What the Liberal Victory Means for HRAI
After a 37-day campaign, Canadians went to the polls and gave Mark Carney and the Liberal Party a rare fourth mandate to form a minority government. The campaign was dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump and the increasingly tense relationship between Canada and the United States. The cost-of-living was also a critical issue for voters and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh both made affordability a key theme of their campaigns, looking to position themselves as champions for Canadians struggling with the cost of bills and housing affordability.
On election day, Liberals came away with 43.7% of the vote and 169 seats in the House of Commons, just 3 seats away from winning a majority government. The Conservatives will once again be the official opposition in the House with 144 seats, while the Bloc Quebecois secured 22 seats and the NDP 7. With the Liberals unable to pass legislation on their own they will once again need to look for common ground with other parties in the House with the Conservatives, Bloc and NDP all potential partners looking to negotiate on issues critical to their voting base and the key constituencies that they represent. For HRAI it will also mean once again looking for champions and allies in all parties who can advocate for the industry in the House of Commons and push the government to adopt policies that will help the industry and consumers.
Reviewing the platforms presented by the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, and Bloc, each of the parties presented policies that could support HRAI, Canadians across the country, and areas where there could be common ground in the House of Commons.
The Liberals, NDP and Bloc all outlined plans for a home retrofit program to address affordability, reduce of cost of bills for Canadians and increase energy efficiency in homes across Canada. The programs would be targeted toward low- and middle-income households and fund the cost of installation for heat pumps and other energy efficient upgrades. The NDP also proposed to modernize the Energy Efficiency Act and update National Building Code to include cooling requirements and safe maximum indoor temperature limits in addition to developing an effective federal emissions performance standard for large buildings. The Bloc proposed additional funding to support research into developing new advanced HVAC technologies, energy-efficient building materials, and retrofit solutions to reduce emissions and improve performance for utilities. This overlap in policy could lead to an agreement between the Liberals and NDP or Bloc to pass legislation directed at funding a national home retrofit program to support Canadians in making energy efficient upgrades to their homes and developing new technologies to reduce emissions.
All four parties announced polices for supporting workforce development in skilled trades, by supporting workforce mobility through provincial free trade, expanding training programs for new qualified immigrants to work in skilled trades including HVAC, and restoring funding for apprenticeships across Canada. With a national consensus on the need to build and expand the skilled trades workforce, parties should be working to find common ground in the upcoming Parliamentary session to support Canada’s skilled workforce development.
Finally, the Liberals and Conservatives both looked to find ways to safely speed up home construction while also keeping costs down for Canadians looking to buy their first home. The Conservatives proposed requiring plain language in housing regulations and simplifying the National Building Code to make it more affordable to build safely and allow maximum flexibility for new materials and building methods. The Liberals proposed investments in the prefabricated and modular housing industry to reduce construction emissions and support affordable and rapid housing construction. Both parties could potentially look for common ground on these issues with Liberals agreeing to simplify building codes and construction regulations to speed up development in exchange for Conservative support on investments in prefabricated housing with energy efficient construction and in-home utilities.
Platforms from all political parties highlighted and proposed policy solutions tied to the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration industries. Now that Canadians have decided who will lead the country for the next four years it will be up to Canada’s political leaders to work together and follow through on their promises to reduce the cost of utilities and home retrofits, invest in the skilled trades workforce and speed up housing construction. HRAI will also be working to ensure that the promises made on the campaign trail are turned into action and that all parties follow through in reducing costs for Canadians and supporting skilled workers. With the Liberals only needing 3 votes in the House of Commons to pass legislation, the Conservatives, Bloc, and NDP will all be able to negotiate their support for legislation making it important for HRAI to look for partners from every party who can help champion their cause and ensure that legislation takes into account the needs of the Canadians that HRAI serves and the industry as a whole.
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