In a democracy, one of the official opposition’s most important roles is to hold the government accountable for the promises it makes. That responsibility has become harder in recent years because fewer journalists now cover Parliament Hill compared to a decade ago, meaning Canadians often get less detailed reporting on government actions.

Even when reporting happens, Canadians now consume news from fragmented sources; television, online platforms, and especially social media. Traditional newspapers and magazines have lost subscribers, and many people scroll quickly without the time or attention previous generations gave to understanding how these issues affect their lives and communities.

With less media scrutiny, Parliament’s role in exposing broken promises becomes even more critical—especially on national issues as urgent as housing.

During the last federal election, Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Liberals made a bold pledge: “We will double the pace of construction to almost 500,000 new homes a year.” No one forced them to set such an ambitious target. They could have promised 100,000 homes annually. Instead, they chose 500,000, a number that translates to building over 1,300 homes every single day. That’s like creating a mid-sized Canadian town every week.

To achieve this, the Liberals launched a new Ottawa-based agency called Build Canada Homes and allocated it a $13 billion budget.

Recently, the Parliamentary Budget Officer released a report titled “Build Canada Homes and the Outlook for Housing Programs under Budget 2025.”

The findings were sobering: “We anticipate that the contribution of Build Canada Homes will likely be modest and estimate that the program will add about 26,000 units over five years, representing a 2.1 per cent increase in housing completions relative to our baseline projection.”

Let that sink in. Instead of 500,000 homes every year, the program is projected to deliver just 26,000 over five years. That’s not a shortfall, it’s a chasm.

The Liberals dispute these numbers, claiming future funding will change the picture. But here’s the problem: none of that future funding appears in Budget 2025—despite record spending and projected deficits totaling roughly $265 billion over the next four fiscal years.

The PBO’s conclusion is clear: Build Canada Homes lacks an overall plan to achieve the government’s stated goal.
Ambition without a plan is not leadership, it’s wishful thinking. When governments make promises they cannot realistically keep, trust erodes. And when trust erodes, that is not good for our country and democracy.

So here’s my question for you this week: Does it concern you when a political party contending for government makes election promises it clearly has no realistic plan to fulfill?

I’d like to hear your thoughts. You can join the always lively discussion on my Facebook Page, or alternatively you can reach me at [email protected] or toll free at 1 800 665 8711.