With Mark Carney’s government now established, Carleton University students have specific asks from the Liberal government as federal policy decisions roll in.
Many Canadians marked their ballots during the April 28 election with tariff threats from across the border at the top of mind. Other key national issues included cost of living, housing and foreign policy.
The Charlatan spoke to Carleton community members to hear what students and professors hope to see from the federal government.
Second-year public affairs and policy management student Anshul Kumar, a member of the Carleton Young Liberals hopes Carney commits to his promise to tackle inflation and improve the cost of living.
“I really hope he does what he says and focuses on the economy,” Kumar said. “I hope inflation doesn’t go up again.”
Second-year political science student Semih Yilmaz hopes to see the new government improve the Online Harms Act, designed to prohibit harmful online content in Canada.
He said he is concerned about what he calls the vague definition of harmful online content and its potential to infringe on freedom of expression in Canada.
“I like the idea of it, but I don’t like how it’s executed,” said Yilmaz. “If they can make it a way that specifically determines what harmful content means, I think I would agree with it.”
Isabel Malseed, a third-year journalism and law student, said she hopes federal parties will work together to enact tangible change, given the minority government’s split of electoral seats.
“I would like to see us working together instead of all the constant division and just all the constant bickering back and forth,” said Malseed. “I’m sick of all the arguing. Work together to create policies that are going to help.”
Malseed said she hopes to see improvements to issues like the housing crisis and United States tariffs, but also to see Canada provide more to aid Gaza, commending the recent joint statement from Canada, the United Kingdom and France.
“I want to be able to own a house, I want to be able to raise kids and I would like to do that in a Canada that recognizes climate change and a Canada that doesn’t support a genocide,” Malseed said.
Support for Palestine is also of importance for Maheeshan Sivanesan, a fourth-year computer science student.
“I want to see the Carney government impose a two-way arms embargo,” Sivanesan said.
Ian Lee, a professor in Carleton’s Sprott School of Business, said he hopes to see the Carney government tackle the housing crisis by building more housing on the edge of cities.
“That’s what we’ve done for 2000 years… [cities] keep growing on the edges, as cities everywhere have grown forever,” Lee said, citing London, Rome and Paris as examples.
“If we want to support immigration – which I do, then we have to acknowledge we’re gonna have to build more houses for immigrants, and we need to build them on the edges because that’s where housing is cheaper,” Lee said. “Saying we’re going to build lots of affordable housing in the downtown is bogus and dishonest because the downtown land and urban core is really expensive.”
Lee said he doesn’t believe Carney’s plan to create a Crown corporation to build housing will be effective.
“[The government doesn’t] have the expertise, they don’t have the capital, they don’t have the money,” Lee said. “It’s always been decentralized.”
“But I’m sure [Carney] will run into that problem quickly and pivot and create a policy framework that will incentivize and encourage private developers to build the damn houses.”
Featured image via Flickr
