The tone between Pierre Poilievre and Quebec's elected municipal officials is getting louder. The Conservative leader on Thursday made a frontal attack on Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante and Quebec Mayor Bruno Marchand, whom he called “incompetent.” He accuses them of blocking housing projects.
Published at 2:00 p.m. Updated at 2:15 p.m.
“Massive decline in construction activity in Quebec while Trudeau pays billions to incompetent mayors Marchand and Plante who block construction sites. “Federal money for cities will be tied to the number of houses and apartments built when I am prime minister,” Mr. Poilievre insisted his X account.
He was referring to the dramatic decline in housing starts in several Canadian cities, according to a report released Tuesday by the CMHC. On the island of Montreal, housing starts fell 26% last year, totaling a meager 7,705 new housing units.
Valérie Plante quickly responded to the Conservative leader: “Before he calls anyone incompetent, Mr. Poilievre should understand that in Quebec, federal funding for housing does not go through the cities.”
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, ARCHIVE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Quebec Mayor Bruno Marchand and Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante
A crucial agreement
In Quebec, the federal government must turn to the provincial government to fund housing projects under an agreement signed between the two levels. “Common sense also means understanding the funding mechanisms of each province,” Ms. Plante said, recycling one of the Conservatives’ favorite slogans.
Ms. Plante reiterated that “the housing crisis affects everyone,” and also argued that “in such circumstances, the quality of a leader is measured by his ability to combine the necessary forces to face the crisis.” “We eagerly await his concrete and calculated plan of action to house our world. »
Mayor Marchand also reacted quickly. “This is how he treats Quebec politicians. It is a testament to deep contempt for Quebec's politicians. For a man who wants to be head of state, such behavior is the opposite, it is not at all common sense,” he said at a press conference.
Mr Marchand accused the Conservative of “not giving a damn” about the rules and of showing he would “ignore them” once he was in power. “It's very disappointing. […] If you want to be prime minister, you have to respect the people and understand the mechanisms that will govern us,” affirmed the elected official, adding: “We cannot block a construction site, we are in a process of acceleration even.”
Not a premiere
Mr. Poilievre has been regularly blaming Canadian cities for low housing starts. “We need to get local governments out of the way of developers,” the Conservative leader said on the sidelines of the Association of Ontario Cities conference in September.
If elected, he wants to require cities to increase the number of building permits by 15% in order to continue receiving federal funding. The Conservative leader has also previously blamed cities for the rise in crime seen during the pandemic.
For its part, the Union of Municipalities of Quebec (UMQ) condemned Mr. Poilievre's “contemptuous statements” “on such an important issue” and called on the Conservatives to “avoid simplistic shortcuts and show respect.”
Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet also spoke out at the federal level. “Pierre Poilievre blames municipalities for the housing crisis just as much as Justin Trudeau does if you listen to him. […] He will not do better than the Liberals in terms of interference or defiance,” Mr Blanchet said.
Mr. Poilievre's first tweet was paired with comments from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) economist Francis Cortellino. The latter argued on Radio-Canada this week that never since 1955 have so few houses been built in Quebec.
However, a clarification is necessary: the CMHC expert was only referring to the construction of individual houses. However, for many years, most construction starts have been in multi-family homes, such as condominiums. Thus, despite the significant slowdown in 2023, this year was not the lowest construction start year in Quebec. In the early 1980s and 1990s, when the country was hit by economic crises, only half as much was built.
With Pierre-André Normandin, La Presse