As Canada heads into a federal election, voters will be weighing many critical issues, from economic stability to healthcare to affordability. One issue touches all of these areas: housing. Whether you rent or own, whether you live in a city, a small town, or in the North, housing has never been more of a national concern. This election offers a pivotal opportunity to ensure that community housing - the foundation of a fair and resilient housing system - is at the top of the national agenda.

 

Canada’s housing crisis demands bold action

Over the past decade, the housing crisis has deepened, with rising rents, a lack of affordable homes, and growing homelessness affecting communities across the country. According to Statistics Canada, 22% of households were in core housing need in 2022, with nearly 246,000 families on waiting lists for affordable housing. Meanwhile, home prices in cities like Toronto and Vancouver remain out of reach for middle class families, and rural and Indigenous communities face their own unique barriers to securing adequate housing.

Housing is more than just shelter - it’s economic infrastructure. Our Economic Study, authored by Deloitte, found that doubling the share of community housing in Canada would boost GDP by $67 to $136 billion annually and improve economic productivity by up to 9.3%. Housing is a key driver of economic resilience, job creation, and social stability. But to build a stronger, more inclusive housing system, we need bold leadership from the next federal government.

 

The Housing Canada Plan: A blueprint for resilience

CHRA, with our partners at the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, the Canadian Real Estate Association, and Habitat for Humanity Canada, has put forward Housing Canada: A Sovereign Plan to Protect Canadians and Build a Resilient Housing System, which lays out concrete steps the next government must take to ensure every Canadian has access to an affordable home.

In the face of new economic and geopolitical threats, CHRA and a coalition of national housing organizations including the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH), Habitat for Humanity Canada (HHC), and the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), have come together to put forward a plan to ensure that every Canadian has a safe, decent, and affordable home in this time of economic need.

The Plan has ten key recommendations:

1. Creating an immediate housing safety net to protect Canadians from the impacts of an economic shock.
2. Protecting renters from falling into homelessness.
3. Doubling the share of community housing.
4. Ensuring access to the land and infrastructure needed to build communities.
5. Creating resilient housing material supply chains that can withstanding tariffs and trade barriers.
6. Developing a housing skills agenda for Canada that equips our workforce.
7. Reforming taxes to facilitate homebuilding.
8. Streamlining permissions to facilitate homebuilding.
9. Accelerating innovation to build faster, less expensive, and better homes.
10. Rapidly Expand Indigenous Urban, Rural and Northern (URN) Housing to meet the housing needs of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples and communities.

These measures are not only necessary – they are achievable. Canadians overwhelmingly support them. A recent Abacus Data poll found that 73% of Canadians believe community housing can help solve the housing crisis, and 61% say expanding it should be a top government priority.

 

The time for action is now

Canada’s housing crisis won’t fix itself. The next federal government will have a choice: continue with piecemeal solutions or take the decisive action needed to build a fairer and more resilient housing system. This election is our opportunity to demand better policies, stronger commitments, and a national strategy that prioritizes safe, affordable housing for all.

It is time for us as a housing sector to demand better. It is time for us demand action. Let’s make a fair, just and resilient housing system a ballot-box issue.

See our federal election page for more information and resources to help you make your voice heard.