Ottawa, ON – Scott Aitchison, Conservative Shadow Minister for Housing, released the following statement regarding the latest Everyone Counts report detailing homelessness in Canada:
“After eleven years of Liberal inflationary policies driving up the cost of everything and failing to build the homes we need, more Canadians have been forced onto the street and into food bank line-ups. This was confirmed by the latest Everyone Counts report, which found more than 17,000 Canadians are sleeping on the street or in encampments.
“Across 75 Canadian communities, the report found over 65,000 people were without homes on a single night, with 36,716 staying in a shelter, while 12,857 were forced to sleep on the street. Compared to 2022, the number of homeless Canadians living on the street increased 89 per cent, representing “the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population.”
“Canadians are feeling the consequences of Prime Minister Carney’s failure to build the 500,000 homes he promised every year. The CMHC now projects that Canada will build 21 per cent fewer homes by 2028, with our country building 17,000 fewer homes than last year. That’s pushing prices up, as Ratehub found housing affordability worsened in 11 of 13 Canadian cities.
“With fewer homes and higher prices, Canadians are falling further behind. TransUnion reports that 50 per cent say their income isn’t keeping pace with inflation. That’s as the Boston Consulting Group found that outside the richest 20 per cent of income earners, spending is growing faster than incomes, with income growth covering just 13 per cent of the bottom quintile’s additional spending.
“Canadians can’t afford life under Mark Carney’s Liberals. Conservatives will cut taxes on food, gas and homebuilding to lower prices at the till, at the pump and for housing. That’s how we’ll restore the Canadian promise: where hard work will once again buy an affordable life with affordable food and homes on a safe street.”