Who are we kidding

Here we are at yet another threshold of government response to probably the most prevalent problem/crisis in the “developed” world, in this case, Canada. Yet another announcement of yet more strategy to confront the beast that is housing that most people could afford.

Yes, we are at a time where most people cannot afford a place to live, in the supposedly richest countries in the world. Canada, a stalwart of democracy and freedom, has millions of residents who are either in encampments, occupying couches of loved ones, or struggling to make the next rent or mortgage payment. How so? The easy answer is profits, but what’s the use of regurgitating that subject again? Profits are the highest power in the land, and nothing is going to change that. Instead, governments will continue to churn out “strategies”, this time with loans of public money to for-profit corporations, with the goal being the constructing the poor folks a place to live for a reasonable price. Apparently, there is also a lot of underused public land that the government will lease out for the construction of such housing. Another “bold and Ambitious” multi-year plan, laid out with much ado.
As usual, the critics are quick to point out flaws in said plan, but that is both expected and warranted. One major stumbling block is the fact that affordable housing is being lost faster than it can be built.

Prices are consistently rising, even though everyone knows that they’re not sustainable. Those who can, will. It’s an incredible result of the kind of capitalism practiced in North America and beyond. Nobody cares if people are on the streets as long as there are still enough people who can pay.

The new housing plan put forth by the Trudeau government sets a goal of 2031-32, but what will happen to prices between now and then? Will they freeze? Don’t corporate profits need to continue to grow? What happens to the plan when another government is in power? Will the spineless Pierre Trudeau remain in power? There is another Pierre (who resembles an AI generation), waiting in the wings, who surely will want to claim his stake, if he gets put in office. No government can carry out a long-term plan because they’re never in office long enough to do so.

They have to be fortunate enough to have incoming opposing government carry on its legacy, which, considering the various parties are more interested in relaying the faults of their counterparts and rarely their strengths, these strategies can end up hitting the proverbial brick walls.

I sincerely hope something gets done to help the people that need it, but we live in a system ripe with hypocrisy, one which is more thinly veiled than ever. The reason for this being the arrogance of the rich combined with the biproduct of their system, which is a larger and larger gap between them and the rest of us. These are the engines that drive the problems most of the population suffers. Until these and similar issues are addressed, nothing will change, it will only worsen. It’s really just a matter of seeing how far the ones at the top will take it, before they realize they may be in danger.

Fiquem bem,

Raul Freitas/MS