In advance of the Oct. 19 federal election The Squamish Chief is posing a series of questions on issues of importance to Squamish voters to the candidates for the West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country riding.
The candidates’ answers appear in no particular order.
Q: Squamish is facing a real housing crunch right now. What will your party do about the lack of affordable housing options in the corridor, should you be elected or re-elected?
Larry Koopman, New Democratic Party:
The NDP has a concrete plan to make sure more Canadians have a safe, comfortable and affordable home. We’ll partner with the municipalities, the provinces, and the First Nations communities to restore long-term, stable investments in affordable housing.
We’ll make housing more affordable in our communities by sustaining investment in Canada’s affordable housing agreements, and by providing incentives for the construction of 10,000 affordable and market rental housing units. We’ll renew cooperative housing operating agreements that are set to expire and invest over $2 billion in co-ops and social housing by 2020.
John Weston, Conservative Party of Canada:
Our housing plan is to expand the Home Buyers’ Plan from $25,000 to $35,000 (raised from $20,000 to $25,000 by our government in 2009) so first-time home buyers can withdraw savings tax-free to make their downpayments and reduce their mortgages and interest payments; maintain the recent enhancement to Tax-Free Savings Accounts so Canadians can save and invest more of their hard-earned money tax-free; establish a new permanent Home Renovation Tax Credit for substantial home renovation expenses between $1,000 and $5,000, so young home owners can renovate and upgrade their homes; and curb foreign speculation – collect data on foreign buyer activity in Canada’s housing market and, as necessary, take concrete action in coordination with provinces to curb foreign speculation in Canada’s residential real-estate market.
Ken Melamed, Green Party of Canada:
The Green Party’s plan provides practical solutions to housing challenges. It won’t be easy, but by working together with other parties, local residents, governments, developers, and builders, we can make sure everyone can afford to live at home. Green MPs will work with other parties to create a Council of Canadian Governments, which would include all levels of government and Indigenous leaders to help develop the housing strategy. We will also implement a Guaranteed Livable Income to ensure Canadian families are able to afford to live in a home, and will retrofit all Canadian homes by 2030, providing good jobs to carpenters, plumbers, and electricians.
Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Liberal Party of Canada:
The best investments we can make are those that generate economic growth and provide immediate and long-term social gain. Rising housing prices are crowding out other household spending priorities, reducing the amount of income Canadians can invest in education or save for retirement. That is why the Liberal Party will implement a transformational and unprecedented investment plan: nearly $6 billion over the next four years and $20 billion over 10 years for social infrastructure. This will renew federal leadership in affordable housing, help build more housing units, refurbish existing ones, renew existing co-operative agreements, and provide operational funding support for municipalities. These smart investments will create sustainable jobs and provide for families in Squamish and the corridor for decades to come.
