Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities met to study Bill C-20, an act respecting the establishment of Build Canada Homes. Witnesses appearing were Tim Ross, Chief Executive Officer of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada; Catherine Lussier, Coordinator of the Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain; Richard Lyall, President of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario; David Wilkes, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Building Industry and Land Development Association; Scott Andison, Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Home Builders' Association; and Sean Baird, President and Chief Executive Officer of Toronto Community Housing Corporation.

Tim Ross said Build Canada Homes is a rare opportunity to scale up non-market housing like co-ops, which are proven and community-driven. He recommended investing now in shovel-ready co-op projects with long-term predictable funding, advancing indigenous-led housing with a "for indigenous, by indigenous" mandate, and making rental assistance a core pillar of national policy, as thousands of households face the expiry of federal rental assistance in months. He noted the co-op housing development program has been successful but its pipeline is at risk as funding runs out, and he stressed that Build Canada Homes must coordinate with other federal entities and not add red tape.

Catherine Lussier said Build Canada Homes must enshrine the right to housing in its mission and recognize social and community housing as a pillar for achieving immediate affordability. She argued that affordability must be defined based on tenant household income, not market rents, to meet the needs of low-income households, and warned that reliance on private investors and complex financial arrangements risks making housing unaffordable and unsustainable. She recommended adequate public subsidies to build housing that is immediately affordable and to preserve long-term affordability.

Richard Lyall said the private sector builds 90% of housing and that systemic improvements are needed, as taxes, fees and levies now account for 35% to 40% of the cost of a new home in Ontario and British Columbia. He said Build Canada Homes can play a role in driving modernization and digitization of procedures, but that implementation and modelling of results against targets are critical. He noted that while he would not have created another organization to do a job existing ones should have done, if this is what it takes to get alignment between levels of government, then it should be done.

David Wilkes said Build Canada Homes must support the full spectrum of housing, including market ownership, rental and mixed tenure, and enable a portfolio approach that blends market and affordable homes to ensure viability of large-scale communities. He welcomed recent federal announcements on HST rebates and development charge reductions but stressed that predictability and certainty on costs and approval timelines are essential, as delays add significant costs. He said the HST rebate has created urgency and increased sales centre traffic, and that a conversation is needed on how to maintain that relief.

Scott Andison said the path forward is for government to enable builders, not substitute them, by establishing clear, consistent and predictable rules, as builders have the expertise to deliver. He identified the biggest barriers as lengthy municipal approvals, high infrastructure costs and a loss of skilled trades labour due to the downturn, noting that 30% to 35% of the cost of a new home in Ontario is government fees and taxes. He said government can help by providing land at lower cost, investing in shovel-ready infrastructure and stopping taxing homes like a luxury item.

Sean Baird gave unreserved support for Bill C-20, saying Build Canada Homes should be capitalized with additional funding, preserve a stream of direct funding for public housing, and fund capital renewal of existing public housing. He argued that public housing is productive infrastructure that returns investment many times over through increased GDP, taxation revenue and health care savings, and that it anchors domestic supply chains, citing $105 million in Canadian aluminum and wood products procured by Toronto Community Housing in the last five years. He said the focus on non-market housing will help build the type of housing no one else will, and that mixed-income communities are self-funding from an economic perspective.

The committee heard questions from members on the need for predictability, the role of the private sector, the definition of affordability, and the importance of non-market housing. No procedural debate, motions or votes occurred during this portion of the meeting.