Party leaders promise to boost home building, help seniors and speed up resource project approvals

Federal party leaders unveiled a series of policies Monday that they said would boost housing construction, make life more affordable for seniors and speed up approvals for natural resource projects.

The Liberal proposals include a boost to the guaranteed income supplement (GIS) while lowering the minimum registered retirement income fund (RRIF) withdrawal to "help protect Canadian seniors and their Canadian retirement savings," according to the party. 

Speaking in Victoria, Liberal Leader Mark Carney said U.S. President Donald Trump's global trade war is "disrupting the global economy, global financial markets" and is "fundamentally reshaping the international trading system." 

"Many Canadians are understandably worried about their jobs and their retirement savings," Carney said Monday. "We will help to protect Canadians' retirement savings from this market uncertainty."

The Liberal plan would reduce the minimum amount that must be withdrawn from a RRIF by 25 per cent for one year to allow seniors more flexibility in choosing when to draw on their retirement savings. 

The plan also calls for a temporary boost of five per cent to the GIS for one year, a move the party says will provide up to $652 more to low-income seniors tax-free. 

Watch | Carney pledges to protect Canadian retirement savings amid market uncertainty:

Carney pledges to protect Canadian retirement savings amid market uncertainty

22 days ago

Duration 1:47

Liberal Party Leader Mark Carney, speaking from Saanichton, B.C., on Day 16 of the election campaign, says in response to the U.S. trade war and market uncertainty that his government would reduce by 25 per cent the minimum amount that must be withdrawn from registered retirement income funds.

Earlier in the campaign, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced his own plan for seniors, pledging to increase by $10,000 the amount they can earn in retirement before they have to pay tax.

Under the plan, the party said working seniors with an annual income under $42,000 would be able to earn as much as $34,000 without paying taxes, saving them up to $1,300 annually.

The Conservatives also announced that they will allow seniors to keep contributing to their RRSPs until the age of 73, up from the current age limit of 71.

Single-approval process pledges

On Monday in Terrace, B.C., Poilievre announced he would create a "Rapid Resource Project Office" that would "handle all regulatory approvals across all levels of government."

In a statement, the Conservatives said under the fully implemented policy, natural resource projects will face a single environmental review rather than separate federal and provincial approvals for the same project. The party said the new process would ensure "efficiency without sacrificing environmental standards," while "giving businesses certainty."

"It's not about reducing our environmental or public safety protections, it's about merging them into one simplified step instead of overlapping processes," Poilievre said in Terrace. 

Watch | Poilievre would create single office to handle resource project approvals:

Poilievre would create single office to handle resource project approvals

22 days ago

Duration 2:09

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, speaking Monday from Terrace, B.C., said if elected prime minister he would move to create a 'rapid resource project office' to streamline project applications. If appropriate projects would be approved after a maximum of one year of review.

Poilievre said the approval process for a project would be targeted to take six months, and a maximum of one year. "No more delays, no more uncertainty, no more caps on Canadian growth and ambition," he added. 

After meeting with the premiers March 21 in his role as prime minister, Carney announced his own single approval process for natural resource projects or other infrastructure projects of "national interest."

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said the new "one window" approval process will "create clear, predictable, and efficient review processes, with the highest standards for safety, environmental protection and Indigenous consultation."

Carney also said the new process will reduce uncertainty for investors. 

Singh's housing plan

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh announced his plan Monday to double the pace of home building in Canada by creating a national housing strategy that will provide $16 billion in funding over four years. 

Under the strategy, a federal NDP government would create a new $8-billion federal transfer to the provinces called the Canadian Homes Transfer. 

WATCH | Singh pledges building 3 million new homes in 5 years:

Singh pledges building 3 million new homes in 5 years

22 days ago

Duration 1:41

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, speaking from Toronto on Day 16 of the election campaign, said an NDP government would build three million new homes in five years, impose stronger rent protections, stop renovictions and double the Housing Accelerator Fund, making it permanent and renaming it the Canada Homes Transfer.

The new transfer would boost home building by rewarding cities that build quickly, allow more townhomes and apartments, and prioritize homes near transit, the party says.

The NDP would also create an $8-billion Communities First Fund that the party says would be used to expand water, sewage and other infrastructure needed to support new housing projects. 

The NDP plan promises to deliver stronger rent protections, create more construction jobs and to work toward halving municipal development charges. 

"Our plan is to build three million homes in the next five years," Singh said in Toronto on Monday. "Not just build those homes, but build homes that people can actually afford."

On March 31, Carney announced his party's housing strategy, which also contained a pledge to double the number of homes being built annually. 

To get that done, a Carney-led Liberal government would create an entity called Build Canada Homes (BCH) — a "lean, mission-driven organization" that would finance affordable housing projects across the country.

The full plan would provide a mix of financing and grants worth more than $35 billion in funding to help builders of prefabricated homes, support the construction of affordable homes and target homelessness.

Carney's proposed plan also promises to cut municipal development charges in half for a period of five years, as well as introducing tax breaks to spur construction. 

Carney's nature, biodiversity and water plan

Carney also announced a series of environmental measures Monday including the creation of 10 new national parks and 15 new urban parks across the country. 

"Nature is part of our very identity as Canadians," Carney said. "In this time of crisis, we need bold new approaches to protect Canada's natural heritage and defend it for future generations."

Those promised approaches include:

• Establishing a new Arctic Indigenous Guardians program.
• Funding Indigenous-led conservation and protection projects.
• Investing $100 million in a strategic water security technology fund. 
• Enshrining First Nations' right to water into law.
• Investing $15 million to clean up abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear.
• Stopping illegal wildlife trade across Canada's borders.
• Providing $10 million to fight invasive aquatic species such as zebra mussels. 
• Making access to national parks and historic sites free for summer 2025.

Watch | Carney pledges free visits to national parks this summer for Canadians:

Carney pledges free visits to national parks this summer for Canadians

22 days ago

Duration 1:56

Liberal Party Leader Mark Carney, speaking from Saanichton, B.C., on Day 16 of the election campaign, said if a new Liberal government is elected, it would create at least 10 new national parks and marine conservation areas along with 15 new urban parks across Canada. Carney also said he would support Indigenous-led conservation projects and establish a new Arctic Indigenous Guardians program to protect the North.