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VAUGHAN, Ont. — Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper continued his bid for the middle class electorate on Tuesday, declaring home ownership “one of the most unmistakable marks of economic success” and vowing to increase the number of Canadian homeowners by 700,000 by 2020.

The end goal, according to the Conservative Party, is to push Canada’s homeownership rate to 72.5 per cent, up from 66 per cent in 2001, and 69.0 per cent in 2011.

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Appearing at a half-built housing development in this Toronto suburb, Harper re-announced a set of tax incentives and other measures aimed at helping first time buyers into the market, and named the new target of 700,000.

With construction workers in hard hats and safety vests behind him, Harper said buying a home is “more than anything, a statement of optimism, a sign of commitment to your community, of faith in your country, of hope for our future.”

Some economists say the Conservative housing platform — which includes a permanent home renovation tax credit, among other measures — has the potential to inflame already overheated housing markets in Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area.