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OTTAWA \u2014 Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is claiming the Liberals will impose a tax on Canadians\u2019 home equity if they\u2019re re-elected as the federal election campaign enters its final week.<\/p>\n
The last day of advance voting in the general election saw federal leaders scattered across the country, pitching plans on homebuilding and health care.<\/p>\n
Poilievre was in Toronto Monday afternoon speaking to an audience with CARP, the Canadian Association of Retired Persons. He was asked whether he would put any taxes on equity saved in Canadians\u2019 homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will never allow a tax on home equity. Period. Full stop. Not going to happen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Currently, Canadians are exempt from paying capital gains tax on the sales of their primary residences, allowing those who own their homes to keep all the proceeds. For many older Canadians planning to downsize, that sale can represent a significant portion of their retirement plan.<\/p>\n
Poilievre went on to claim \u2014 without offering evidence \u2014 that the incumbent Liberals would not let the status quo stand.<\/p>\n
Pointing to the spending projections in Liberal Leader Mark Carney\u2019s platform, released Saturday, Poilievre claimed the Liberals would need to tap into Canadians\u2019 home equity to fund those plans.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens when the finance officials tap them on the shoulder and says, \u2018You\u2019re out of money, you need to go find more?\u2019 Well, they\u2019re going to go out and they\u2019re going to tax your home equity. They\u2019re going to go after your house,\u201d he said, adding that hypothetical tax would be \u201ccrippling\u201d for seniors.<\/p>\n
\u201cBottom line is, Liberals will tax your home equity if you give them the chance in this election. We will never let that happen. Your home belongs to you, and when you sell, you should keep every single penny for yourself and your kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
A proposal to tax capital gains from home sales is not part of the Liberal platform. The Liberal campaign said in a media statement Monday that the party has no plans to turn home equity into tax revenue.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is entirely false. This is another desperate attack from the Conservatives. They do this every election,\u201d said Liberal spokesperson Mohammad Hussain.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, Poilievre told a campaign event in Scarborough, Ont., that his party would release its costed platform on Tuesday, a day after advance voting closes.<\/p>\n
The Liberals and NDP both unveiled their costed platforms on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Poilievre was in the Greater Toronto Area on Monday promising to build 2.3 million homes over the next five years.<\/p>\n
The Conservative platform would tie municipalities\u2019 federal infrastructure funding to their pace of home construction approvals \u2014 cities that approve 15 per cent more housing each year would get full funding, while cities that approve fewer homes would collect less.<\/p>\n
The party is also proposing to free up federal land for more homebuilding, cut the GST on new homes worth up to $1.3 million and encourage cities to cut development charges.<\/p>\n
Carney was in Charlottetown Monday talking about his health-care plan and efforts to address Canada\u2019s shortage of primary care providers.<\/p>\n
Carney said a Liberal government would commit $4 billion to provinces to build more hospitals and clinics.<\/p>\n
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh started his day in Nanaimo, B.C., where he promised to cover \u201cessential medicines\u201d by the end of the year in an expansion of pharmacare.<\/p>\n
Monday was the fourth and final day for advance polls.<\/p>\n
\u00a92025 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n