New housing minister says immigration can help address affordability, supply
Global News
Former immigration minister Sean Fraser takes over the housing file at a time when Canada's affordability crisis is being further impacted by immigration-fueled population growth.
Canada’s new housing and infrastructure minister says closing the door to newcomers is not the solution to the country’s housing woes, and has instead endorsed building more homes to accommodate higher immigration flows.
Sean Fraser, who previously served as immigration minister, was sworn in Wednesday morning as part of a Liberal government cabinet shuffle aimed at showcasing a fresh team ahead of the next federal election.
He comes into the role at a time when strong population growth through immigration is adding pressure to housing demand at a time when the country is struggling with an affordability crisis.
“The answer is, at least in part, to continue to build more stock,” Fraser told reporters after being sworn in.
“But I would urge caution to anyone who believes the answer to our housing challenges is to close the door on newcomers.”
Instead, the minister said immigration would be part of the solution to the housing challenge.
“When I talked to developers, in my capacity as a minister of immigration before today, one of the chief obstacles to completing the projects that they want to get done is having access to the labour force to build the houses that they need,” he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to hand over the federal housing file to the Nova Scotia MP has been praised by experts who say that the Liberals need a strong communicator in charge as Canadians deal with an affordability crunch.
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