Canada is in the midst of a deepening affordable housing crisis. Forty percent of Canadian renter households are paying unaffordable rents, spending nearly a third or more of their income on housing. Increases in average housing costs continue to outpace increases in the average income for renter households – a dire situation that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Having safe, adequate, and affordable housing will be essential throughout the remainder of the pandemic and is critical for the post-pandemic recovery.
Housing is a major concern for the majority of Canadian voters in this upcoming federal election. The Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA) and the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO) have come together to present a summary of eight housing policy priorities of each major party’s platform. By knowing the housing priorities and policy proposals of each party, voters can be more informed when they head to the polls on September 20, 2021.
See the party platforms in full:
Liberal Party | Conservative Party | New Democratic Party | Green Party
The right to housing
Canada has an obligation under international law to use the maximum of its available resources to realize the right to housing for all. The National Housing Strategy Act – Canada’s current housing policy that was passed into law in 2019 – acknowledges this obligation and commits the government to progressively realize this right over time.
LIBERAL PARTY
- Maintain the commitment to implement the right to housing within the National Housing Strategy Act
- Appoint a Federal Housing Advocate within the first 100 days
CONSERVATIVE PARTY
- No explicit mention of the right to housing
NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
- Fully implement the right to housing as a key way to tackle poverty.
GREEN PARTY
- Immediately appoint a Federal Housing Advocate, as established in the National Housing Strategy Act
Indigenous housing
A legacy of colonization and ongoing systemic racism have contributed to significant housing challenges for Indigenous communities. Indigenous peoples make up 4.3% of the population in Canada, but represent between 28-34% of the homeless population, and 20% of Indigenous households are in core housing need. Indigenous communities and housing advocates have repeatedly called for national Indigenous housing strategies to be created by and for Indigenous people.
LIBERAL PARTY
- Co-develop an Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy with Indigenous communities as a companion to the National Housing Strategy, with a $300 million initial investment
- Invest an additional $2 billion in Indigenous housing for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Nations
- Work with Indigenous partners to create a National Indigenous Housing Centre which Indigenous peoples will oversee once fully realized
- Support the establishment of Indigenous-led institutions in housing and infrastructure that assist First Nations with their infrastructure needs
CONSERVATIVE PARTY
- Co-develop a Housing Strategy with Indigenous communities
- Implement a Northern Housing Strategy built on providing the territories with their fair share of federal housing funding
NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
- Co-develop a National Indigenous Housing Strategy with Indigenous communities within the first 100 days in office
- Tackle the mould crisis affecting Indigenous homes and provide support to ensure homes are safe and healthy
- Provide resources to ensure Indigenous communities are greener and more energy efficient
- Co-develop an Arctic Policy Framework that addresses the housing deficit in Northern Inuit communities
- Pursue government-to-government negotiations on issues including housing
GREEN PARTY
- Co-develop an Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy with Indigenous communities
- Change the legislation that prevents Indigenous organizations from accessing financing through CMHC to invest in self-determined housing needs
- Allocate funding towards urban Indigenous housing providers
- Ensure that all housing in Indigenous communities is built following principles laid out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
- Leverage federal lands and real property for transfer to off-reserve Indigenous organizations to create housing and economic development opportunities
- Assist urban and rural Indigenous people in identifying emergency accommodations and affordable housing options for youth, Elders, 2SLGBTQQIA+, and vulnerable populations
- Establish a “For Indigenous, By Indigenous” housing support program for all off-reserve and urban Indigenous communities, and include off-reserve Status and non-Status Indigenous Peoples
The supply of housing
Canada has a major shortage of affordable housing, especially for lower to middle income households. A wider variety of affordable options are required to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population. Policy solutions that increase housing choices are essential, especially to build affordable purpose-built rentals, non-profit housing, and co-operative housing.
LIBERAL PARTY
- Build, preserve and/or revitalize 1.4 million homes over 4 years, which includes 20,000 new affordable rental units, and 130,000 units revitalized
- Give cities the tools to speed up housing construction through the $4 billion Housing Accelerator Fund: target of 100,000 new middle-class homes by 2024-25
- Work with municipalities to identify vacant or underused property and to create a fast-track system to enable faster conversion to housing
- Invest in e-permitting technology to speed up the time it takes to build more homes and help communities streamline the planning process
- Double funding to the National Housing Co-Investment Fund to $2.7 billion over 4 years
- Double funding to $600 million to convert empty office and retail space into market-based housing
- Implement a new Multigenerational Home Renovation tax credit for families wishing to add a secondary unit to their home
CONSERVATIVE PARTY
- Build 1 million homes over 3 years
- Build public transit infrastructure that connects homes and jobs
- Require municipalities receiving federal funding for public transit to increase density near the funded transit
- Review the federal government’s real estate portfolio and release 15% for housing while improving the Federal Lands Initiative
- Encourage investment in rental housing by extending the ability to defer capital gains tax when selling a rental property and reinvesting in rental housing
- Explore conversion of unneeded office space to housing
- Incentivize corporations and private landowners to donate property to Land Trusts for affordable housing
- Encourage foreign investment in purpose-built affordable rental housing
NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
- Build at least 500,000 affordable housing units consisting of social, community and non-market housing in the next 10 years
- Set up fast-start funds to streamline the application process for new housing projects
- Waive federal portion of GST/HST on the construction of new affordable rental units
- Work with Indigenous communities to implement a co-developed, fully-funded Indigenous National Housing Strategy within the first 100 days in office
- Mobilize federal resources and lands to turn unused and under-used properties into housing
GREEN PARTY
- Build 50,000 supportive housing units over 10 years
- Build and acquire at least 300,000 units of deeply affordable non-market, co-operative and non-profit housing over 10 years
- Expand the Rapid Housing Initiative to quickly build new affordable and supportive housing
- Restore tax incentives for building purpose-built rental housing, and provide tax credits for gifts of lands, or of land and buildings, to community land trusts to provide affordable housing
- Remove the “deemed” GST whenever a developer with empty condo units places them on the market as rentals
- Refocus the core mandate of CMHC to support the development of affordable, non-market and cooperative housing
- Require that all federally-funded housing developments dedicate 30% of units for deeply affordable housing and/or for people with disabilities and special needs
- Allocate 1% of GST to housing and other municipal infrastructure on an ongoing basis to provide a consistent baseline of funding
- Redefine affordable housing using a better, updated formula, that accounts for regional variations across the country
- Develop a strategy to face housing challenges in rural areas
The financialization of housing
The ‘financialization of housing’ is the rising trend of treating a home primarily as an investment that generates wealth rather than a place to live. Institutional investors now own nearly 20% of the country’s purpose-built rental apartment stock, and their profit-maximizing business model is one of the main reasons behind the loss of affordable rental housing across Canada.
LIBERAL PARTY
- Establish a federal Beneficial Ownership Registry for residential property
- Ban foreign investors from buying homes in Canada for the next two years
- Strengthen federal oversight of the housing market by establishing the Canada Financial Crimes Agency
- Establish an anti-flipping tax on residential properties, requiring properties to be held for at least 12 months
- Extend the upcoming tax on foreign-owned vacant, underused housing to include foreign-owned vacant land within large urban areas
- Work with provinces and municipalities to better regulate the role of foreign buyers in the housing market
- Review the tax treatment of large corporate owners of residential properties such as Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
CONSERVATIVE PARTY
- Establish a federal Beneficial Ownership Registry for residential property
- Ban foreign investors from buying homes in Canada for the next two years
- Implement changes to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act
- Give FINTRAC, law enforcement, and prosecutors the tools necessary to identify, halt and prosecute money-laundering in Canadian real estate markets
- Examine findings and recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in BC and implement recommendations at the federal level
- Review the down payment requirements for investment properties
- Introduce policies to curb excessive profits while protecting small landlords
NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
- Establish a federal Beneficial Ownership Registry for residential properties
- Implement a 20% Foreign Buyers tax on the sale of homes to people who are neither Canadian citizens nor permanent residents
GREEN PARTY
- Close tax haven loopholes that allow foreign investors to hide the names of beneficial owners of properties in Canada
- Introduce a vacancy tax for foreign and corporate residential property owners
- Assess the role of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
- Crack down on money laundering in Canadian real estate
The preservation of affordable housing
Over the past 15 years, affordable housing units have been lost without enough units being built to replace them. Policy options that could help retain the supply of affordable housing include implementing rent control and making investments in maintenance and capital repairs to ensure these units remain in good condition. Addressing the backlog of repairs to social housing units is also needed, and could be a more affordable option than creating new affordable units.
LIBERAL PARTY
- Deter unfair rent increases that fall outside of a normal change in rent
- Require landlords to disclose (on their tax filing) the rent they receive pre- and post-renovation, and implement a proportional surtax if the increase in rent is excessive
CONSERVATIVE PARTY
- Encourage investment in rental housing by extending the ability to defer capital gains tax when selling a rental property and reinvesting in rental housing
NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
- No explicit mention of preservation of affordable housing
GREEN PARTY
- Create national standards to establish rent and vacancy controls
- Provide funds to non-profit and co-operative organizations to purchase buildings for affordable housing
- Create a Canada Co-op Housing Strategy and update the mechanisms for financing co-op housing, in partnership with CMHC, co-op societies, credit unions and other lenders
- Require covenants to ensure that subsidized construction remains affordable over the long term
- Provide financing to non-profit housing organizations, cooperatives, and social housing to build and restore quality and affordable housing
Financial supports
It is estimated that a quarter of a million households were unable to pay their rent in 2020 alone, with many facing the threat of eviction from their homes. While some direct financial support has been available to help commercial tenants stay afloat, resources like rent relief have not been provided to support residential renters directly.
LIBERAL PARTY*
- Maintain the Canada Housing Benefit agreements with every province and territory, totalling $4 billion in cost-matched funding
- Double the Home Accessibility Tax Credit to $20,000 per household
- Establish an expert panel to provide recommendations for establishing an Aging at Home Benefit
CONSERVATIVE PARTY*
- Amend the Home Accessibility Tax Credit by increasing the limit from $10,000 per household to $10,000 per person
- Allow seniors, their caregivers and their children to claim the Medical Expense Tax Credit for homecare instead of only allowing them to claim attendant care if they live in a group home
- Introduce the Canada Seniors Care Benefit, paying $200 per month per household to any Canadian who is living with and taking care of a parent over the age of 70
NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
- Provide rental support to families
- Develop national standards for home-care and long term care in collaboration with provinces and territories, with funding tied to meeting those standards
GREEN PARTY
- Implement a retroactive arrears assistance program for residential renters at risk of eviction due to accumulated rent arrears
- Amend the Home Accessibility Tax Credit from $10,000 per household to $10,000 per person
- Provide a dedicated Seniors’ Care Transfer to provinces and territories for specific improvements to private homes, community and long-term care homes
- Increase the proportion of long-term care investment in community and home-based care from 13% to 35%
* No mention of direct rent relief to tenants
Homelessness
An estimated 35,000 people experience homelessness in Canada on any given night, and the number of people experiencing ‘hidden homelessness’ is estimated to be at least double that figure. Indigenous people, youth, women, people living with disabilities, and racialized communities all face unique challenges with homelessness.
LIBERAL PARTY
- Invest an additional $567 million in efforts to end chronic homelessness
- Invest in Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy to support communities across the country
CONSERVATIVE PARTY
- Implement a “Housing First” approach to support people experiencing homelessness and addictions
NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
- Fully implement the right to housing to end homelessness, a key component to tackle poverty
- Implement a “Housing First” approach to support people experiencing homelessness and addiction
- Help provinces and municipalities to fast-track the purchase, lease and conversion of hotels and motels for emergency housing relief
GREEN PARTY
- Provide expanded mental health services for people experiencing homelessness community
- Implement a “Housing First” approach to support people experiencing homelessness and addiction
- Provide grants to existing youth shelters and create new youth shelters with no maximum stay limits, and with on-site and remote access guidance counselling and therapy for youth experiencing homelessnesss
- Support and invest in the cooperative model for youth housing
- Maintain a moratorium on evictions until the pandemic is over and for a reasonable time thereafter, in cooperation with provincial governments
Homeownership
Homeownership is increasingly out of reach for people across Canada, and it is no longer only an issue in and around major urban centres like Vancouver and Toronto. According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, across Canada the average price of a home increased by more than 30% between July 2019 to July 2021. Low mortgage rates, low housing supply, money laundering and the financialization of housing are some of the major factors contributing to soaring prices.
LIBERAL PARTY
- Invest $1 billion in loans and grants to develop and scale up rent-to-own projects
- Introduce a tax-free First Home Savings Account for Canadians under 40
- Make the First Time Home Buyer Incentive more flexible and double the First-Time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit
- Reduce the price charged by CMHC on mortgage insurance by 25%
- Increase the insured mortgage cut-off to $1.25 million and index this to inflation
- Create a national Home Buyers’ Bill of Rights
- Convene federal and provincial regulators to develop a national action plan to increase consumer protection and transparency in real estate transactions
CONSERVATIVE PARTY
- Encourage seven-to-ten year mortgages to provide stability both for first-time home buyers and lenders
- Reduce the need for mortgage stress tests
- Remove the requirement to conduct a stress test when a homeowner renews a mortgage with another lender
- Increase the limit on eligibility for mortgage-insurance and index it to home price inflation, allowing those in high-priced real estate markets with less than a 20% down-payment an opportunity at homeownership
- Fix the mortgage stress test to stop discriminating against small business owners, contractors and other non-permanent employees including casual workers
NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
- Introduce 30-year terms to CMHC-insured mortgages on entry level homes for first time buyers
- Double the First-Time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit
- Provide resources to facilitate co-housing as a model of co-ownership and ease access to financing by offering CMHC-backed co-ownership mortgages
GREEN PARTY
- There is no explicit reference to homeownership