Tell Prime Minister Carney to Build AND Protect!

The federal budget is around the corner and the government has opened consultations on their housing plan Build Canada Homes (BCH). This is step one of many to build more affordable, non-market housing. But unless tenants have a seat at the table, those steps could be headed in the wrong direction! Take 1-minute to sign our online action calling for Federal funding to be tied to the protection of affordable housing and tenants!

“Canada is losing affordable homes faster than we can build them.” That is a direct quote from the Federal government. A report by the Housing Assessment Resource Tools (HART) found that Canada is losing 15 affordable homes for every 1 new affordable unit built. The government needs enough affordable, non market housing to support over 2.68 million who are currently in core housing need. That means not only building – but protecting the affordable housing stock that we have! But HOW?

Similar to childcare and healthcare, the Federal government can force the provinces to bring housing standards up. A standard can be defined in provincial contracts that ties Federal funding to the Provinces protection of affordable housing and tenants! We need to see protections like full rent control, and a ban on fixed-term leases.

What we don’t need is policy that enables corporate landlords to profit off housing that nobody can afford. The government says it wants “efficient use of taxpayer dollars.” But right now, Financialized landlords are destroying affordable housing at a rate that far outpaces the government’s ability to build new supply. An efficient use of taxpayer dollars does not include subsidies for these corporate landlords.