Canada’s housing minister is drawing criticism after suggesting the war in the Middle East is partly responsible for the country’s worsening housing affordability crisis.Blacklock's Reporter says Housing Minister Gregor Robertson made the remarks in the House of Commons Thursday, telling MPs it should not be surprising Canadians are struggling to buy homes amid global conflict.“It is no surprise that Canadians are challenged with buying homes right now when there is a war in the Middle East,” Robertson said during debate, prompting jeers from opposition MPs. “There is no surprise.”Conservative MP Jacob Mantle mocked the explanation, saying the government appears to be blaming international events rather than its own policies.“They have an excuse for every problem but this is a new one,” Mantle said. “The war in Iran is the cause of our housing crisis. Wow. I do not know how they figure that.”A new report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation released Thursday paints a bleak outlook for home construction across the country.According to the Spring 2026 Housing Supply Report, building activity is slowing even in markets where shortages are most severe. Analysts warned national housing starts are expected to decline between 2026 and 2028 as developers face rising costs, weaker demand and growing inventories.Urban housing starts reached 241,171 last year compared with 227,697 in 2024 — a 6% increase — but the total remains far below the federal government’s target of building at least 500,000 homes annually to restore affordability. Canada has never reached that level of construction.“We will never hit the target,” Mantle said..He added the shortage of affordable housing is forcing many Canadians to delay major life decisions.“Canadians are delaying starting families because of housing and affordability,” Mantle said. “They are delaying marriage, delaying children, which are the very foundations of our society, because they cannot afford a home.”Mantle urged the government to remove the federal GST on new homes as a way to boost construction.“We have offered one positive solution: remove the GST on new homes for all Canadians,” he said. “Will the minister commit to doing that today?”Robertson said the government plans to accelerate construction through new federal initiatives.“We are just getting started,” he told MPs, adding Ottawa will attempt to “supercharge the construction of affordable housing.”Earlier this year the government introduced Bill C-20 An Act Respecting The Establishment Of Build Canada Homes, which would create a new Crown corporation intended to promote housing construction across the country.The housing agency’s latest data suggests the market may continue slowing. In a February report on housing starts for January 2026, analysts said momentum in residential construction has already begun to weaken..“The six-month trend has decreased for the fourth consecutive month which is in line with recent signs of slowing momentum in residential construction,” the report said.Analysts cited high construction costs, weaker demand, geopolitical uncertainty and rising inventories as key factors discouraging new building projects.“Near-term improvements in housing supply are unlikely, reflecting the on-the-ground sentiments we’ve heard from developers over the past several months,” the agency wrote.“We are in a housing crisis,” Robertson acknowledged when introducing the housing bill on Feb. 5.
