The federal government is rethinking restrictions on non-citizens’ acquisitions of Canadian homes, Housing Minister Gregor Robertson said, hoping to find a way to get foreign capital to fund construction. (Bloomberg)

Talking point: Canada sharply limited outside purchases of housing in 2023 in the belief that people who lived elsewhere were outbidding Canadians for homes they often didn’t even plan to live in and contributing to skyrocketing prices (which were also fed by COVID-19-related interest rates and lifestyle changes). Now average home prices have fallen and although more housing is being built, governments are falling short of their construction targets. Robertson said he’s interested in the Australian system, where foreign investment is channelled to new construction and existing housing is hard for foreigners to buy.