Some Nova Scotia municipal leaders are defending a funding stream the federal Conservatives say they will cut if elected, calling it a "game changer."

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre has said the $4.4-billion Housing Accelerator Fund from the Liberal government has been costly to administer and doesn't do enough to create new housing units.

About $1 billion of the fund has been spent already in deals to more than 170 municipalities and First Nations across Canada that commit to reducin…