Thank you very much.
Chair and members of the committee, thank you so much for the invitation to appear today.
As mentioned, I am here to speak on behalf of Habitat for Humanity Canada and our 44 local Habitats across this country serving in communities large, small and in the north. I'm also here to speak on behalf of the families we serve—and the families we could serve in the future—by providing them with access to affordable home ownership.
Across the country, too many households are being priced out of stable, suitable housing. There are options for them, and affordable home ownership should be one of them. We are all facing increasing construction costs, financing and systemic barriers, and uncertainty over the flow of federal housing investments over time. We see, every day, the impact of affordable home ownership and other forms of stable housing—the stability it creates for families, the freeing-up of rental supply and the way it helps communities remain inclusive and resilient.
Today we have three recommendations to bring forward to this committee that build on those you heard about from my colleague.
Our first recommendation is to build on the success we've seen so far with the establishment of Build Canada Homes. It could provide clearer targets and outcome metrics for the non-market housing sector. We really see Build Canada Homes as an important step. We see so much potential for it to play a meaningful role in increasing the affordable housing supply. However, the sector does need clarity on how success will be measured, what affordability outcomes are expected and how we, as a sector, will be part of delivery. Clear targets and transparent reporting would strengthen its mandate and help us plan our projects with confidence. These targets should click in, effectively, with the elements of my next recommendation and that of Habitat for Humanity.
Our second recommendation is that budget 2026 lay the groundwork for the next national housing strategy, with a 10-year framework that starts imminently, as soon as possible, co-created with the affordable housing sector, including a dedicated affordable home ownership pillar. A robust path forward would address the real uncertainty we are facing right now, with projects stalling in the pipeline for this year alone. This comes from the additional sunsetting of existing national housing strategy programs. These long-term frameworks will provide the certainty we need to assemble land, build the partnerships we need to deliver, and scale our delivery over time, while ensuring that support for non-market and the broader community housing sector does not erode.
Finally, our third recommendation is that budget 2026 continue to advance the examination of tax and financial levers that would reduce the cost of delivering affordable housing. Federal action on financing, risk sharing and de-risking some of the investments that are needed in the sector, and additional tax measures—building on the success of the GST exemption—would help us make a difference in terms of achieving project viability. This could include looking at measures that de-risk projects for non-market builders and at existing tools in other organizations, such as the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Apply those to BCH's work with the non-market housing sector. This would allow us to bring more projects to construction. If we want more affordable homes built, we need to keep moving forward to address the underlying structural barriers that slow delivery.
All of these elements, smartly assembled, would allow us to go further as a sector.
In closing—I will keep it brief today—Habitat for Humanity Canada believes that budget 2026 could help strengthen Canada's housing system by pairing ambition with clarity, as well as with long-term certainty and practical delivery tools. We are asking the federal government to give the non-market sector a clearer path to scale, including for affordable home ownership, through measurable targets for BCH, a long-term housing strategy with sustained funding and additional levers to lower the cost of building and providing more affordable homes.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to appear today. I look forward to any questions.