Unpublished Opinions

Yasir Naqvi

Ottawa, Ontario

About the author

Yasir Naqvi is running for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party in 2023. A first generation Canadian, Yasir’s family arrived in Canada in 1988 after the Pakistani government imprisoned his father for leading a pro-democracy march. With an upbringing deeply rooted in the values of democracy, social justice and compassion, Yasir feels it is important to be involved in the community and give back. Yasir’s passion to serve his community resulted in being elected MPP in October 2007 and re-elected in 2011 and 2014. In 2013 he was appointed Minister of Labour where he raised the minimum wage, brought forward new protections for vulnerable workers and improved workplace safety measures. In 2014 he was appointed Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services and Government House Leader. As the MPP of a diverse, urban riding, Yasir has been a tireless advocate for public services and sustainable community growth. Working closely with the community, Yasir helped secure funding to build the Hintonburg Hub, an integrated health and social service centre in our community. He also worked to secure funding for the Innovation Centre at Bayview Yards, a new Broadview Public School and an expanded Carleton University library. Yasir is recognized by his peers as a strong community leader and involved resident of Ottawa Centre. He has sat on the Board of Directors of the Centretown Community Health Centre for four years and he has been the Co-Chair of the Capital Food Bank Blitz since 2005. Yasir is the proud father of Rafi Naqvi and husband to Christine McMillan.

Yasir Naqvi releases his Housing plan for Ontario

August 17, 2023

Yasir Naqvi, leadership candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party--2023

OTTAWA, ON - August 17, 2023 Housing affordability is the worst it has been in over 30 years. Premier Doug Ford made big promises about millions of homes, but affordability has only gotten worse under his watch. Just another way FordNation is breaking the promise of Ontario.

We need to build more homes of all kinds, faster, so that you and your family can get ahead. We also need housing to be more affordable so that people like you can live and prosper, and so we can attract and retain the workers Ontario needs to grow our economy and compete with the world.

We also need to work together to end chronic homelessness, because the promise of Ontario is not real when tens of thousands of Ontarians don’t have a safe place to call home. “We know there are real, practical solutions to these big challenges. But Ford hasn’t focused on you. Instead, he’s helped his friends get ahead with sweetheart deals to develop the Greenbelt and roll back rent control ,” said Yasir Naqvi, Ontario Liberal Party leadership candidate.

“The Auditor General found Ford’s developer friends stand to gain as much as $8.3 billion off Greenbelt deals, when people like you are struggling to afford a home.” “Premier Ford is more focused on enriching his friends and shortchanging cities of the cash they need than helping you afford a home.

His plans put the burden of development on local taxpayers, while the price of homes gets more and more expensive,” Naqvi said. “It is unacceptable that we have allowed the housing crunch to become a crisis. Years of inaction have gotten us into this mess and it’s going to take changing the status quo to make housing more affordable for everyone in Ontario.”

A Yasir-led government would implement all of the recommendations of the Housing Affordability Task Force, and build on its measures with three practical, Liberal solutions to improve housing affordability.

Please read the full press release and backgrounder in the PDF below >