The House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) met to study Bill C-20, an act to establish Build Canada Homes, and to conduct clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-222. Witnesses appearing for the study of Bill C-20 included Alexi White, Mike Moffatt, Suzanne Faiza, Dr. Carolyn Whitzman, Raymond Sullivan, and Tony Irwin, along with departmental officials Benoit Cadieux and Magalie Brochu.
Alexi White, from Maytree, argued that the housing crisis requires a nation-building approach and that Build Canada Homes (BCH) should use government-owned land to build non-market rental housing, with the government retaining ownership of the assets to avoid depleting the treasury. He recommended that the legislation be amended to explicitly include the progressive realization of the right to housing as a central part of BCH’s mandate, and suggested starting with military bases to demonstrate scale.
Mike Moffatt, of the Missing Middle Initiative, welcomed the HST and development charge reforms but expressed significant concerns about BCH’s lack of clear goals, targets, key performance indicators, and transparency regarding the types and sizes of units to be built. He warned that the current design catalogue may not produce enough family-sized homes with four or more bedrooms, and urged the government to provide greater transparency and ensure units meet the needs of larger and multi-generational families.
Suzanne Faiza, from Tapestry Community Capital, explained that community bonds allow everyday Canadians to finance affordable housing projects and that BCH’s clause 20 gives it the power, but not the direction, to invest in such instruments. She asked for an amendment to explicitly name community bonds and community finance intermediaries as eligible investments, and for a ministerial directive to ensure BCH’s financing can stack cleanly alongside community bonds.
Dr. Carolyn Whitzman, appearing as an individual, recommended that Bill C-20 be amended to specify that BCH’s purpose is to promote “non-market” housing and that a standard definition of affordable housing—spending less than 30% of pre-tax income on housing and energy costs—be adopted. She argued that non-market housing is more likely to remain affordable over time and that BCH should prioritize it, while also calling for consistent income bands across federal programs and a renewed national housing strategy.
Raymond Sullivan, of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, stressed that BCH’s legislation should explicitly mandate a focus on non-market community housing and require the corporation to publish clear targets and results for different income bands. He noted that without such targets, non-profit developers lack the predictability needed to plan long-term projects, and he emphasized that BCH must operate within an updated national housing strategy.
Tony Irwin, from Rental Housing Canada, said BCH has significant potential to bridge financing gaps for deeply affordable, community-led housing, and he praised its focus on using federal land and partnerships. He recommended that CMHC’s role be clarified to focus on enabling private rental supply while BCH focuses on social and community housing, and that CMHC programs like MLI Select be modernized to support financial viability and timely delivery.
During the clause-by-clause study of Bill C-222, the chair ruled that several government amendments (G-1 through G-8) were inadmissible as they required a royal recommendation or were dependent on such amendments; those were withdrawn or not moved. Amendments G-9, G-10, and G-11 were moved and adopted, extending bereavement leave under the Canada Labour Code to 10 weeks, adding transitional provisions, and setting a coming-into-force date no later than six months after royal assent. Clauses 4 and 5 of the bill were negatived on division after the sponsor explained they were redundant and could create unintended risks. The bill as amended was adopted on division, with members from all parties expressing support and urging swift passage and royal assent.
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