Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser said the green belt issue was not "specifically addressed" during his meeting with the Prime Minister and his regional counterpart on Thursday, but his focus on addressing the housing crisis would be on density - not sprawl.

Fraser told CP24 this morning, "We did not specifically address the controversy that has been in the news, but my focus now on the federal support that we want to put in place is not driven by creating more sprawling cities, but to try to intensify and build livable communities."

Just one day earlier, Ontario Housing Minister Steve Clark rejected calls for his resignation after a scathing report found he violated ethics rules when land was removed from the green belt; instead, Clark said, "I'm sorry that we did not do a better job."

While Fraser did not criticize the province, he repeatedly emphasized that his approach to housing aims to build up, not out - a sharp contrast to the province's plan to build 50,000 homes on green belt land.

Fraser explained, "My point of view is that we should focus on growing cities in a way that intensifies and provides housing close to our existing services, noting that people have different perspectives on that."

In response, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's office said the government's policies include increasing density in both new and existing neighborhoods, pointing to the legislation that allows for three units to be built on most residential properties.

Fraser added that the support the federal government would put on the table would aim to stimulate building where transit stations, amenities, and services already exist, rather than in sprawling cities.

He continued, "Regarding the different approach the province is taking, they can do what they will within the jurisdiction of the province, but in terms of putting support on the table, the driving force will be to build more livable communities and intensify communities."

Environment Minister Steven Gilbeault had sharper words to share about swapping green belt land for Ford's government in the past, opposing a plan to remove 7,400 acres from the green belt and replace it with about 9,400 acres elsewhere, and publicly rejected the possibility of intervention, calling it a "sham" while speaking to CP24 in May.

At that time, Gilbeault said, "I strongly disagree with the Prime Minister Ford's description when it comes to the green belt."

Speaking to CP24 on Friday, Fraser said he would leave green belt development plans in the hands of the province, emphasizing that "there is plenty of common ground to work with," stating, "I will leave it to the provincial government to deal with any disagreements they may have on any given day; there is no doubt that one day there will be federal disagreements that everyone expects to deal with myself."