Published Apr 06, 2025 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 4 minute readFederal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh greets volunteers for Halifax candidate Lisa Roberts on Saturday in Halifax. – NDPFederal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announced a plan to fight soaring rents and protect renters in Halifax on Sunday morning.Singh heard several stories from young renters at the Glitter Bean Cafe, where the common theme expressed was hopelessness.Singh, alongside Lisa Roberts, the NDP candidate for Halifax, announced the plan to implement a national rent-control policy.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“No one should lose their home because their landlord wants to double the rent,” Singh said. “New Democrats will take a stand. Together we will tackle skyrocketing rental prices and end the exploitation by predatory corporate landlords.”The NDP plan calls for the implementation of national rent control, the banning of fixed-term leases, renovictions, demovictions and other landlord practices aimed at pushing people out of their homes and driving up rents.They also plan to ban rent price-fixing and collusion by corporate landlords, including the use of shared data platforms and coordinated pricing tools, and recognize the right of tenant unions to negotiate with landlords.The NDP says the Liberal and Conservative governments have nothing to offer for renters facing unaffordable increases and predatory practices by corporate landlords.They cite that rent prices have more than doubled since 2015 and in Halifax, the average asking rent hit $2,033 per month in January.Article contentSingh said housing doesn’t just fall under provincial or municipal jurisdiction but has turned into a federal ballot question.“The matter of crisis we are in, is a national crisis,” Singh said. “Wherever you go in this country people can’t afford homes and it’s getting worse, not better.“Rents are going up; it seems impossible to buy homes. We heard from some young people (today) who thought maybe, if I saved a bit, I will be able to buy a home but it’s not in the books for me. I want to change that.”Under the NDP’s plan, access to federal housing funding will be tied to strict conditions: real rent control, tenant protections and action against predatory and exploitative landlord practices.To that end, the NDP will also introduce a renter’s bill of rights so that federal housing incentives only go to provinces and municipalities to implement rent control and bring down the cost of housing.“Why would we invest in building homes that are affordable, if then in a couple of years those homes are no longer affordable?” Singh asked. “That would be a bad investment.Article content“We are going to make those investments. But it’s required if we build a home, that is affordable, that it stays affordable and the only way that happens is by putting in better protections for renters.“If a province or municipality doesn’t have those laws in place, then no, we are not going to spend money there. If they want to have federal money to build homes that we all know every community needs, then put in place laws that protect the people renting those homes.”TALKING TARIFFSSingh said on Sunday that Canada must stand up to the unprovoked tariff war brought on by U.S. President Donald Trump, but doesn’t believe the Liberals and Conservatives are focused enough on the people who must deal with the potential fallout of higher prices.“I think there has been a broad consensus that we are being hit by a war we did not want, we did not choose it,” Singh said. “It was unprovoked and we have to fight back. Canadians are proudly putting their elbows up, saying we are going to defend our country and we are going to fight back.Article content“I am not hearing the focus on people. This is a difficult time but what does it mean that we have this trade war, people are now living more uncertain lives. People are worried that life is going to get even harder.”POLL PROBLEMSSingh dismissed concerns over recent polling that shows the NDP dipped to around eight per cent. He pointed to the recent Ontario provincial election that saw the New Democrats form the official opposition.He said the fight isn’t over.“We saw in the Ontario election that happened a couple of months ago where they literally predicted the same aggregate that the NDP would not have party status. They formed the official opposition, so I’m not worried about that,” Singh said.The NDP holds only 24 seats in the House of Commons.“I can tell you from my lived experience, we were in a minority government and I can tell you that just 25 New Democrats were able to bring in dental care that has helped millions of Canadians because we fought to bring that in,” Singh said.“Twenty-five of us brought in Pharmacare and now three provinces are going to have free birth control and diabetes medication and devices because we fought for it. Imagine what would happen if you elected more of us and sent us to Ottawa. We can do even more.”Article content
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh brings plan to protect renters to Halifax
