A critical moment for housing deserves a critical mass on the Hill.

Housing on the Hill Day is back on Thursday, September 24, and the timing could not matter more. CHRA's annual advocacy day brings community housing leaders face-to-face with Parliamentarians to push for real solutions to Canada's housing crisis, and this year, we're walking into those meetings at exactly the moment the federal government is deciding what comes next.

 

What’s so important about this year?

The federal government is currently in the process of shaping the next National Housing Strategy, and the fall federal budget will follow close behind. Decisions being made right now will set the direction of Canada's housing system for years to come.

The window to influence these decisions is now, not after the ink is dry. Housing on the Hill Day is our chance to walk directly into the offices of MPs and Senators and make sure community housing isn't an afterthought in these conversations, it's central to them. If our sector isn't at the table while these decisions are being made, we risk being left to react and adapt to a strategy we had no hand in shaping.

 

What to expect

Housing on the Hill Day facilitates direct meetings between housing professionals and Parliamentarians on the issues that matter most to the social and non-profit housing sector alongside a full day of programming, including sessions featuring opposition housing critics.

Housing on the Hill isn't just meetings. It's also a key opportunity for housing leaders from across the country to be in the same room. That makes it one of the best networking opportunities for our sector. You'll compare notes with peers facing the same challenges and policy questions you are, trade ideas with people doing this work in communities very different from your own, and build the relationships that make our collective voice louder the next time we need to speak with one government.

 

Check out the Summit on Housing and the Canadian Economy

This year also brings something new. The day before Housing on the Hill, CHRA is co-hosting the Summit on Housing and the Canadian Economy with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Taking place on Wednesday, September 23, the Summit brings together leaders from across housing, the Canadian economy, economists, municipalities, industry leaders, and health experts, to explore the connections between housing affordability and economic productivity, labour supply, and prosperity.

 

The bottom line

With the National Housing Strategy being reshaped and a federal budget on the horizon, 2026 is not the year to sit this one out. The decisions being made over the coming months will determine whether community housing gets the priority it needs; we need your participation to ensure that decision-makers hear us loud and clear.

Learn more and register for Housing on the Hill 2026.