Housing Crisis In Canada Should Take A Public Government Role

"In fact, Donald [Trump] was one of the people who rooted for the housing crisis." ~ Hillary Clinton

"To create a housing shortage in a huge country, heavily wooded, with a small population -- ah, that's proof of pure political genius." ~ Richard J. Needham

"Study after study, not only here but in other countries, show that the most affordable housing is where there has been the least government interference with the market - contrary to rhetoric." ~ Thomas Sowell

"After political crusades for 'affordable housing' ended up ruining the housing market and much of the economy with it, many of the same politicians are now carrying on a crusade for 'affordable health care.' But what you can afford has absolutely nothing to do with the cost of producing anything. Refusing to pay those costs means that you are just not going to continue getting the same quantity and quality - regardless of what any politician says or how well he says it." ~ Thomas Sowell

In most Canadian cities to buy a house is becoming almost unattainable for most families.

How can provincial and federal governments help to reduce the housing shortage and make housing more affordable for most families?

If you want to keep housing expenses low and cities within reach of middle and working-class families, you need to focus on supply-side solutions. That means empowering more individuals to construct housing by retooling zoning policies that stifle density and constrict building in areas where they can take place.

 You must encourage mid-density construction like triplexes and duplexes and make the approval process for new construction transparent and efficient. Eliminating or reducing developer fees, as Montreal has done, enables smaller builders to join in, which means more competition and a mix of housing types.
 
A housing market that is responsive and adaptable can only be successful if the rules are penned to welcome, not deter, new construction.

You also need to decide whether you will seek public investment or private development in order to grow your housing stock. Cities like Vienna have preserved affordable prices by financing lots of public housing, typically from nonprofit builders, and then that compresses private landlords to keep costs in check.

If public housing is not an option, then you need to attempt to create an environment that will promote a competitive market in which both small and big builders can prosper. Changing public sentiment and local government forms that fight density is a long-term process, but it must be addressed.

Unless one is either seriously incurring public expenditure or has elastic private markets, the result will be evident, prices will continue to rise and affordability will slip away.