Liberal Housing Minister Sean Fraser told the Commons Human Resources Committee Thursday he personally pledges to be the one to fix Canada’s housing crises, per Blacklock’s Reporter.Fraser said he believes his National Housing Strategy has already "exceeded its objectives.”Canada has recently been deemed the prime example of a “breakdown nation” by the chair of Rockefeller International in large part to its housing crises.Fraser complained to the committee his predecessors did not do enough to restore affordability and pledged himself to be “the person” who will actually solve the problem.The Trudeau Liberals have promised to build 3.9 million additional new homes by 2031 — a pace of housing starts Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has described as mathematically difficult to achieve.“I am not asking anyone to believe promises,” said Fraser. “We need to do more. I am not going to look anyone in the eye and tell them things are perfect when it comes to housing. I am going to be the first to say I know we need to do more, but then I am going to be the person who actually goes and does it. I don’t think there has been enough done on housing and we need to do more.”Parliament in 2019 passed a National Housing Strategy Act that enshrined a “right to adequate housing” in federal law. MPs have since acknowledged a chronic shortfall in housing supply.“Elections are in the air so housing announcements are being made more and more frequently,” said Bloc Québécois MP Louise Chabot. “Is this a confession of failure of your National Housing Strategy?”“No I don’t agree,” replied Minister Fraser. “I believe the National Strategy has exceeded its objectives.”“You believe the National Housing Strategy has exceeded its objectives?” asked Conservative MP Jamil Jivani.“It exceeded the targets it set at the time,” replied Fraser.“When we launched the National Housing Strategy it was focused disproportionately around affordable housing for low income families.”The housing minister said the housing market has since “fundamentally shifted.”“Young people, middle class families, are feeling the affordability pinch. The housing shortage is impacting all of us,” said Fraser. Housing starts historically average 244,000 a year. Building 3,900,000 homes in addition to current construction rates by 2031 would require annual housing starts of 731,500 a year, more than triple the highest construction rates ever recorded. Annual housing starts peaked at 273,200 in 1976.Bob Dugan, CMHC chief economist, in testimony last September 28 told the Commons Finance Committee the construction target was unlikely to be achieved. “I think it is a very ambitious goal,” said Dugan. “It is going to be difficult to attain. I don’t see how we will attain it.”
