Carney touts modular homes while Freeland promises to repatriate doctors from U.S.

OTTAWA — Rival Liberal leadership candidates Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland issued duelling policy pledges on Thursday, with one candidate vowing to speeding up home building and the other promising to bring doctors back to Canada.

Carney said he plans to incentivize prefabricated and modular homes to help tackle the housing affordability crisis, since they reduce the cost, building time and amount of construction waste for new homes.

“We have a huge problem with affordability. If we can strip out 25 per cent of the cost of homes, it’s going to make it easier for young Canadian families to get those homes,” he said, after visiting the University of British Columbia’s Smart Structures Lab in Vancouver. “This is a time to build. It’s directly relevant to the tariff response to the United States.”

But Carney did not comment on any of the specifics of what those incentives would entail, pledging no specific amount of funding or tax credits.

Just around the same time on Thursday, Freeland’s campaign released a plan to woo back Canadian doctors and nurses who left to take up practice in the U.S. through subsidizing their medical school loans.

The former finance minister’s plan outlines that if President Donald Trump moves ahead with his tariff threats, she will offer signing and retention bonuses if they return home to Canada, something she promises would “dramatically boost Canada’s health care workforce.”

The plan would offer doctors $200,000 and nurses $100,000 after five years. Ottawa would pay off a portion of U.S. student loans they have as well: $300,000 for each returning doctor and $50,000 for each nurse. Loans transferred to Canada would be made interest free.

Karina Gould, Ruby Dhalla and Frank Baylis are also vying to become the next leader on March 9.

All the candidates will soon be turning to preparations for the two upcoming French and English debates in Montreal.

The Liberal party said it will not accommodate Dhalla’s request for a translator at the upcoming French debate on Feb. 24.

Party spokesperson Parker Lund said only the candidates and the moderator will be allowed on the debate stage and no translation will be provided.

Dhalla said in a recent interview that her campaign planned to ask this week for a translator because she is not fluent in the language.

But she plans to attend either way and will make opening and closing statements in French.

Dhalla on Thursday that she remains dedicated to learning French, which would be her fifth language.

“As leader, I will always champion a Canada where every citizen, regardless of language, is included in the conversation about our future,” she said in a statement. “While I acknowledge the Liberal party’s decision, I see this as an opportunity to demonstrate my commitment to representing all Canadians.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2025.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press