Parliament resuming as parties jockey for position on cost of living, housing fixes

OTTAWA -

Members of Parliament will return to their seats in the House of Commons on Monday as the governing Liberals lay out major new housing and cost-of-living initiatives.

The Liberals are hoping to end the beating their party is taking in the polls, promising to kick-start a rental housing construction boom by taking the GST off the building cost of new rental units.

• Capital Dispatch: Sign up for the latest in federal politics and why it matters
• Top headlines on Canadian politics, all in one place

They are also summoning the heads of the country's biggest grocery chains to Ottawa Monday to find a way to ease food inflation.

But Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says the affordability angst and housing shortage in Canada are both the fault of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the first place.

He intends to introduce housing legislation this week which would also eliminate the GST from new rental builds and withhold federal housing dollars from cities that don't increase their annual housing starts.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says the Conservatives have nothing substantial to offer beyond simple slogans that play up anger at the expense of hope.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2023.