The Liberals, Conservatives and NDP each tabled their housing promises this week. Both the Liberal and NDP platforms make specific commitments for more co-op housing.
The Liberals’ complete election platform was released on January 11. It included a housing platform which states “In partnership with the provinces and territories, a new Liberal government will develop a long term Canadian Housing Framework that will establish new benchmarks for reducing both core-housing need, and the number of homeless across the country, as well as a strategy to achieve those benchmarks. We recognize the importance of the co-operative housing sector, and will ensure that federal housing programs developed within the Framework are available to new and existing co-ops.”
The NDP platform, which was also released January 11, also mentions co-ops specifically in its plan for housing. It states “In the next Parliament, the NDP will continue to get results for the 1.7 million Canadians who don’t have adequate shelter. We will: restart a 10-year national housing program to build 200,000 affordable and co-op housing units; and underwrite low-interest mortgages for affordable housing.
The Conservative platform, released on January 12, promised to “work with the provinces and municipalities to develop tax incentives for private-sector builders so that low-income city dwellers will have improved access to affordable housing. Specifically, on an experimental basis to supplement existing programs, we will establish a low-income housing tax credit program. Beginning in 2007-08, we will set aside $200 million annually in the form of federal tax credits to encourage developers to build or refurbish affordable rental units in which at least 40% of the occupants earn less than 60% of the local median income.”