Build Canada Homes Act

This bill takes a large-scale swing at Canada’s housing shortage with flexible tools that can accelerate builds and promote construction innovation. Builders would support the ambition but demand hard performance metrics, transparency, and safeguards to ensure speed, safety, and value for money.

• Pros: large-scale supply push; procurement and FAA flexibilities for speed; powers to develop public land; focus on innovative, efficient construction; data to guide investments.
• Risks: potential duplication with CMHC/CLC; politicization via directives; fiscal exposure from appropriations and guarantees; crowding out private sector; unclear cost-per-unit and delivery timelines.
• Improvements: set binding targets (units, timelines, cost-per-unit, cost-per-square-foot) with quarterly public reporting and independent audits; cap administrative overhead; limit role to co-investment and last-mile gap financing to avoid crowd-out; require transparent publication of all directives and transactions above a threshold; mandate performance-based renewals after the 5-year review; prioritize safe, standardized, pre-approved building designs to speed permitting while ensuring safety and climate resilience; require MOUs with provinces/municipalities on fast permitting and utility hookups; clearly delineate responsibilities with CMHC/CLC to avoid overlap.