Under Stephen Harper’s Conservative government (2006–2015), there was little action to regulate foreign investment in Canadian real estate. This contributed to rising home prices, especially in cities like Vancouver and Toronto, as international buyers and investors drove up demand.
Conservative governments at the provincial level, such as in Ontario under Doug Ford, have been accused of favoring developers over long-term housing affordability. The Ford government’s Greenbelt land swap scandal, which aimed to open protected land for development, benefited developers but did little to address housing shortages.
Conservative governments often oppose strong rent control measures, arguing they deter new construction. However, removing rent control on new buildings (as done by Ontario’s Conservative government in 2018) has led to skyrocketing rental costs.
