HELP is on the way for Canadians struggling to pay their rent every month with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s plan to offer rental benefits of up to $5,000 each year.

“Instead of taking the housing crisis seriously, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have made phony promises. Their plan actually spends less on affordable housing than during the previous ten years under Stephen Harper’s Conservatives,” said Singh on Thursday in Campbell River, B.C. “If we want to fix this mess, we need to have the courage to act. That’s why New Democrats will deliver immediate help for families who are struggling most to pay their rent.”

The NDP’s rental benefit will be targeted at families who are paying more than 30 per cent of their pre-tax income on housing, as immediate help to make ends meet.

The NDP says Trudeau has told renters to wait for help, while spending 4.5 billion taxpayer dollars on a pipeline and refusing to take on the money laundering and speculation that has driven up housing prices in B.C.

“We know it will take time to build the affordable housing people need; this is about getting families that are hurting the most relief right away – not waiting a decade from now, like the Liberals are proposing,” said Singh.

The NDP’s New Deal for People also delivers a bold plan to fight the climate crisis, lower cell phone bills, and provide dental care and universal prescription drug coverage to make life more affordable for families in B.C. and across Canada. 

Quick Facts:

• According to an analysis by the PBO, the Liberals’ National Housing Strategy spends 19% less on affordable housing as a proportion of GDP than the previous 10 years, including under the Conservatives. [1]
• Experts have accused the Liberals of double-counting funding and actually helping fewer low-income people than in the past. [2]
• The Liberals’ “Canada Housing Benefit” is too small and too late.
  • It won’t be fully phased-in to cover 300,000 families until 2027-28 – almost a full decade from now.
  • An average benefit of $2,500 won’t actually close the gap between people’s incomes and affordable rent, the PBO found. [3]
• The NDP’s rental benefit will start immediately and offer a benefit of up to $5,000 per household to as many as 500,000 families who need it most.
• The federal contribution to this benefit will be $1.35 billion per year, with $450 million coming from the provinces.
• The rental benefit is in addition to the NDP’s plan create 500,000 quality, affordable homes in the next ten years and provide energy-efficient retrofits to save families money and reduce emissions.