Ottawa, ON – Scott Aitchison, Conservative Shadow Minister for Housing, released the following statement on the RE/MAX Fall 2026 Housing Outlook:

“The Liberal-made housing crisis is forcing Canadians to sacrifice more and more just to afford a home. Families are moving farther from their communities, working second jobs and even putting off retirement just to find a home they can afford.

“A new RE/MAX survey found that 65 per cent of Canadians would make at least one compromise to afford a larger or more suitable home. Sixty-three per cent would relocate, including 47 per cent who would move up to an hour away from their current community. 

“The sacrifices homeowners are forced to make don’t end there. Forty-one per cent would cut spending on things like travel and dining out, 20 per cent would turn to family for financial help, 17 per cent would take a second job and 17 per cent would delay retirement or other long-term savings. Affordability is the number one consideration when choosing where to buy. 

“Canadians should not have to move away from their communities, work two jobs or put off their future just to afford a home of their own.

“And this problem goes beyond housing. Canadians trying to buy a home need more room in their budgets to save for a down payment and afford a mortgage. But by 2024, after nearly a decade of Liberal government, Canada had fallen from 9th to 18th out of 165 countries in the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World rankings. For Canadians, that means a less competitive economy, higher taxes and less room to buy a home. 

“The report also ranked Canada 101st out of 165 countries for size of government, with the report pointing to relatively high taxes and government spending.

Yet Mark Carney’s answer is more government. He promised to build homes at a speed and scale not seen in generations, but instead created another federal housing bureaucracy in Build Canada Homes.

“And while Mark Carney keeps building bureaucracy instead of homes, his government’s own housing agency says housing starts could fall to as low as 203,500 by 2028. That’s less than half the annual starts needed to restore affordability to 2019 levels.

“More Liberal bureaucracy and announcements will not build the homes Canadians need. Canadians need lower costs, fewer delays and more homes built.

“Conservatives have real solutions to get homes built. We will axe the GST on all new homes up to $1.3 million, saving homebuyers up to $65,000. We will push municipalities to cut development charges, speed up permits and free up land so builders can build and Canadians can own.

“Canadians are already sacrificing enough for the dream of homeownership. They should not have to sacrifice their future too.”