What they promised.
A verified civic ledger of Canadian affordability.
What happened instead.
Pledges on the trail. Prices at the till.
Last verified 14 May 2026Canadian grocery prices over the 2019 baseline
Annual gap between homes Canada needs and homes Canada is building
National average gasoline after the April 2026 federal fuel excise tax suspension
Average hourly wage growth, year on year, March 2026
Each line of the receipt.
Every pair sets a public pledge against a verified primary-source figure. Read down the column. The gap is the record. Tap any line for a shareable receipt.
500,000 new homes a year
Carney's Liberals campaigned on doubling the rate of housing construction and building 500,000 new homes a year, alongside Build Canada Homes as a federal developer of affordable housing on public lands.
Source: Liberal Party of Canada, Building Canada Strong housing plan
~245,000 to 250,000 a year, current trajectory
CMHC analysis sets the supply Canada actually needs at 430,000 to 480,000 homes a year through to 2035 to restore 2019 affordability. The current business-as-usual build rate sits at 245,000 to 250,000 a year. The shortfall is roughly 200,000 homes a year.
500,000 new homes a year
Carney's Liberals campaigned on doubling the rate of housing construction and building 500,000 new homes a year, alongside Build Canada Homes as a federal developer of affordable housing on public lands.
Source: Liberal Party of Canada, Building Canada Strong housing plan
~245,000 to 250,000 a year, current trajectory
CMHC analysis sets the supply Canada actually needs at 430,000 to 480,000 homes a year through to 2035 to restore 2019 affordability. The current business-as-usual build rate sits at 245,000 to 250,000 a year. The shortfall is roughly 200,000 homes a year.
Consumer carbon tax removed, fuel excise paused for the summer
In his first act as Prime Minister on 14 March 2025, Carney directed the federal consumer carbon price to zero, effective 1 April 2025. On 14 April 2026, the federal government suspended the federal fuel excise tax on gasoline and diesel from 20 April through 7 September 2026.
Source: Department of Finance Canada and Prime Minister of Canada
National average gasoline fell from 198¢/L to 169.1¢/L
National average gasoline reached 198¢/L in mid-April 2026 before falling to 169.1¢/L after the federal fuel excise tax suspension took effect. The suspension cuts 10 cents per litre on regular gasoline and 4 cents per litre on diesel, delivering an estimated $2.4 billion in total tax relief through 7 September 2026.
Source: Natural Resources Canada, Transportation fuel prices and Prime Minister of Canada
Consumer carbon tax removed, fuel excise paused for the summer
In his first act as Prime Minister on 14 March 2025, Carney directed the federal consumer carbon price to zero, effective 1 April 2025. On 14 April 2026, the federal government suspended the federal fuel excise tax on gasoline and diesel from 20 April through 7 September 2026.
Source: Department of Finance Canada and Prime Minister of Canada
National average gasoline fell from 198¢/L to 169.1¢/L
National average gasoline reached 198¢/L in mid-April 2026 before falling to 169.1¢/L after the federal fuel excise tax suspension took effect. The suspension cuts 10 cents per litre on regular gasoline and 4 cents per litre on diesel, delivering an estimated $2.4 billion in total tax relief through 7 September 2026.
Source: Natural Resources Canada, Transportation fuel prices and Prime Minister of Canada
A relentless focus on affordability at the till
The Liberal platform committed to affordability as the central economic agenda, with grocery-price relief and competition reform framed as immediate Government priorities through 2025 and into 2026.
Food at stores rose 4.4 per cent year on year in March 2026
Statistics Canada reports prices for food purchased from stores rose 4.4 per cent on a yearly basis in March 2026, after a 4.1 per cent annual rise in February. Fresh vegetable prices jumped 7.8 per cent year on year over the same period. Canadian grocery prices are now over 30 per cent higher than they were in 2019, and Canada's food inflation rate is the highest among the G7.
A relentless focus on affordability at the till
The Liberal platform committed to affordability as the central economic agenda, with grocery-price relief and competition reform framed as immediate Government priorities through 2025 and into 2026.
Food at stores rose 4.4 per cent year on year in March 2026
Statistics Canada reports prices for food purchased from stores rose 4.4 per cent on a yearly basis in March 2026, after a 4.1 per cent annual rise in February. Fresh vegetable prices jumped 7.8 per cent year on year over the same period. Canadian grocery prices are now over 30 per cent higher than they were in 2019, and Canada's food inflation rate is the highest among the G7.
Middle-class tax cut, saving dual-income families up to $825 a year
The Liberals pledged a one percentage point cut to the lowest marginal personal income tax rate, from 15 per cent to 14 per cent, effective 1 July 2025. Dual-income families save up to $825 a year. Approximately 22 million Canadians benefit from the measure.
Source: Prime Minister of Canada and Liberal Party of Canada, Our Plan
Real wages outpace inflation for the third consecutive year
Average hourly wages climbed 4.7 per cent year on year to $37.73 in March 2026. Real wage growth has now outpaced inflation for more than three years. GDP inflation is expected to average 2.8 per cent in 2026 and 1.8 per cent in 2027.
Source: Bank of Canada and Spring Economic Update 2026
Middle-class tax cut, saving dual-income families up to $825 a year
The Liberals pledged a one percentage point cut to the lowest marginal personal income tax rate, from 15 per cent to 14 per cent, effective 1 July 2025. Dual-income families save up to $825 a year. Approximately 22 million Canadians benefit from the measure.
Source: Prime Minister of Canada and Liberal Party of Canada, Our Plan
Real wages outpace inflation for the third consecutive year
Average hourly wages climbed 4.7 per cent year on year to $37.73 in March 2026. Real wage growth has now outpaced inflation for more than three years. GDP inflation is expected to average 2.8 per cent in 2026 and 1.8 per cent in 2027.
Source: Bank of Canada and Spring Economic Update 2026
A sharp reset of intake levels to ease pressure on services and housing
The 2026 to 2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets permanent resident admissions at 380,000 a year through 2028. Targets for new temporary residents fall to 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in 2027 and 2028. The Government commits to reducing Canada's temporary population to under 5 per cent of total population by end of 2027.
A 100,000-person cut to permanent residents from the 2024 peak
Permanent resident admissions are set at 380,000 in 2026, down from 395,000 in 2025 and approximately 485,000 in 2024. The economic-class share rises to 64 per cent in 2027 and 2028. Up to 33,000 temporary workers will transition to permanent residency in 2026 and 2027 under accelerated pathways.
A sharp reset of intake levels to ease pressure on services and housing
The 2026 to 2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets permanent resident admissions at 380,000 a year through 2028. Targets for new temporary residents fall to 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in 2027 and 2028. The Government commits to reducing Canada's temporary population to under 5 per cent of total population by end of 2027.
A 100,000-person cut to permanent residents from the 2024 peak
Permanent resident admissions are set at 380,000 in 2026, down from 395,000 in 2025 and approximately 485,000 in 2024. The economic-class share rises to 64 per cent in 2027 and 2028. Up to 33,000 temporary workers will transition to permanent residency in 2026 and 2027 under accelerated pathways.
Goods and Services Tax removed for new homes up to one million dollars
Carney pledged to remove the GST on newly built homes up to $1 million for first-time buyers, and reduce the GST on new builds priced between $1 million and $1.5 million. Federal funding to cut municipal development charges in half at a cost of $1.5 billion a year over four years.
Source: Liberal Party of Canada, Building Canada Strong housing plan
$130 billion in new measures over four years, adding $225 billion to federal debt
The Liberal costed platform projects $130 billion in new measures over four years, with the broader fiscal footprint adding $225 billion to federal debt. Build Canada Homes is operational and disbursing under the National Housing Strategy, with $76.13 billion committed under the strategy as of December 2025.
Source: CBC News on the Liberal costed platform and CMHC
Goods and Services Tax removed for new homes up to one million dollars
Carney pledged to remove the GST on newly built homes up to $1 million for first-time buyers, and reduce the GST on new builds priced between $1 million and $1.5 million. Federal funding to cut municipal development charges in half at a cost of $1.5 billion a year over four years.
Source: Liberal Party of Canada, Building Canada Strong housing plan
$130 billion in new measures over four years, adding $225 billion to federal debt
The Liberal costed platform projects $130 billion in new measures over four years, with the broader fiscal footprint adding $225 billion to federal debt. Build Canada Homes is operational and disbursing under the National Housing Strategy, with $76.13 billion committed under the strategy as of December 2025.
Source: CBC News on the Liberal costed platform and CMHC
The annual housing gap between pledged builds and CMHC starts.
Canadian grocery prices, StatCan CPI food index.
Permanent residents removed from the 2024–2026 levels plan.
Every figure sourced and traceable on the receipts above.
Six paired commitments tracked. Every figure above is timestamped, sourced and attributable to a primary record. Here is who made the pledges.
Mark Carney was sworn in as Prime Minister on 14 March 2025, having succeeded Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader. The Liberals secured 169 seats in the 28 April 2025 federal election with 43.8 per cent of the vote. On 13 April 2026, three byelection wins (Scarborough Southwest, University-Rosedale, and Terrebonne, where the 2025 result had been annulled by the Supreme Court of Canada) lifted the Liberals to 174 seats in the 343-seat House of Commons. This makes the Carney government the first federal government in Canadian history to switch from a minority to a majority between elections. Affordability has been the Government's signature framing throughout.
Sources: CBC News: Carney clinches majority government; UK House of Commons Library: Canada 2025 federal election.
Sourced to primary records. Always.
Every figure on CostsOfCanada.com is logged to a primary source. Statistics Canada for prices and wages. CMHC for housing supply. Natural Resources Canada for fuel. IRCC for immigration. Department of Finance Canada for tax. The Prime Minister's Office and Liberal Party of Canada for pledges. Where standards diverge or methodology is contested, the page surfaces the contest rather than smoothing it.
StatCan, CMHC, NRCan, IRCC and the Bank of Canada are the canonical sources before any commentary.
Government commitments are quoted from the published platform and ministerial statements.
The property holds whoever is in government accountable on a defined affordability moment. It does not endorse parties or candidates.