Trudeau’s pre-budget announcements aim to win back younger voters
Polls find more Millennials backing Tories
• The Trudeau government began a series of pre-budget announcements Wednesday targeting Millennials and Gen Z voters in a bid to attract two generations that have largely abandoned the Liberal party.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an announcement in Vancouver, while other ministers made similar announcements in Toronto and Montreal about new programs that will be included in next month’s budget. Wednesday’s announcement included $15 million to go to Legal Aid organizations across the country to help those organizations provide more services to renters dealing with “renovictions” or other issues with their landlord.
The Liberals are also promising to create a renter’s bill of rights, working with provinces that would require landlords to disclose previous rents and create a nationwide standard lease. Those changes will depend on provincial co-operation because rental accommodations are within provincial jurisdiction.
The government is also pledging to work with banks and credit bureaus to ensure regular on-time rent payments become part of a person’s credit history.
The prime minister said these generations are key to Canada’s economic future and they need help to join the middle class for the betterment of the country.
“You make up the largest share of our working age population. You work hard. You’re creating, inventing and developing incredible things that are building the future of Canada. You hustle. You are the heartbeat of the economy,” he said.
Trudeau said the changes they announced would help people make the transition from renting to owning by building up their credit score. He said it’s important that young people get credit for the work they do in the economy.
“What we’re focused on now is making sure that young people can see their success in the economy, can see that their hard work is going to build a stable, better life for them."
A source speaking on background because they were not authorized to speak publicly said this was the beginning of several announcements in the weeks leading up to the April 16 budget designed to help Millennial and Gen Z voters.
Since coming to office in 2015, the Liberals have increased the Canada Child Benefit and increased Old Age Security benefits, lowering poverty levels among both seniors and children, according to Statistics Canada.
The source said the government now intends to focus on Gen Z and Millennials, who they believe are facing significant challenges.
“Our renewed focus is on getting younger Canadians, Gen Z and Millennials, who are facing unfair burdens, to access what they deserve — a good middle class life. That means housing, affordability, and jobs and growth,” the source said.
Millennial voters were crucial to Trudeau’s first victory in 2015, but polling now shows they have largely moved to supporting Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing released on Wednesday showed single-family housing starts were down 20 per cent over the last year, while apartment and condominium unit construction climbed seven per cent.
Despite that increase in new unit construction, vacancy rates are low at 1.5 per cent nationally and rents are climbing.
David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, a polling company that has done extensive research in younger voters, said it makes sense for the Liberals to try to get Millennials and Gen Z voters back, because they can’t hold onto power any other way.
“I don’t think there’s any math that gets them anywhere close to winning government again, unless they see turnout and vote share among those two generations, so I think they’ve got to try.”
Coletto’s latest data shows 46 per cent of Gen Z voters are still willing to consider voting Liberal, while 39 per cent of millennials are open to voting for them, but most of both groups are now backing the Conservatives.
He said concentrating on housing and affordability issues is the right approach to get these voters back, but Coletto said many have already turned on the government.
“The things that I’m seeing in the data of why younger Canadians have sort of soured on Mr. Trudeau and the Liberals is because they feel they haven’t delivered on the promises they made.”
Coletto said younger voters are also not watching nightly newscasts or reading newspapers where Trudeau’s new announcements will be broadcast. He said they are incredibly difficult to reach and that will be a major challenge.
“The question I have is how are you going to make sure that an under 30-yearold, a 24-year-old in Canada even knows you’re doing this?”