An Action Plan to Build a Housing Safety Net & Fix the Housing Crisis
Canada is in a housing crisis. America’s trade war against Canada only makes the situation more acute and urgent, creating new economic turmoil that could push more of us out of jobs and homes and towards unsuitable housing and homelessness.
In the face of these new threats, the Housing Canada Coalition has come together to put forward a plan that ensures every Canadian has a safe, decent, and affordable home.
Together, we propose 10 key ideas that can help Canada address the challenges ahead of us—from immediate measures to protect Canadians, to medium and long-term measures that will build a more resilient housing system that works for everyone.
We have a critical moment right now to create the safety net Canada needs to prevent a wave of new homelessness while building a stronger housing system that can withstand the threats ahead.
To protect Canadians from homelessness and to build a resilient housing system, we need to:
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Create an immediate housing safety net to protect Canadians from the impacts of labour market disruptions and an economic downturn.
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Protect renters from falling into homelessness.
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Double the share of community housing, including affordable home ownership.
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Ensure access to the land and infrastructure needed to build.
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Create resilient housing material supply chains that can withstand tariffs and trade barriers.
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Develop a housing skills agenda that equips Canada’s workforce.
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Reform taxes to facilitate home building.
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Streamline permissions to accelerate home building.
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Accelerate innovation to more quickly build less expensive and better homes.
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Rapidly expand Indigenous urban, rural, and northern housing to meet the housing needs of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples and communities.
