Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre used a press conference in Brampton on Tuesday to criticize Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government, focusing heavily on housing affordability, immigration pressures, and energy policy.Poilievre argued that government taxes, fees, and delays are the primary drivers of high housing costs, saying they make homes too expensive for buyers while leaving margins too low for builders. He criticized Carney’s appointment of former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson as housing minister, accusing him of overseeing a 150% increase in costs while in office..The Conservative leader outlined a four-point housing plan that he said his party would push when Parliament resumes:1. Removing the federal sales tax on homes up to $1.3 million.2. Eliminating capital gains taxes on reinvestments into home building.3. Incentivizing municipalities to speed up permits and cut development charges.4. Aligning immigration levels with housing and job availability to reduce pressure on services.He warned that Canada’s construction sector faces mass layoffs as housing starts decline, noting that some builders report the worst conditions in decades. Without intervention, he argued, shortages will worsen in the years ahead..On immigration, Poilievre said Canada once had a system “envied around the world” but that Liberal policies have undermined it. He claimed the government has been adding newcomers three times faster than housing and jobs can keep pace, while also allowing abuse of international student and temporary worker programs. Poilievre stressed that immigrants themselves are not to blame, saying they are following rules set by government. He argued instead that high intake levels, combined with fraud and weak oversight, have destabilized housing, jobs, and services..Poilievre accused Carney of presiding over declining investment and rising unemployment, pointing to recent job losses and what he described as Canada’s worst economic performance in the G7. He claimed the government has inflated and now deflated the housing market, leaving prices “too high for buyers to buy, too low for sellers to sell, and inadequate for builders to build.”The Conservative leader positioned his housing and energy proposals as solutions that would deliver both affordability for families and stronger paycheques for trades workers. “Get out of the way,” he said of governments’ role, urging faster approvals and fewer taxes to spark what he called a “home building boom.”
