discovered several packages containing tens of thousands of dollars worth of contraband cannabis products on the perimeter of a British Columbia prison last week, as the Correctional Service of Canada says it has increased its deployment of anti-drone and detector dog services at federal institutions across the country.

    • The New Democrat whose 27-vote, come-from-behind election victory is being credited with giving B.C. Premier David Eby a razor-thin majority says he's a bridge builder in his community and the party needs similar relationships across the province.

    • More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Police are investigating after a body was found on the Blood Tribe First Nation.

    • Food Banks Canada's annual Hunger Count report shows more Canadians than ever are resorting to food banks.

    • RCMP say a Medicine Hat man was killed in a collision between an SUV and a motorcycle in southeast Alberta on Sunday evening.

    • Environment Canada issued weather alerts Wednesday in anticipation of severe thunderstorms, heavy rain the first accumulating snowfall of the season in the northeast with up to 10 cm expected.

    • Just two days ahead of Halloween, the City of Sault Ste. Marie has awarded several local homes and one business for having the best decorations for the season.

    • The Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority is issuing a flood outlook statement to residents regarding current watershed conditions.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒