The Liberals may have lost seats in Ontario — and their majority — because of crime and Trudeau fatigue
OTTAWA — In the first weeks of the campaign, Liberal incumbent Helena Jaczek said decided voters she met at the doors were intent on voting for Mark Carney because they thought he was the best person to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump.
'As time went on and Mr. Trump was less vocal, and perhaps as (Conservative Leader Pierre) Poilievre softened his image somewhat during debates, I think then a lot of the people who hadn't given the election much thought decided they really had to concentrate,' she said in a recent interview with National Post.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Ottawa is quietly working on launching a new entity it hopes will be key to housing affordability
Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has been quiet since the federal election about the housing crisis, the same issue that contributed to the Liberals' fading popularity under their previous leader. Behind the scenes, however, housing stakeholders are fielding a flurry of calls from government officials seeking their advice on the creation of Build Canada Homes, a new federal entity that Mr. Carney has said will get the government back in the business of homebuilding. His ambitions, announced during his campaign, were big: act as a developer to build affordable housing, spur innovation in the housing sector and offer low-cost financing to affordable-housing builders. However, trade turmoil has quickly overshadowed housing affordability in the political arena, creating a void of information on how the federal government plans to get more homes built. Renée LeBlanc Proctor, a spokesperson for Housing Minister Gregor Robertson, said in a statement that the government was on track to launch the initiative this fall and stakeholders would learn more soon. But questions still linger about how the new entity will function, and what its creation will mean for existing programs. Meanwhile, some leaders in the housing policy and advocacy spaces are worried that if the government doesn't move quickly to spur more supply, the economic slowdown caused by U.S. tariffs will set plans further behind. Mr. Carney promised the initiative would be a 'lean, mission-driven organization' focused on building affordable housing by leveraging public lands and partnering with the private sector. He pitched it as a central piece of the government's plan to double the rate of homebuilding in the country. Opinion: Ottawa must resist the temptation to fiddle with CMHC amid housing market slump Raymond Sullivan, executive director of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, an organization that represents the social and non-profit housing sector, said he's encouraged to see affordable housing at the heart of Build Canada Homes' mission. But given how long it can take to set up a new bureaucracy, Mr. Sullivan said the government should roll out elements of Build Canada Homes as they become ready, rather than wait for the entire organization to be set up. 'We're not going to have a cake that's fully baked and ready to launch in the fall. So let's focus on the pieces that are already available to us,' he said. University of Toronto senior housing researcher Carolyn Whitzman said there are two versions of the initiative that are being discussed in policy circles: one that is limited in scope and focused primarily on partnering with developers to build affordable housing on public land, and one that also has a larger mandate encompassing financing and innovation programs. Figuring out what exactly Build Canada Homes will be responsible for and how it will distinguish itself from organizations such as the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation appear to be some of the details Ottawa is trying to hammer out, according to stakeholders consulted by the government. Mr. Sullivan said Ottawa should ensure social-housing projects in the pipeline are not affected by the organization's creation. 'We don't want to see any kind of interruption. We need to know that the government is there as a partner with us, not sitting back for a year building a new structure, but ready to work on things that are ready,' he said. Real estate is not a financial slam dunk, Canadians are learning the hard way Some housing experts and stakeholders are skeptical that Build Canada Homes will be a sufficient solution to the housing shortage. The government has had mixed success with its housing initiatives in the past — such as the slow progress it's made on converting unused office space into affordable housing recently flagged by the Auditor-General — and a new organization will likely take time to begin delivering results. 'They've talked about partnering with industry to actually build the units, which will be important, because governments around the world have proven that they can't properly get into the actual construction game,' said Kevin Lee, CEO of the Canadian Home Builders' Association. Mr. Lee said building affordable housing on public lands also won't be enough to get the government to its goal of 500,000 housing starts a year. (The seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts was 283,734 units in June.) Meanwhile, the private and social-housing sectors are impatient for clarity on other policy fronts, including the promised GST rebate for first-time homebuyers. Mr. Lee said the delay is affecting demand at a time when the economy is already slowing down the housing market. 'Having something like that that was promised not get turned into official policy has really thrown another wrench into the system,' said Mr. Lee. Proposed GST rebate for first-time homebuyers could offer average relief of $27,000, PBO says Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne introduced legislation in late May to provide the GST rebates. But unlike the government's 'One Canadian Economy' legislation, which was rushed through the House of Commons and Senate during the four-week sitting, the bill on GST rebates must wait for Parliament to return in the fall. The government's prioritization of fast-tracking approvals for major projects and managing trade tensions with the U.S. reflects a shift in the public's priorities, as well. Polling by Abacus Data shows U.S. President Donald Trump is the second-most important issue to Canadians, with housing and the economy nearly tied for third. (The rising cost of living – which includes housing costs – was the No. 1 issue.) Mike Moffatt, founding director of the University of Ottawa's Missing Middle Initiative, said the shift in priorities is understandable, though he warned housing could become of greater importance again. 'The government would be doing itself favours if they do the legwork now, because if it becomes a big concern, or the primary concern for Canadians, again, it might be too late to really address that,' Mr. Moffatt said. The trade war with the United States also has repercussions for the housing market, which won't make the government's job of spurring homebuilding any easier. RBC assistant chief economist Robert Hogue said the housing market is slowing down in part as 'payback for an exceptionally strong period' after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 'However, the trade war kind of put a damper on things and really affected confidence in most of Canada, and that's when we saw, through the winter and spring, a lot of potential home buyers saying, 'might as well sit it out,'' he said. These three housing markets are bucking national trends, and Trump is one reason why 'The challenge is to get more demand for new construction at a time when building costs have gone up and and you've got now more inventory in the existing home market, in many places around Canada.' Mr. Moffatt said as the government works on setting up the organization, it needs to roll out policies that will have a more immediate effect on the housing market. For example, the government could expand its proposed GST rebate so that all homebuyers of a primary residence are eligible, he said. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in the spring his government would match the tax break if it were extended to all homebuyers. Prof. Whitzman said social-housing builders also are seeking information on a number of programs, including the affordable housing fund, which provided capital for the repair of existing affordable and community housing. That fund recently ran out of money, leaving its future in limbo. 'I'm not saying Build Canada Homes is a bad idea,' she said. 'But there's stuff that could be happening tomorrow and there's stuff that should be happening tomorrow.'
Vancouver Sun
3 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
'They were just hell-bent': Mayor battling Ottawa over 'really left' housing mandate
In a very civil tone, the mayor of Windsor, Ont., is asking the fresh faces in the Mark Carney-led Liberal government to butt out of city planning. Mayor Drew Dilkens especially wants to see an end to Trudeau-era affordable housing mandates from Ottawa that don't serve his community. 'They were just hell-bent on putting forward this really left-principled version of what housing should be,' Drew says of the conditions imposed on cities under the $4-billion housing accelerator fund launched in 2023 by then federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser. Unlike most other big cities in Canada, Windsor chose not to apply for the housing accelerator dollars — turning down the possibility of a $30-million cash infusion into the city's densification strategies. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. City council didn't dare to accept the funds and later renege on the feds' conditions, Drew says: 'We basically walked away from $30 million because we refused to succumb, or be co-opted into something we felt was bad for the community.' Then-Liberal MP for Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore, Irek Kusmierczyk (who lost the 2025 election by just four votes to Conservative MP Kathy Borrelli), implored Windsor's city council to reconsider, insisting the feds were only asking for 'gentle density.' It's not so gentle, Drew counters, if you find yourself living next door to a new four-plex and you bought your house based on the community's single-family residential character. 'We did it in our way,' Drew explains in a recent conversation, 'because there's no one who knows their community better, no level of government that knows their community better,' than the local council. The 53-year-old lawyer-cum-mayor grew up in Windsor, and has served on the city's council for nearly two decades, 11 as mayor. And when you look at Canada's Constitution, Drew points out, these issues are 'under the bailiwick of the provincial government … who delegate it to the municipalities.' The city's locally generated housing strategies — intense densification along transit routes; blanket rezoning in new neighbourhoods to allow for greater density; repurposing several municipally owned properties for housing — were rejected by the fund's managers as 'not ambitious enough.' 'Ambition' was their favourite word, Drew grumbles: 'We weren't ambitious enough and they wanted to work with municipalities who had greater ambition.' One of the biggest sticking points for Drew? The minimum ticket to entry for this fund was city-wide rezoning to allow four-plexes to be built on any residential lot, as a right — removing the public hearing process and the possibility for appeals. In the suburban Calgary neighbourhood where I live, blanket rezoning means neighbours hold their breath when a lot comes up for sale. The province of Ontario already mandates three buildings on a residential lot, the bureaucrats told Drew, so what's the big deal about adding four? His rebuttal: 'Then what's the big deal about adding five? I mean, where does it stop? And when do you get to say enough's enough; that we have processes in place that allow us to look at sewer capacity, that allow us to deal with parking, that allow us to deal with garbage control? 'We hope to work with the federal government — who wants to truly be a partner in helping build more housing — without jamming down our throats something residents don't want,' pleads the veteran mayor. To that end, after Carney took power, the mayor sent a letter — as yet, unanswered — to the government, asking for a re-evaluation of this rigid approach to the housing accelerator fund. Drew has previously worked with Gregor Robertson, former mayor of Vancouver and now Carney's point man on housing and infrastructure. He's optimistic Robertson will bring practical insights about the correlation between affordable housing and density to the federal table. I noted that if increased density brought affordability, Vancouver would be cheap by now. 'I think the benefit of having a fresh government,' Drew offers, 'is they can come in and say, 'Listen, we looked at the program … while we appreciate the intention the past government was trying to employ here, we think there's a better way of working with municipalities, allowing them the flexibility to determine how to accomplish the goal. We'll set the goals and then we'll hold them to account.'' Drew's suggestion echoes what I heard Pierre Poilievre say in the last election campaign. But, we agree, there's nothing wrong with the Liberals stealing good ideas from the Conservatives. We hope to work with the federal government ... without jamming down our throats something residents don't want While the housing accelerator initiative is the focus of Windsor council's attention, Drew's not happy these blanket zoning mandates are being applied to other programs — including federal public transit and housing infrastructure funding available to municipalities. 'And it gets even better,' Drew continues, his tone increasingly agitated. 'Guess who doesn't have to do this? The entire province of Quebec. They have an exemption. They carved out a different pathway … four units as of right was not a requirement in the province of Quebec.' Indeed, Premier Francois Legault trumpeted his $900-million deal with Ottawa as being 'free of conditions.' The economy of Windsor has taken a sharp downturn in the past 18 months. Before Donald Trump's re-election, the Conference Board of Canada predicted Windsor would be the fastest-growing city by GDP of the 24 big cities they studied. 'We had the battery factory well under construction,' Drew reports, 'and we've got the Gordie Howe bridge that is winding up construction and should open officially the first week of December this year. 'But the reality is, there's a lot of fear here,' he shares. 'Our unemployment rate was almost 11 per cent and people are in rainy day mode. People are pinching their pennies … The housing market is very slow and everyone's just in a wait-and-see mode.' Property developers are on standby, he says, waiting to see if the Carney Liberals will cut development charges by 50 per cent at the municipal level (as promised during the election campaign), and whether the feds will offer low-interest loans for multi-storey residential units. 'Things have just kind of ground to a halt here,' Drew says with a sigh. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
3 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
'They were just hell-bent': Mayor battling Ottawa over 'really left' housing mandate
In a very civil tone, the mayor of Windsor, Ont., is asking the fresh faces in the Mark Carney-led Liberal government to butt out of city planning. Mayor Drew Dilkens especially wants to see an end to Trudeau-era affordable housing mandates from Ottawa that don't serve his community. Article content 'They were just hell-bent on putting forward this really left-principled version of what housing should be,' Drew says of the conditions imposed on cities under the $4-billion housing accelerator fund launched in 2023 by then federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser. Article content Article content Unlike most other big cities in Canada, Windsor chose not to apply for the housing accelerator dollars — turning down the possibility of a $30-million cash infusion into the city's densification strategies. Article content Article content City council didn't dare to accept the funds and later renege on the feds' conditions, Drew says: 'We basically walked away from $30 million because we refused to succumb, or be co-opted into something we felt was bad for the community.' Article content Then-Liberal MP for Windsor-Tecumseh-Lakeshore, Irek Kusmierczyk (who lost the 2025 election by just four votes to Conservative MP Kathy Borrelli), implored Windsor's city council to reconsider, insisting the feds were only asking for 'gentle density.' Article content It's not so gentle, Drew counters, if you find yourself living next door to a new four-plex and you bought your house based on the community's single-family residential character. Article content Article content 'We did it in our way,' Drew explains in a recent conversation, 'because there's no one who knows their community better, no level of government that knows their community better,' than the local council. The 53-year-old lawyer-cum-mayor grew up in Windsor, and has served on the city's council for nearly two decades, 11 as mayor. Article content Article content And when you look at Canada's Constitution, Drew points out, these issues are 'under the bailiwick of the provincial government … who delegate it to the municipalities.' Article content The city's locally generated housing strategies — intense densification along transit routes; blanket rezoning in new neighbourhoods to allow for greater density; repurposing several municipally owned properties for housing — were rejected by the fund's managers as 'not ambitious enough.' Article content 'Ambition' was their favourite word, Drew grumbles: 'We weren't ambitious enough and they wanted to work with municipalities who had greater ambition.'
