Milton Election Forum: Candidates Confront Housing Crisis and U.S. Tariffs

Affordable housing and trade problems with the U.S. were the main topics at an election event in Milton on Tuesday night. Candidates from two areas — Burlington North-Milton West and Milton East-Halton Hills South — took turns sharing their ideas.

The event was held at the Milton Sports Centre and organized by CFUW Milton. Each candidate had seven minutes to speak. Conservative Parm Gill and Green Party’s Susan Doyle didn’t attend.

🏠 Affordable Housing

Naveed Ahmed from the NDP (Burlington North-Milton West) said the federal government should give money to provinces and builders — but only if they agree to set aside some new homes for low-income and non-profit housing.

Independent Shahbaz Khan (Milton East-Halton Hills South) pointed out that over 7,000 families are waiting for affordable housing in Halton, and only 9% get housing each year.“That’s a crisis, not a system,” he said, adding he would push for Halton to get its own funding.

Liberal MP Adam van Koeverden (Burlington North-Milton West) talked about a $1.5 billion national investment in co-op housing and $22.4 million already going to Milton.He said the goal is to build deeply affordable homes and expand co-op housing 10 times more than before.

Kristina Tesser Derksen, the Liberal candidate in Milton East-Halton Hills South, said the plan includes building homes on public land, removing taxes on new homes, and encouraging rental housing. She also said pre-made homes could help build faster and cheaper.

“We want to build 500,000 homes a year and double the total housing supply in 10 years,” she said.

Nadeem Akbar, the Conservative in Burlington North-Milton West, criticized the Liberals for not fixing housing sooner. He wants to offer 30- to 40-year fixed-rate mortgages to help young people buy homes. “We’ll support long-term generational mortgages,” he said.

Charles Zach from the People’s Party (PPC) blamed immigration and foreign buyers for the housing problem. He wants a pause on immigration and limits on property sales to non-citizens. PPC’s Walter Hofman added that high government spending and taxes make things worse. His priority: balancing the federal budget.

🌍 U.S. Tariffs and Trade

Nadeem Akbar (Conservative) said Canada should push back on U.S. tariffs when needed, but also focus on growing the economy and reducing trade barriers between provinces.

Muhammad Riaz Sahi (NDP) said Canada should build stronger trade relationships outside the U.S., like with the EU, Latin America, and Asia. He wants more green tech jobs in Canada and better support for Canadian businesses.

van Koeverden (Liberal) agreed Canada should trade more within the country. He said doing that could boost the economy by $200 billion. Tesser Derksen called this a “golden opportunity” to be more self-reliant.

Zach (PPC) said retaliating with tariffs hurts Canadians because it makes prices go up. He wants fair trade with the U.S. and less government control over the economy.

Shahbaz Khan (Independent) said Canada needs a “Canada First” plan to protect local industries and trade more globally. He criticized both Liberals and Conservatives, saying voters deserve someone who works for the people — not political parties.

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