This year's Housing on the Hill Day and the Summit on Housing and the Canadian Economy sent one powerful message from two directions: housing is not a side issue in Canada's economic future. It is the foundation.

At the Summit, economists and leaders from across the Canadian economy made the connection impossible to ignore. Households stretched thin are more exposed to economic shocks and less able to invest in themselves, their communities, and their futures. The private market cannot close that gap on its own, because it is not financially feasible to build new homes at low or even moderate rents.

Community housing is how we close it. A 2023 Deloitte report commissioned by CHRA found that increasing the supply of community housing raises economic productivity by 6% to 9%. Bringing Canada's community housing to the OECD average would add between $67 billion and $136 billion to GDP. If we want a stronger, more resilient country, we must tackle the housing crisis head on.

That energy carried straight into Housing on the Hill Day, which may have been our biggest yet, with potentially more Housers on Parliament Hill than ever before. CHRA members walked into meetings with a clear, focused set of asks to put non-market community housing front and centre in the next National Housing Strategy.

First, the Strategy must include a target to more than double the share of non-market housing, from 4.4% to 9%. That means adding more than 780,000 homes over the next decade. Second, Build Canada Homes must be fit for purpose. The Parliamentary Budget Officer projects it will deliver only about 26,000 units in its first five years, so it must be built to deliver the affordable, non-market housing the private market will not. Third, the Strategy must enshrine a for-Indigenous, by-Indigenous approach to urban, rural, and northern Indigenous housing, backed by stable, multi-year funding.

We also heard directly from decision makers across the political spectrum and in different parts of government in all day workshops and presentations. They told us what they believe it will take to grow community housing and how best to engage them. Those conversations were candid and valuable, and they will shape how we work in the months ahead.

Now we look ahead, and the clock is ticking. In the next few weeks, the federal government will announce the 2026 Federal Budget; this is the moment to show Canadians where it stands. We need a clear direction on the government's vision for the future of community housing and the next National Housing Strategy, not vague commitments, but a real plan with real ambition.

The timing could not be more important. The current Strategy ends in March 2028, and a renewed version is expected soon. This is not a routine program renewal. It is a rare chance to set the objectives that will define Canada's housing system for the next decade.

Thank you to every member who came to Ottawa and made the case. The momentum is real. Let's use it.