This is an article from January 24th, 2019 that I only discovered a few days ago. Since I'm not going to be quoting the entire article, the backstory is that this was written just before a byelection, set for February 25th of 2019. These byelections happen every so often, when for whatever reason a seat comes up for re-election out of sync with the federal election. Building: TDC_ARTICLE_START Even for the federal leader of the New Democratic Party, finding rental housing in Metro Vancouver is no easy feat. Jagmeet Singh began calling landlords last year as he prepared to move across the country from Brampton, Ont., to run in a byelection in Burnaby South. “I’d say, ‘OK, let me check with my wife.’ I’d get back a day later and the place would be gone,” Singh said. “The market’s really hard out here. If it’s hard for me, I can only imagine how hard it is for so many people.” Housing is shaping up to be a defining issue in the byelection, set for Feb. 25, and in the federal election later this year. In Burnaby, renters have been kicked out of older apartments to make way for luxury condos, and sky-high prices are shutting millennials out of the market. Singh proposed measures this week to build 500,000 new affordable units over the next decade, challenging the Liberal government to start by removing federal tax on the construction of such units. Finance Minister Bill Morneau said the government’s mortgage stress test has already cooled overheated markets and it’s working on initiatives to help young people buy homes. On a recent sunny Saturday, Singh knocked on doors inside a co-operative housing complex that is several decades old. The government needs to invest immediately in co-operative and non-market housing and use tax tools to tackle speculation, he said. “The federal government used to be in the business of investing in housing, hasn’t been for decades, and it’s something we’ve got to get back into doing,” said Singh. TDC_ARTICLE_STOP This is mostly true, but ignores the two main issues for raising rents. First, foreigners speculate on property in the lower mainland, and make the calculation that it's better in many cases to have the house vacant, then to rent the house or property out to others. As a result, the vacancy rate in Vancouver was, at least at one time, 10%, despite the massive homeless problem, and the equally greater "living with your parents because you can't afford to move out," problem. The second problem is simply the massive migrants who have been imported into our country, which we'll get to later in the article. As far as building luxury condos, that's another symptom of foreign speculation. They make the calculation that the return on investment is better for luxury condos then affordable apartments, so they build that. This shows the complete failure of "market based solutions," to solve something as basic as housing for everyone. It also shows the absolute unseriousness of the NDP when it comes to solving these problems. They could propose a tax on luxury condos, as one example, which would be both popular and helpful. They won't, because their donors live in those. TDC_ARTICLE_START The riding is profoundly diverse, with more than half of residents born outside Canada. About three-quarters of those immigrants are from Asia and the top source countries are China, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan. TDC_ARTICLE_STOP And there it is. Yes, it's just pure coincidence that a place that is literally half foreigners would have massively inflated costs of living. This is, once again, yet another example of why there are no actual arguments for mass migration. You get people you have nothing in common with around you, who in many cases are outright hostile towards you, and in return, you get lower wages, and a higher cost of living. To say nothing of the massive social costs of having foreigners around you. TDC_ARTICLE_START A recent municipal election in Burnaby revealed just how important housing in the city, especially among younger voters, said Mario Canseco, president of the Vancouver-based polling firm Research Co. Long-time mayor Derek Corrigan was ousted, in part, over what was seen as his weak response to so-called demovictions, or renters being evicted from affordable low-rise buildings so pricey condo towers could be built, said Canseco. Millennials are also having a tough time transitioning from renters to owners, he added. The benchmark price for all housing in Burnaby is close to $1 million despite recent softening in the market. TDC_ARTICLE_STOP I love how this massive social issue, a civilizational failure, that is millenials not being able to own houses, is talked about like just another issue in Federal Politics. Oh you know, Millenials are suffering with negative net worths, crippling student loan debts to pay for worthless degrees, horrible paying jobs, and the few that can move out of their parents houses are living their best lives as renters in a shithole in Burnaby. Now onto tax policy. The solutions to civiliazational failures involve heads being put on sticks. If you are not offering that, GTFO. TDC_ARTICLE_START “If Singh can connect on the housing file, and talk about specific issues that are going to motivate younger voters, that is going to be crucial,” Canseco said. The New Democrats narrowly beat the Liberals in the riding in the 2015 election by about 550 votes. The Conservatives placed third, losing by about 3,600 votes. Conservative candidate Jay Shin said his plan to make housing more affordable is to create policies that establish high-paying jobs and allow workers to keep more of their hard-earned money. “The NDP and Liberals are proposing that they tax their way to affordable housing, which hasn’t worked and is not going to work,” said Shin, a lawyer. “We need to make sure young people have the opportunity to pursue their dreams, work in the areas they want to and stay local. For that we need to ensure we have continued investment happening in Burnaby.” TDC_ARTICLE_STOP Yeah the Donor-Right has never been easier to destroy. Listen to this fucktard. "Taxing Jeff Bezos to subsidize your housing couldn't possibly lead to better outcomes for you." Yeah fuck right off you clown. And then these clowns wonder why they lose elections. The problem is housing is too expensive. Vague promises of taxing people less isn't going to accomplish fuck all. Actual solutions would be something like: 1) Sieze every property in Canada owned by non-Canadians. 2) Immediate stop to all migration, and deporation of hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions. 3) Massive taxation increase on luxury real estate. 4) General economic improvements, such as bringing back manufacturing. Note: NOT TAX DECREASES None of this is on the table, only vague promises of "affordable housing." Remember, when complicated solutions are proposed when simple ones would do, rest assured, it's not for your benefit.