441-02164 (Social affairs and equality)

The Government of Canada thanks the petitioners for sharing their concerns about access to a safe, affordable place to call home.

The Government of Canada believes that all people living in Canada should have access to safe and affordable housing. Launched in 2017, the National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, more than $82-billion plan to give more people living in Canada a place to call home. The NHS is Canada’s largest and most ambitious federal housing program in history and consists of complementary programs and initiatives that aim to address needs across the housing continuum, prioritizing populations most in need.  

The NHS sets ambitious targets to ensure that unprecedented investments and new programming deliver results. By 2028, it will help create over 160,000 new housing units and repair another 300,000, reduce or eliminate housing need for 530,000 households, and protect 385,000 households from losing an affordable place to live. The Government of Canada is making substantial progress toward NHS 2027/28 targets and is considered on track.  

The NHS is anchored in the National Housing Strategy Act (NHS Act), which requires the Government of Canada to develop and maintain a national housing strategy with a long-term vision for housing that focuses on improving housing outcomes for those in greatest need. The NHS Act also requires the NHS to take into account the key principles of a human rights-based approach to housing, including the principles of non-discrimination, inclusion, participation, and accountability.

The NHS prioritizes the needs of the most vulnerable, including women and children fleeing situations of domestic violence; racialized persons; seniors; Indigenous peoples; persons with disabilities; those dealing with mental health and addiction issues; veterans; and young adults. It promotes diverse communities, supports the creation of housing that is sustainable, accessible, mixed-income, and mixed-use, and located close to transit, work, and public services. 

Housing affordability is generally understood from a household’s perspective based on the proportion of?income going toward their housing costs. People experiencing homelessness, renters, homebuyers, and existing homeowners all face different and complex housing affordability challenges. Affordability requirements of federal housing programs depend on who the program aims to support, and the housing affordability outcomes the program aims to achieve (e.g. programs to create deeply affordable housing for vulnerable Canadians have different requirements from programs aiming to increase rental housing supply). Similarly, the minimum duration of affordability varies by program. Proponents approved for funding must adhere to minimum requirements and are required to report to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) during the construction of their projects and throughout the affordability period to ensure they are respecting the terms of their agreements. 

Supporting and growing community housing in Canada is a priority under the NHS. The $4.3 billion Canada Community Housing Initiative is helping to protect and build community-based housing for 330,000 households across the country and another 50,000 units created through an expansion of community housing. The Government of Canada is also providing $618 million over 10 years under the Federal Community Housing Initiative, which protects tenants and stabilizes the operations of more than 55,000 units in federally administered community housing projects. Moreover, non-profits and co-ops are eligible to apply for funding under NHS supply initiatives. 

The 2023 Fall Economic Statement announced an investment of $309.3 million in new funding for the Co-operative Housing Development Program, which was announced in Budget 2022. In collaboration with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada and other co-op housing partners, CMHC is working to launch the co-developed program in early 2024. Additionally, the 2023 Fall Economic Statement announced that co-operative housing corporations that provide long-term rental accommodation would also be eligible for the removal of the GST on new rental housing.

Strong partnerships with municipalities, provinces, and territories are essential to increasing housing supply and implementing longer-term solutions for housing affordability. Local governments play an important role in creating the conditions to remove systemic barriers to housing supply in their jurisdiction. The $4-billion Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) is designed to drive transformational change within the sphere of control of the local government regarding land use planning and development approvals with the overall objective to accelerate housing supply. The program will provide funding to local governments to implement lasting initiatives that reduce barriers to housing supply and development approvals, and over the long run, make housing more affordable to Canadians. The HAF is helping to fast track 107,000 additional homes over the next three years, and unlock over 750,000 new homes for Canadians over the next decade. 

Real Estate Income Trusts are among various players in the rental market. CMHC actively monitors market conditions and works with federal partners to ensure appropriate macro-prudential policies are in place. The Government of Canada also takes seriously the negative impacts that private ownership of residential properties can have on rents and housing prices.

In terms of regulating foreign investment in residential real estate, on January 1, 2023, the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act came into force preventing non-Canadians from buying residential property in Canada for two years (certain exceptions apply).

Rest assured our government is working to ensure that everyone living in Canada has a safe and affordable place to call home by expanding Canada’s housing supply and continuing to advance our investments in affordable housing.