By Maple News Wire | April 9, 2025
As the countdown to the April 28 federal election intensifies, one issue continues to dominate doorsteps, dinner tables, and debate stages across Metro Vancouver: housing.
With soaring prices, rent insecurity, and affordability hurdles, voters across all generations are demanding bold solutions — but reactions to party promises are mixed.
“Do Renters Even Matter?”
Longtime Vancouver renter Colleen Wickstrom, who serves as co-chair of the city’s Renters Advisory Committee, says she’s still waiting to see a platform that truly centers renters.
“It doesn’t feel like we’re on the radar,” Wickstrom shared. “Evictions, vacancy crunches — the anxiety is constant. I just don’t see anyone genuinely fighting for renters.”
Wickstrom says she’s open to either the Liberals or NDP, but remains skeptical of lofty commitments. She points to the NDP’s pledge to use 100% of suitable federal land for rent-controlled housing as “promising, but tough to deliver.”
What the Parties Are Promising on Housing
Here’s a breakdown of what Canada’s major political parties have put on the table:
- Liberals: A federally-backed housing developer to double new home construction to 500,000 annually, with an emphasis on modular builds and public land.
- Conservatives: A commitment to sell 15% of federal land and buildings for housing within 100 days, plus a GST waiver on all new homes priced under $1.3M.
- NDP: Expansion of CMHC to offer long-term low-interest mortgages, and a target of 100,000 rent-controlled units using federal land.
However, critics like Wickstrom note that many of these proposals only help those already on the path to homeownership.
“The reality is, most renters can’t even dream of affording a down payment,” she said. “I’m doing well, but nearly everything I earn goes straight to rent.”
Families Caught in the Crossfire
For East Vancouver parent Melanie Cheng, affordability is about more than housing — it’s about the social infrastructure that supports it.
“What good is a new condo if your child can’t get a spot in the nearest school?” she asks.
Cheng, chair of the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council, warns that housing densification without equivalent investment in schools, parks, and daycares only shifts the burden to families.
She’s wary of Pierre Poilievre’s “Build or Else” plan, which proposes withholding infrastructure funding from cities that don’t meet yearly housing targets.
“It’s dangerously simplistic. We need thoughtful planning, not penalties,” she said.
Seniors Want Speed & Stability — But Not Hostility
In South Surrey, 70-something Ramona Kaptyn supports housing growth, but not at the expense of compassion.
“People scream for housing and fight every project. It’s classic NIMBYism,” she said. “But Poilievre’s plan to penalize communities feels more like punishment than policy.”
A retired teacher and former CARP director, Kaptyn likes the Liberals’ emphasis on prefabricated homes and public land use — comparing the urgency to the post-war housing boom.
“Back then, governments got things done. That’s the energy we need now.”
She’s also sympathetic to the NDP’s plan to ban “renovictions” and corporate takeovers of rental buildings — but doubts whether they have the momentum to deliver.
What Voters Are Really Saying
Three voters, three very different walks of life — but a shared frustration: all want solutions, not slogans.
Wickstrom is torn between two options. Cheng is unimpressed by all. Kaptyn’s vote leans Liberal but is driven by practicality, not loyalty.
If one message rings clear from Metro Vancouver, it’s this: Canadians are watching. Housing is personal. And empty promises won’t cut it anymore.
🗳️ Advance Voting: April 18–21
📬 Mail-in Ballots Available
📅 Election Day: Monday, April 28
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