Scott Aitchison is one of several politicians in the running to lead Canada’s opposition Conservative Party. And one of his big ideas is something that would never fly — but should — in America’s opposition Republican Party: federal action to deregulate the housing sector.
“We are facing a housing crisis in Canada,” Aitchison tweeted recently. “We need URGENT action to fix this mess. It’s time for big cities to say YES in my backyard to more housing.”
Aitchison is not alone on the Canadian right. Conservative MP Raquel Dancho questioned the incumbent housing minister on land use regulation in Parliament on April 5, while interim party leader Candice Bergen said on April 7: “Canada’s housing crisis can’t be left up to municipalities to solve on their own. We need federal leadership to build more supply.” Pierre Poilievre, another leadership candidate, said that under his fiscal plans, “if they want more federal money, these big-city politicians will need to approve more homebuilding.”
