Federal officials and Alberta Premier Daniel Smith clashed again Friday over steps Ottawa is taking to boost housing construction across the country, as Smith raised concerns of a legal battle.
Housing Minister Sean Fraser unveiled a revised National Housing Strategy on Friday, saying it would help build around 3.9 million homes by 2031.
Mr. Smith has already repeatedly opposed previous federal announcements pledging to fund housing and related infrastructure, with or without state cooperation.
This week, Smith introduced a bill in the Edmonton Legislature that he calls the “Stay Out of My Backyard Bill.” The bill would require state oversight of future housing transactions between the federal government and municipalities within the state (and elsewhere).
In an interview aired on CBC Radio on Saturday. the house, Smith said he just wants his province to be treated the same way as Quebec, which signed a housing agreement with the federal government last October. Agreements with the state, rather than with individual municipalities, were required by state law.
the house10:08Prime Minister Smith tells federal government to stay out of backyard
Alberta Premier Daniel Smith explains why he wants to ban local governments from receiving direct funding from the federal government for things like housing.
She said she was prepared to challenge the federal government in court if necessary.
“We’re prepared to take them to court. They can’t use federal spending power for asymmetric federalism,” Smith told host Katherine Cullen, adding that the federal government doesn’t use taxes to “politicize.” “I am doing this,” he accused.
“We will not stand by and watch Alberta’s municipalities continue to be treated unfairly.”
Mr. Smith also touted his state’s commitment to housing construction, which promises to invest $840 million over three years.
In a separate interview to be aired on Saturday. the house, federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser said Mr Smith’s bill would delay agreements to boost housing construction. He also said he was confident that the two governments could work together.
He said Alberta is receiving close to a pro-rata share of funding under the government’s Housing Acceleration Fund program (he says it’s just a 0.03 per cent decrease).
the house15:36What is the federal government’s latest vision for building more housing?
Katherine Cullen asks Housing Minister Sean Fraser how the government’s latest housing strategy will build more homes, and checks in with some bricklayers about the labor shortage in the building industry.
“If they want to delay the process because they want to have some representation on this issue, I suggest they do what Quebec has done: come together with us financially. and implement reforms across the state to help us achieve our goals.” Fraser said.
Smith said Friday that while Edmonton and Calgary have had some success under the fund, smaller municipalities must also be considered.
‘Get out of the way’: Prime Minister Trudeau
Canada faces a protracted housing crisis. The Canada Mortgage Corporation estimated last year that Canada needs to build 3.5 million more homes than planned to restore affordability to the housing market.
Asked about Smith’s position on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted that he had been criticized for saying the federal government had limited influence over housing files across the country.
“I heard voices in the crowd in each state saying, ‘Look, the federal government needs to step up…the federal government needs to step up and solve this housing crisis,'” he said.
Asked about Alberta’s bill that would prevent the federal government from sending money directly to cities, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said provinces that don’t want to solve the housing crisis should “just get out of there.”
“So do we. States should be careful what they wish for. Do they want the federal government to solve this housing crisis? We do, we will. ”
Trudeau said he wants the provinces to step up their own ambitions and work together with Ottawa. He said Canadians don’t care about jurisdictional issues, they just want the issue resolved.
“That’s why we work hand-in-hand with local governments who want to solve their problems, with the utmost respect,” he said. “and [to] We ask those provinces that don’t want to solve problems to stay out of the way while we solve the problems facing Canadians. ”
Smith said she was simply asking for equal treatment.
“I hope [Trudeau] “They’re going to treat us exactly the same as Quebec, and I don’t think that’s something I would take note of,” she said. “I guess that’s what I would expect.”
Mr Smith was also asked on Friday about concerns he had expressed about language in the housing plan that referred to “climate-friendly homes”.
“Affordable housing should be targeted so that people who own entry-level homes can enter that market at an affordable price,” she said. “That’s what we’re worried about. [that] All additional measures will increase housing costs and miss the point. What matters is achievable housing. ”
Smith said he doesn’t trust the federal government to prioritize affordable housing over net-zero emissions targets.
Fraser said the climate-friendly housing language did not imply a requirement to meet net-zero standards.
“This is ironic, because when you actually make your home more efficient, you end up paying less on your electricity bill each month,” he said.
