Fact check: Did Justin Trudeau promise the federal government would build homes or that they would make it easier to build homes?

1. Summary of the results

The evidence clearly shows that Justin Trudeau and the federal government promised to make it easier to build homes, rather than directly building them themselves. The government's approach involves:

• Creating incentives and providing funds, including a $6 billion Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund and $400 million Housing Accelerator Fund ^[1]
• Setting a target to unlock 3.87 million new homes by 2031, with federal actions supporting 1.2 million of these homes ^[2]
• Offering tax incentives, making public lands available, and providing financial support across different sectors ^[3]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements are missing from the original question:

• Housing is not primarily a federal responsibility, though Trudeau acknowledges the federal government must help ^[4]
• The government has committed $82 billion in housing strategy, aiming to create 107,000 new housing units, but this falls significantly short of the projected need for 5.8 million homes by 2030 ^[4]
• The federal government is using financial leverage strategically, offering $4.4 billion to 178 municipalities and Quebec specifically to encourage zoning and permitting changes ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question's framing suggests a binary choice between direct building and facilitating construction, which oversimplifies the issue. Important considerations include:

• Critics point out that despite repeated promises about addressing housing affordability, concrete action has been limited, with home prices rising 85% since the Liberals took office ^[6]
• The government's approach is actually multi-faceted, involving:
• Bringing down homebuilding costs
• Helping cities accelerate construction
• Changing home manufacturing methods
• Growing the workforce ^[2]
• The strategy relies heavily on cooperation from provinces, territories, builders, and non-profits ^[1], making success dependent on multiple stakeholders rather than just federal action

Those who benefit from the current framing include:

• The federal government, which can claim action while shifting responsibility to other levels of government
• Opposition parties, who can criticize the lack of direct federal intervention
• Developers and construction companies, who stand to benefit from government incentives and funding