I can see believing that if you're only familiar with Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. You might find it surprising to hear that there are many other vibrant urban areas in Canada that have jobs without the absurd housing costs.
Moreover, if you take the time to drill into the actual numbers, you'll find housing affordability is about average relative to historical figures (in terms of percentage income spent on housing) in most urban areas, with the exception of a few major centers (Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto) that are pulling up the national average:
http://www.rbc.com/economics/economic-reports/pdf/canadian-h...
While it does vary by region, according to this we are at a 20 year high nation wide. I guess it all depends on which propoganda you read.
http://business.financialpost.com/real-estate/rbc-says-housi...
"Home affordability in Canada worst in almost 30 years, Toronto’s worst ever, says RBC"