Politicians believe immigrants are to blame for the housing crisis
But not all experts agree with them.
Canada's real estate market is straining under the pressure of rising home prices and rents. Immigration, high interest rates, rising construction costs and bureaucratic hurdles are contributing to the housing affordability problem.
Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre expressed his position, emphasizing that it is immigration that is putting decisive pressure on the housing market:
"The growth in immigration should not exceed the amount of housing stock we add, the number of doctors we add and the available jobs."
The Liberal government also recognizes that immigration is contributing to the housing crisis. Immigration to Canada has increased markedly, with the government planning to increase the number of permanent residents from 405,000 in 2021 to 500,000 by 2024. Statistics Canada notes record population growth since 1957, 98% driven by immigration.
What do the experts say?
Experts believe that, at a minimum, it is important to distinguish between homes and households. In particular, David Hulchanski, a housing professor, argues that 500,000 immigrants would not require 500,000 homes:
"The 40 million people in Canada don't live in 40 million houses."
Hulchansky said 500,000 immigrants would need different amounts of housing depending on the country, with an average of 204,000 homes in Canada, 233,000 in Germany and 183,000 in Ireland.
At the same time, newcomers are settled unevenly throughout the country, and this creates problems in certain regions. But it is impossible to force people to settle in specific communities. At the same time, many immigrants can live with relatives or in existing households.
Foreign students and temporary workers
The massive increase in the number of non-permanent residents, including international students and temporary workers, also affects housing affordability.
Stephen Pomeroy, housing expert at McMaster University, emphasized the increased demand for housing caused by the arrival of students and workers who tend to rent rather than buy homes. He observed that temporary foreign worker and student programs have gotten out of control, a point echoed by Housing Minister Sean Fraser, who expressed concern about colleges exploiting the system for financial gain.
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Reducing the number of international students to 700,000, Pomeroy said, could ease the rental housing market without hurting universities dependent on high tuition from international students.
Irfhan Rawji, chair of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, supports a targeted approach to immigration that should not harm the economic benefit of immigrants:
""Do we need 800,000 students studying skills maybe this economy doesn't need, living in houses that we don't have?"
The question of how to deal with the housing crisis remains open. Even with all the disputes and contradictions, most experts agree on one thing: the need for systemic changes. These include social housing programs and accelerating the pace of development.
