Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of Bill C-227, an act to establish a national strategy on housing for young Canadians, introduced by the member for Sackville—Bedford—Preston.
I represent Spadina—Harbourfront, one of the most densely populated ridings in the country and one of the youngest. In fact, I want to thank my youth council, which is meeting for the first time this evening back in the riding.
According to the 2021 census, 94% of homes in my riding are in buildings with five or more storeys. Our median age is just 32 years old, nearly a decade younger than the national average. Over the past few decades, Spadina—Harbourfront has been transformed with rapid growth, bringing thousands of young people to live, work, play and build their futures in the heart of our city. We have reshaped the Toronto skyline, bringing more people closer to jobs, transit and community. We have created opportunities for young people to live near where they work, study and build their lives.
This growth has not come without pressures, but it offers important lessons for the national housing conversation we have been having over the past several years. One of these lessons is the vital role that non-market housing, particularly co-operative housing, plays in keeping communities livable and inclusive, especially for young and low-income households. Co-operatives like Harbour Channel Housing Co-operative and Arcadia Housing Co-op, in my riding of Spadina—Harbourfront, are thriving waterfront communities, where residents share governance, build strong neighbour-to-neighbour support systems and access stable, below-market housing in one of the most expensive areas of our country.
These homes have allowed families, seniors, newcomers and young people to remain in the downtown core for decades. They stand as powerful examples of the type of housing enabled by legislation such as this. The fact that these communities are still thriving today is not accidental. It is the result of deliberate public investment and long-term thinking.
The challenge we now face is not a lack of what works, but a failure to scale it for a new generation of Canadians. A national housing strategy for young Canadians that meaningfully considers co-operative housing alongside student housing, purpose-built rentals and pathways for first-time buyers is not just sensible; it is long overdue. As serious as our government is about building homes, we must also be serious about building the right mix of homes, so young people can actually afford to live in the communities they study in, work in and help to build.
Why is this overdue? It is because our young people today face a housing affordability crisis unlike any generation since the post-war period. For far too many, home ownership is out of reach. Even securing a stable, affordable rental has become a challenge. When young people cannot afford housing or cannot move for housing, the consequences extend far beyond shelter.
As I knock on doors in my riding, I hear the same message again and again. Young people and young families want to stay in the communities they love. They want to build their careers here, raise their children here and remain close to the networks and supports that make urban life possible.
However, the homes we build must reflect the lives people are trying to live. We cannot keep building cities as if they are only for singles and short-term renters. If we want young Canadians to put down roots, our housing supply must include family-friendly homes that make long-term life in our downtowns possible. The ripple effects are obvious: lower productivity and economic growth, and decreased well-being, both over the short and long term of one's life.
The economic case is just as compelling. A 2024 report from the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis found addressing housing unaffordability could generate $24.4 billion in additional disposable income, increase our GDP by $22 billion and create 189,000 jobs, while delivering $5 billion in new tax revenue. These are real, tangible benefits for young Canadians and our entire economy.
When housing instability begins to shape who can move, who can work and who can plan for their future, it stops being only an economic problem and becomes a social one with real consequences for safety, autonomy and equality.
Let us be clear. Housing insecurity is not gender-neutral. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has reported that women are more likely to experience acute housing need, and those rates are higher for racialized women. For young women in particular, the shortage of accessible options, whether it is emergency shelters, transitional housing, co-operative housing or affordable units, can carry serious safety implications.
Without safe and affordable alternatives, some young women cannot leave unsafe and unhealthy living situations. Some remain trapped in abusive relationships simply because they have nowhere else to go. This is why housing is about far more than affordability alone. It is about safety, it is about dignity, and it is about security.
A national housing strategy for young Canadians must also reflect this reality. Housing lives at the intersection of personal autonomy and personal security, and this must find its way into our legislation. This is precisely why Bill C-227 is so important. Establishing a national housing strategy for young Canadians would ensure that federal housing policy responds not only to market pressures but to the social realities that shape young people's lives.
The economic and social benefit of government action to address affordability is clear, and our government understands that. With the launch of Build Canada Homes, the federal government is taking decisive steps to accelerate the construction of affordable housing at scale through a single, streamlined agency. By financing and prioritizing non-profit housing, including transitional, supportive, co-operative and affordable housing, the federal government would be ending a decades-long retreat from building homes that Canadians can truly afford. This would create real opportunities for young Canadians, not only to find housing that meets their needs in the short term but to build the conditions for home ownership in the future.
By easing the costs faced by non-market builders, Build Canada Homes would increase supply of deeply affordable housing, help cool an overheated market where these housing options have not been sufficiently built and ensure that housing policy once again works in the public interest. By establishing a national housing strategy for young Canadians, as Bill C-227 seeks to do, the purpose and impact of Build Canada Homes becomes sharper and stronger, ensuring that federal investments deliver real, generational impact for Canada's young people.
Housing is foundational. When it is unstable, everything else becomes unstable too, especially for young people who are trying to establish themselves. The government is building Canada strong by recognizing housing as essential infrastructure. Bill C-227 builds on that momentum, recognizing that young Canadians face unique barriers in today's housing market and that meeting those challenges requires coordination, data and long-term planning.
The evidence is clear. Addressing housing affordability strengthens our economy, boosts productivity and creates opportunities. Housing insecurity and instability carry real social costs, especially for women and those seeking safety, dignity and independence. Through Build Canada Homes, our government is acting to scale what we know works. Bill C-227 would enhance that effort by ensuring young Canadians are not an afterthought but a focus of our plan.
For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and vote in favour of Bill C-227.