On February 5, 2026, the federal government tabled Bill C-20, the Build Canada Homes Act. For those of us who have been watching this new agency form, this is a significant moment. It means Build Canada Homes (BCH) is now becoming an independent and legislated crown corporation. That matters. It also means we need to be clear-eyed about what this legislation does and does not do.

The short answer: Bill C-20 is an enabling framework. It creates the legal structure for BCH to exist as a Crown corporation. What it does not do is tell us is how BCH will operate in specific detail. And that is precisely where our advocacy work needs to focus.

 

What the legislation actually does

Bill C-20 formally establishes Build Canada Homes as a Crown corporation with a stated purpose: to promote, support and develop the supply of affordable housing in Canada, and to promote innovative and efficient building techniques in the housing construction sector.

The legislation sets out a governance structure (a board of nine to 11 directors, a Chairperson, and a CEO); provides BCH with broad legal powers to invest, develop, lend, guarantee loans, and partner with other governments and entities; and authorizes the Minister of Finance to flow funding to BCH's operations. It also contains provisions that would allow for Build Canada Homes to absorb parts of or the entirety of Canada Lands Company which has been operating under BCH.

What the legislation does not do is specify how BCH will deploy these powers.

That’s not necessarily a criticism. Framework legislation is supposed to create the conditions for an agency to operate. The operational details, investment priorities, and program design are meant to follow. But those details are not written down yet, which is exactly why this moment is so important for our sector.

 

The scale of what we actually need

Before we talk about what BCH needs to do, it helps to understand the scale of the problem. CHRA's own research, I’ll Have a Double-double, Please, makes the case clearly: Canada's non-market community housing sector currently sits at roughly 4.54% of total housing stock. That is well below the OECD average. The widely shared goal of doubling the sector would require us to reach approximately 1.5 million non-market homes.

That is an enormous undertaking. It will require not just funding, but a fundamental rethinking of how we design, deliver, and finance community housing in this country. Build Canada Homes needs to be built with that ambition in mind.

 

What we need to see from Build Canada Homes

The legislation will give BCH the clear authority to act. Now we need BCH to use that authority in the right ways. Here is what CHRA is calling for:

• Clear, outcomes-based targets. BCH must adopt explicit, measurable goals for non-market housing production. How many non-market homes per year? At what levels of affordability?
• A strong commitment to non-market community housing. The government's own language has said BCH will focus "primarily" on non-market housing. That commitment needs to be operationalized. It should be reflected in how BCH allocates funding and financing, how it structures partnerships, and how it measures success.
• A clear path for For-Indigenous, By-Indigenous (FIBI) urban, rural, and northern (URN) housing providers. This is a gap that has persisted through too many federal housing initiatives. Indigenous housing providers in urban, rural, and northern communities have proven they can deliver culturally safe, effective, and efficient housing. BCH should dedicate resources to FIBI housing in URN contexts.

 

The work ahead

Bill C-20 is now in Parliament. Its passage will formally establish BCH as a legal entity with real resources. But the legislation itself is only the beginning of the conversation.

The decisions that matter most for our sector will be made in the months ahead.

CHRA will be engaged at every step of this process. We will be pushing for the targets, the commitments, and the structural design choices that make BCH work for the non-market community housing sector.

In the meantime, keep an eye on our social media channels and make sure you are subscribed to our Flash newsletter for updates as this story continues to develop.