Introduction: A Defining Moment for Canada
Canada has reached a pivotal juncture. With the results of the 2025 federal election now final and Prime Minister Mark Carney’s leadership confirmed, the nation stands poised to face one of its most pressing modern-day challenges: the housing crisis. The message from voters was clear and unwavering—Canadians are tired of the broken housing game, where affordability is a distant dream and homelessness is a growing fear.
As the dust settles on this historic election, it’s not just political victory that demands attention but the expectations of millions of Canadians who are hoping, if not demanding, change. And now, the Housing Canada Coalition—an alliance of leading national organizations across the housing spectrum—is stepping forward with a bold 10-point plan to lead that change, standing ready to partner with all levels of government to ensure safe, secure, and affordable homes for all Canadians.
The State of Housing in Canada: A National Crisis
Housing affordability has morphed from an urban inconvenience to a national emergency. Across the country, citizens are experiencing a rental crunch, runaway home prices, lack of affordable units, and increasing homelessness. The crisis has only deepened over the past decade due to a lack of cohesive strategy, slow municipal approvals, underinvestment in social housing, and rising construction costs.
In recent months, these pressures have been exacerbated by new U.S. trade tensions and tariffs, further driving up the price of building materials and heightening consumer anxiety. A recent Abacus poll found that 53% of Canadians—representing over 22 million people—fear losing their homes or becoming homeless due to the economic ripple effects of these tensions. Additionally, nearly 80% are concerned that tariff-driven price increases will derail the construction of new housing units altogether.
Canadians are no longer just uncomfortable—they are worried, anxious, and ready for real, actionable change.
The Political Climate: Voters Demand Real Solutions
The 2025 federal election was dominated by a handful of major issues: healthcare, climate change, the economy, and, perhaps most prominently, housing affordability. Canadians across party lines demanded that political leaders step up with credible solutions. The Housing Canada Coalition took note of this collective urgency and applauded the fact that all major political parties incorporated elements of their 10-point plan into their platforms.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s winning platform included several promising commitments:
The construction of more affordable housing
Reduction of municipal development barriers
Elimination of the GST for first-time buyers on homes under $1 million
Retention and expansion of purpose-built rental housing
Investment in innovative housing solutions such as modular and prefabricated homes
While these policies indicate progress, the Coalition has emphasized that critical gaps still exist—particularly in support for homelessness reduction and Indigenous housing solutions in urban, rural, and northern communities.
The Housing Canada Coalition: A Unified Voice for Action
The Housing Canada Coalition is not just a lobby group—it is a partnership of national powerhouses across the housing sector. This includes:
Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH)
Habitat for Humanity Canada
Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA)
Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA)
Together, these organizations represent decades of experience, a vast network of housing professionals and advocates, and the moral authority to lead this moment of reckoning.
The coalition believes that a “Team Canada” approach is essential—one where all orders of government, civil society, and private sector actors work together, side-by-side, to build a resilient, fair, and affordable housing system.
The 10-Point Plan: A Blueprint for Bold, Practical Solutions
The coalition’s 10-point plan outlines both immediate actions and longer-term strategies to overhaul Canada’s housing landscape. Although the full roadmap includes technical and policy-level specifics, here are the key themes:
Scale Up Housing Supply Nationwide
Significantly increase the pace of new housing development, particularly affordable units.Invest in Social and Non-Market Housing
Restore and grow the stock of co-op, public, and non-profit housing options.End Homelessness Through Prevention and Housing First Models
Fund proven models that address root causes—not symptoms—of homelessness.Support Indigenous Housing Strategies
Empower Indigenous organizations to lead their own housing development and homelessness responses.Modernize Zoning and Approval Processes
Cut red tape at the municipal level to speed up housing approvals and reduce costs.Promote Housing Innovation
Support research and implementation of modular, prefabricated, and green housing technologies.Strengthen Renters’ Rights and Protections
Introduce measures to stabilize rent and protect tenants from unfair evictions.Create a National Housing Data Strategy
Build a centralized data system to track housing trends and identify local needs.Align Federal Investment with Measurable Outcomes
Tie government funding to results—such as units built, people housed, or affordability benchmarks.Foster Public-Private Partnerships
Leverage the capabilities of the private sector alongside government and nonprofits to scale up impact.
Trade Tensions and Economic Pressures: A Storm Brewing
The U.S.-Canada trade tensions represent a unique and urgent challenge for housing in Canada. Tariffs on raw materials like steel, aluminum, and lumber have significantly inflated construction costs. Developers are hesitating to begin projects, citing financial uncertainty. Meanwhile, the costs are being passed along to consumers, creating additional strain on already stretched household budgets.
These economic conditions have serious implications:
Fewer new housing starts
Higher rent and mortgage rates
Job losses in the construction sector
Delayed or canceled affordable housing projects
Prime Minister Carney’s administration will need to navigate these geopolitical and economic currents with care, ensuring that housing remains a top domestic priority, even amid international uncertainty.
Homelessness: A National Emergency Demanding Urgency
The rise of homelessness, especially visible unsheltered homelessness in major cities, is one of the most tragic and pressing symptoms of the housing crisis. The Coalition stresses that homelessness is not a result of poor personal choices—it is a systems failure.
Criminalization approaches only push people further into poverty and vulnerability. Instead, the solution must be housing-first: provide stable housing with supportive services to address health, addiction, employment, and family reunification.
The federal government has a moral and political responsibility to treat homelessness as an emergency requiring both short-term interventions and long-term prevention strategies.
Indigenous Housing: The Forgotten Front
Canada’s Indigenous population continues to face severe housing disparities. In many communities—especially in rural and northern regions—homes are overcrowded, in disrepair, or entirely unavailable. Urban Indigenous people face unique barriers, often disconnected from both mainstream housing systems and culturally appropriate support.
The Coalition argues that real reconciliation must include housing. It calls for:
Dedicated funding streams for Indigenous-led housing initiatives
Recognition of Indigenous jurisdiction and self-determination
Long-term investments rather than short-term programs
Canadians Want Change—Now
Polling data paints a stark picture: Canadians are no longer willing to tolerate the broken housing system. The Housing Canada Coalition’s findings from Abacus Data show:
53% of Canadians are worried about becoming homeless due to trade-related economic shocks
63% fear they may be unable to pay rent or mortgage in the coming year
78% believe rising costs from tariffs will prevent new homes from being built
The public doesn’t just want promises—they want action, transparency, and measurable outcomes.
The Path Ahead: Partnership, Courage, and National Will
There is no single actor who can solve Canada’s housing crisis alone. Municipalities control land use. Provinces oversee housing services. The federal government holds the purse strings. The private sector brings capital. Nonprofits bring on-the-ground experience. Indigenous organizations carry the wisdom of their communities.
The Housing Canada Coalition is calling for all hands on deck. Their message is simple but powerful: It’s time to end the housing game. Permanently.
Conclusion: From Crisis to Opportunity
With a new government, a renewed national focus, and a clear coalition roadmap in hand, Canada is at a rare moment of opportunity. The country can choose to be bold—or risk further descent into inequality, instability, and despair.
If Prime Minister Mark Carney is serious about nation-building, then the legacy of his government may well be judged not by GDP numbers or trade deals but by whether every Canadian has a place to call home.
The Housing Canada Coalition has set the stage. Now, it’s time for Canada to act.
