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Much ink has been spilled about the affordability crisis affecting Canadians in every province, but our politicians seem disinterested or completely powerless to address it.

Rents are spiraling out of control in Canada's major cities. In Alberta, the government is continuing its “Alberta is Calling” campaign, including a conditional $5,000 tax credit for those who answer the call – Calgary, Edmonton and surrounding areas are facing huge rent increases, leaving more Albertans without options. Not a single government news release, statement or Prime Minister's weekly radio show shows any support for landlords at risk of losing their homes.

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Of course, this pattern continues in provinces where governments have introduced some form of rent control — both the Greater Toronto Area and Vancouver are seeing one-bedroom rents exceed $3,000 a month — and there's no easy answer to government intervention.

But at the same time, no one in Canada seems to be looking for him.

During the daily question-and-answer period, the Conservatives were quick to point out that housing costs have nearly doubled since the Trudeau government was elected. What they don't offer, however, are concrete solutions to help Canadians who are currently facing skyrocketing costs.

In municipalities, we've seen a rush to approve density, seeking more apartment towers, multiplexes and townhouses, shifting zoning to fast-track approvals in the belief of “densification.” However, if past trends are to be believed, these new units, offered as a relief to landlords during the crisis, may be priced at a fixed rate, offering little hope to those already struggling.

This makes owning a home for the expensive middle class a completely extinct idea.

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Housing isn't the only area where middle-class affordability is the collective shoulder of politicians. Canadians face the highest phone bills in the world brought by telecom oligopolies, comfortably insulated and protected by legislation that restricts foreign competition and stifles domestic newcomers with staggering anti-competitive price barriers. (The Trudeau government claims phone bills are down 50 percent, though anyone who pays a monthly bill knows that's a fluke.)

Despite some political virtue signaling and false anger from politicians, there is not a single meaningful conversation in Canada about changing the free use of the Canadian market from Rogers, Telus or Bell. Good luck with your next break, folks.

Airlines are no different, as flights to Vegas, Puerto Vallarta, Miami and other foreign destinations are often cheaper than flights across Canada. (Apologies to my family in Toronto, but for $700, I'd choose sunny beaches over the murky depths of Lake Ontario.)

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Then we have the sacred cow of supply management, a taboo subject in the halls of power. The Canadian market is force-fed cheese and milk to international competitors with insane tariff barriers, forcing producers to dump countless gallons of milk to keep prices artificially high. Eggs and poultry are equally protected, both have more than doubled in price in my lifetime.

This is not an exhaustive list of the problems facing the middle class, but it covers the national response of politicians to this crisis: nothing at all, nada, zilch, zero.

How can the political class be so out of touch? Why can't leaders cross partisan lines and hear the cries of the suffocating Canadian middle class? Who will do something about the broken market that is destroying Canadians while protecting responsible entities?

I don't recommend holding your breath waiting for an answer.

Harrison Fleming was previously the Deputy Director of Governmental Communications for the Government of Alberta and a spokesperson for former Premier Jason Kenney.

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