Latest news with #LisaRaitt
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Canada can't solve its housing crisis without the provinces
Mike Moffatt is the founding director of the Missing Middle Initiative. Lisa Raitt is the co-chair of the Task Force for Housing and Climate and a former minister of transport, labour and natural resources. Canada is facing a housing crisis of historic proportions. To restore affordability, the country needs to build 5.8 million new homes by 2030. That means doubling the current rate of housing starts – an ambitious goal set by Prime Minister Mark Carney during the federal election campaign. It's a promise that will define his leadership, and one he'll be under intense pressure to deliver on. But no single order of government can solve Canada's housing crisis alone. While the federal government sets the tone and provides funding tools, the provinces hold many of the most important policy levers. If they don't act boldly, they risk becoming the bottleneck in Canada's efforts to boost supply, improve affordability and build housing that aligns with climate goals and can withstand extreme weather. The federal government has taken meaningful steps, including the promise to launch a Build Canada Homes entity and reinstate a 1970s-era tax incentive to spur rental apartment construction. It has also removed GST from new rental builds and made federal land available for housing. These are important changes – but their impact will be limited unless provinces get moving. In some provinces, we've seen positive momentum toward building density: British Columbia's reform allowing multiple units per lot and Ontario's recent relaxation of parking minimums are helpful steps. Inside the crisis facing Canada's dysfunctional housing market Tony Keller: Build, baby, build: Canada used to know how to do that Although both provinces have introduced reforms, these measures have been neutralized by skyrocketing development charges and sluggish approval timelines. As a result, housing starts in both provinces dropped more than 30 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the previous year. Municipalities, for their part, are largely 'creatures of the province,' and the decisions they make must be compliant with provincial regulations, such as Ontario's Development Charges Act. Some have begun to implement long-overdue zoning reforms. Some have acted independently, while others were encouraged to do so through the federal Housing Accelerator Fund. These initiatives show promise – but are frequently undermined by provincial inaction or contradictory policies. Fortunately, governments don't have to start from scratch. In 2024, the Task Force for Housing and Climate – composed of 15 housing and policy experts, including former Edmonton mayor Don Iveson and Mr. Carney (he's no longer a member) – published a comprehensive roadmap: Blueprint for More and Better Housing. It outlines more than 140 actionable recommendations across all levels of government to boost supply, deliver affordability, and build homes resilient to climate impacts. This year, the Task Force followed up with a report card grading federal and provincial governments on their performance. The federal government earned a B, praised for its recent initiatives but urged to improve transparency in programs like the Housing Accelerator and to launch a national hazard mapping initiative to prevent building in flood- and fire-prone areas. For the provinces, it's a different story. No province scored higher than a C+, with high fees, slow approvals and inconsistent reforms holding housing back. Among the provinces, Prince Edward Island earned among the highest marks for reforms that have boosted housing supply. However, the province still needs to do more to ensure new homes meet energy and climate-resilience standards. British Columbia introduced some of the country's boldest reforms, but its overall impact is undercut by rising municipal fees and glacial approval processes. Ontario, despite Premier Doug Ford's public opposition to fourplexes, has quietly legalized more density than most provinces and promised to launch a housing innovation fund. But volatile policymaking, persistent delays in the Greater Toronto Area, and the highest development charges in North America have led to low housing starts and, accordingly, a middling grade of C. If Canada is serious about tackling the housing crisis, now is the time for leadership, especially at the provincial level. We already know what works. The policy solutions are well understood and widely supported. What's missing is the political will to implement them. The housing crisis is not just a federal problem, or a municipal one. It is a national challenge – and solving it requires co-ordination and commitment from all three levels of government. The provinces hold many of the keys to housing, and need to act soon to help unlock supply.
Edmonton Journal
6 days ago
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
U.S. ambassador asked about future of Canadians at Harvard — including PM's daughter
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra spoke at an event on Tuesday organized by the Empire Club of Canada. In conversation with Global Investment Banking at CIBC Capital Markets Vice-Chair Lisa Raitt, he discussed Canada-U.S. relations and responded to a question about the future of Canadians trying to go to Harvard — including Prime Minister Mark Carney's daughter Cleo Carney.
Edmonton Journal
6 days ago
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
'We're going to clean this up:' White House on the future of Canadians going to Harvard
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra spoke at an event on Tuesday organized by the Empire Club of Canada. In conversation with Global Investment Banking at CIBC Capital Markets Vice-Chair Lisa Raitt, he discussed Canada-U.S. relations and indirectly responded to a question about the future of Canadians trying to go to Harvard — including Prime Minister Mark Carney's daughter Cleo Carney.
Edmonton Journal
7 days ago
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Full text: U.S. ambassador Pete Hoekstra talks about future of U.S.-Canada relations
Article content On June 3, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra spoke at an event organized by the Empire Club of Canada. Below is his full speech, followed by an interview with Lisa Raitt, vice chair of Global Investment Banking at CIBC Capital Markets. Thank you. It's great for Diane and I to join you today. Thank you to many of you who expressed a warm welcome. Diana and I have felt nothing but a warm welcome since we arrived in Canada five, I think, five weeks ago. Not that anybody is counting, but we have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. We thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity that you provided with me being the ambassador to go to Mackinac Island for three — for three days — last week. Those of you who have been to Mackinac Island, I think you can appreciate how beautiful that is, especially when the weather is nice. For those of you that haven't been: Please go. It is an awesome place. But the great thing today is, for me, as an immigrant to America, is to make America's case to you, to talk about what's going on and why it is so important, not only for us as American citizens, but for you as Canadian citizens, and the deep relationship and the friendship that we have shared for so long.
National Post
7 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Full text: U.S. ambassador Pete Hoekstra talks about future of U.S.-Canada relations
On June 3, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra spoke at an event organized by the Empire Club of Canada. Below is his full speech, followed by an interview with Lisa Raitt, vice chair of Global Investment Banking at CIBC Capital Markets. Article content Thank you. It's great for Diane and I to join you today. Thank you to many of you who expressed a warm welcome. Diana and I have felt nothing but a warm welcome since we arrived in Canada five, I think, five weeks ago. Not that anybody is counting, but we have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. We thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity that you provided with me being the ambassador to go to Mackinac Island for three — for three days — last week. Those of you who have been to Mackinac Island, I think you can appreciate how beautiful that is, especially when the weather is nice. For those of you that haven't been: Please go. It is an awesome place. But the great thing today is, for me, as an immigrant to America, is to make America's case to you, to talk about what's going on and why it is so important, not only for us as American citizens, but for you as Canadian citizens, and the deep relationship and the friendship that we have shared for so long. Article content Article content People call Donald Trump a transformational president, especially in this second term. You know, I couldn't agree more. I got my start in politics in 1993, and I learned a little bit about transformational politics —about the — with the last transformational figure in American politics. Some of you may remember. Some of you weren't even born in 1993, but Newt Gingrich, who became the Speaker of the House. I ran against a Republican incumbent as a Republican in a primary in 1992 I was working in the private sector. I was having a great career, and one night, I woke up and I rolled over to Diana, I said, you know, I think I'm going to run for Congress. And she said, 'Go back to sleep and you'll feel better in the morning.' Well, you know, I didn't feel any better in the morning. And I started talking to some friends and some people that I really trusted, and I'd say, 'I think I'm running for Congress.' And they'd start laughing, and they said, 'You've never talked about politics.' And then I told them why I thought I might be qualified, and that I've never done anything political, and they said, 'Maybe that's what we need right now.' Article content So in 1992, I ran against a 26-year Republican incumbent. If you know anything about politics in America, winning and unseating an incumbent is almost impossible. I spent about $50,000, he spent three quarters of a million. On election night, I had 48 per cent. You think that's bad? No, it's good. We had a third candidate in the race. He had 42, so I went on in a solid Republican district, to become the next congressman. Got to Washington, and one day, Newt Gingrich called me in my office. They were thrilled. Freshman Republican, you're in the minority, you don't count. But Newt Gingrich is calling, and I go and I see Newt, and Newt says, 'Pete, what do you do every day?' That's kind of like, 'Well, excuse me, Newt, I'm a congressman. I vote. I go to committee hearings. I meet with constituents.' And he says, 'I want you to stop all of that. Don't do any of that.' He says, 'You're a marketing guy. I need you to work with me on a project so that, in 1995, when you come back, Republicans will hold the gavel. We will be in the majority.' So I became involved working with Newt on the Contract with America. The rest is history. Transformational.
