Mr. Speaker, working families across Canada are struggling. Half of all Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque. The cost of essentials is climbing, and our economy is on the verge of recession. Unemployment is at its highest level in a decade, with young people hit hardest. One in six youth is out of work, with many more underemployed.
At the same time, Donald Trump's trade war continues to hurt Canadian workers and undermine our economic stability. Instead of putting forward real solutions, the Liberal government is planning an austerity budget. The Liberals want to cut services Canadians rely on and the good jobs that go with them, all to meet an arbitrary 15% target that puts neo-liberal ideology over common sense. They want to vastly increase military spending on things like Donald Trump's golden dome and expand fossil fuel infrastructure to the U.S. instead of investing in the productive and sustainable sectors that Canada needs for a prosperous future.
We think that is the wrong approach. New Democrats believe that now is the time for investment, in our communities, in our businesses, in our workforce and in our infrastructure. We believe that Canadians need bold action to strengthen our economy, create good jobs, build affordable homes and improve our public health care system. That means supporting technology and research, getting more value from our raw resources, developing sustainable industries and building infrastructure that improves people's lives, with Canadian labour, Canadian materials and Canadian companies.
Canada has an infrastructure deficit approaching $300 billion. There is no shortage of excellent projects that we can all agree are much-needed, things like modern and clean electricity grids, efficient public transit systems, community health care clinics and quality long-term care centres. Let us join together and start to construct these nation-building projects.
We are painfully aware that Canada has a severe housing crisis. Rents have more than doubled since 2015. Home ownership is out of the question for far too many Canadians. This crisis stems from decades of policy failure. It is clear that the private market cannot adequately meet the needs of low- and middle-income earners, yet only 3.5% of Canada's housing stock is non-market, far below the OECD average of 7%.
A secure, affordable home is the foundation of every Canadian's ability to function well in our society. New Democrats believe that the federal government has a critical role to play in ensuring that everyone has a decent place to call home. That is why it must take the lead in dramatically scaling up the construction of non-market housing of all types, including co-op, student, senior and supportive housing. It needs to start now, in the upcoming budget.
Canadians are also acutely aware that our public health care system is under serious strain. Millions of folks do not have a family doctor, wait times are growing and health care workers are burning out. Public health care is more than a service. It is a nation-building project. It is the heart of our national identity because it reflects our shared commitment to care for one another.
This is more than just a moral imperative. It is also an economic one. A healthy economy needs healthy workers. It is time to strengthen and expand our public health care system, not maintain the status quo. That means improving access to care, delivering universal public pharmacare and supporting our Canadian dental care plan.
Will the Liberals deliver a budget that invests in people, or will they choose austerity, service cuts and job losses instead?