Canada Federal Election Housing Platforms: What You Need to Know
TL;DR
- Liberals: 3.9M homes by 2031, GST relief, youth strategy, rent-to-own, renoviction ban, Indigenous housing support.
- Conservatives: $25K/home incentives, 15% targets, red tape reform, federal land reuse, permit benchmarks.
- NDP: 100K rent-controlled homes, rent control, tenant protections, Indigenous and co-op housing, rent subsidies.
- Greens: 50K non-market homes/year, renter bill of rights, zoning reform, modular builds, Indigenous housing, speculation tax.
- Bloc: Quebec-only social housing programs, vulnerable group support, and full immigration and housing jurisdiction.
- Canadian Future: Remote work strategy, down payment help, essential worker housing, Indigenous housing, zoning reform.
- PPC: Slash immigration, abolish CMHC, no federal zoning role, pro-deregulation.3.9M homes by 2031, GST relief, youth strategy, rent-to-own, renoviction ban, Indigenous housing support.
Canada federal election housing platforms are front and centre in this campaign. Housing affordability is the issue that just won’t quit—and it’s a major battleground in the 2025 federal election. Each party has taken a swing at the crisis with promises that range from market tweaks to full-on public building programs. Here’s what they’re pitching.—and it’s a major battleground in the 2025 federal election. Each party has taken a swing at the crisis with promises that range from market tweaks to full-on public building programs. Here’s what they’re pitching.
Matt’s Stats
- Liberals: 3.9M homes by 2031. First-time buyer GST break.
- Conservatives: $25K/home incentives; 15% annual housing growth targets.
- NDP: 100K rent-controlled homes; national rent control.
- Greens: Co-ops, modular housing, and zoning reform.
- Bloc: Immigration to match regional supply.
Canada Federal Election Housing Platforms: Party-by-Party Breakdown
Each federal party comes to the housing crisis with a different worldview. Some believe in direct government builds. Others want to free up private developers. A few focus on renters. And some want Ottawa to stay out of the way entirely. Here’s how the Canada federal election housing platforms stack up
Liberal Party Housing Platform
The Liberals are putting their faith in a mix of public intervention and incentives:
- Build Canada Homes: A new Crown corporation to build affordable units on public land.
- GST Relief: No GST on new homes under $1 million for first-time buyers.
- Housing Accelerator Fund: $4 billion to help cities cut red tape and build faster, with a target of 750,000 homes.
- Cap on Temporary Immigration: Targeting a population share of under 5% by 2027 to ease pressure on the housing market.
- Leasing Federal Land: Unlocking public land for development to reach 3.9 million homes by 2031.
- Ban on Renovictions: Proposed federal legislation to protect tenants from being unfairly displaced during renovations.
- Youth Housing Strategy: Dedicated efforts to help young Canadians enter the housing market.
- New Rent-to-Own Stream: Create pathways for renters to gradually become homeowners.
- Indigenous Housing Commitments: Work in partnership with Indigenous communities to build and upgrade housing both on and off reserve.
Conservative Party Housing Platform
Pierre Poilievre wants to unleash builders and scrap what he calls “gatekeepers”:
- GST Removal: Applies to new homes under $1.3 million for all buyers.
- Municipal Incentives: Up to $25K per home for cities that lower development fees and accelerate permitting.
- Regulatory Repeal: Roll back the Impact Assessment Act and Canadian Energy Regulator Act to fast-track housing and infrastructure projects.
- Federal Land Conversion: 15% of federal buildings will be sold and specifically converted into housing developments.
- Housing Targets with Accountability: Cities must show 15% annual increases in housing starts to qualify for full federal infrastructure funding. Those that fall short lose funding; those that exceed targets receive bonuses.
- “Build Homes, Not Bureaucracy” Act: New legislation to enforce these targets and introduce public benchmarking for permit approval times.
- Transparency Requirements: Municipalities must report publicly on development timelines and permit processing benchmarks.
NDP Housing Platform
The NDP is all-in on federal leadership and rent justice:
- Federal Builds: Over 100,000 rent-controlled homes on federal land, prioritizing those most at risk of homelessness.
- National Rent Control: Introduce a national rent control framework, enforced through housing agreements with provinces.
- Tenant Protections: Strengthen eviction rules, guarantee legal aid for renters, and ban renovictions.
- Green Retrofits: Upgrade 3.3 million homes for energy efficiency, cutting emissions and lowering utility bills.
- Public Housing Strategy: Increase funding to non-profit, co-op, and social housing providers to grow the stock of community housing.
- Preserve Existing Affordable Housing: Launch a national acquisition fund for non-profits to purchase and protect affordable rental units.
- Indigenous Housing Strategy: Fully fund a housing strategy co-developed with Indigenous communities, for both on- and off-reserve needs.
- Rent Subsidies: Provide direct rental supports to households facing financial pressures.
Green Party Housing Platform
The Greens lean into sustainability and community-first models:
- Cooperative Housing: Commit to building 50,000 new units of non-market, co-op, and supportive housing every year for the next decade.
- Modular Builds: Support rapid deployment of prefabricated and modular homes to meet urgent housing needs.
- Zoning Reform: Advocate for missing-middle and midrise development, including eliminating exclusionary zoning that restricts density.
- Speculation Crackdown: Ban blind bidding, apply capital gains tax to flipping, and restrict foreign ownership of residential properties.
- Tax Empty Homes: Apply a federal tax on vacant and underused properties owned by non-residents or corporations.
- Tenant Protections: Enact a national bill of rights for renters, including security of tenure and rent transparency.
- Indigenous Housing: Increase funding to meet housing needs in Indigenous communities through self-determined and culturally appropriate housing solutions.
Bloc Québécois Housing Platform
The Bloc stays focused on Quebec’s jurisdictional autonomy and social equity:
- Immigration Autonomy: Transfer of full immigration authority to Quebec to align population growth with housing capacity.
- Respect for Jurisdiction: Opposes any federal involvement in Quebec’s housing programs or zoning laws.
- Social and Affordable Housing: Calls for Ottawa to transfer funding directly to Quebec so the province can invest in its own social housing initiatives without federal conditions.
- Support for Vulnerable Groups: Advocates expanding housing for seniors, low-income families, and people with disabilities under Quebec-led policies.
Canadian Future Party Housing Platform
The Canadian Future Party brings a centrist, targeted strategy to housing focused on regional and demographic needs:
- Remote Work Strategy: Promote hybrid and remote work to alleviate housing demand in major cities.
- Military & Gov Housing: Build affordable housing for government employees and military personnel on federally owned land.
- Affordable Homeownership Program: Down payment assistance and interest relief for first-time buyers, especially in smaller communities.
- Zoning Reform: Partner with mid-sized cities to permit higher-density and mixed-use developments.
- Indigenous Housing: Expand culturally appropriate, off-reserve housing through Indigenous partnerships.
- Essential Worker Housing: Prioritize builds for teachers, healthcare workers, and first responders near their workplaces.
People’s Party of Canada (PPC) Housing Platform
The PPC takes a minimalist approach to housing, focused on reducing government involvement and addressing root economic causes:
- Cut Immigration Levels: Drastically reduce annual immigration to help relieve housing demand.
- Abolish the CMHC: Disband the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, arguing that it distorts the housing market.
- No Federal Involvement in Zoning: Opposes any federal role in municipal zoning and development decisions.
- Reduce Federal Spending: Broad government austerity that includes opposing federal funding for housing projects.
- Respect Property Rights: Emphasizes deregulation to support private property rights and market-led housing solutions.
Bonus: Click to check out how their provincial counterparts stack up
Canada Federal Election Housing Platforms
| Policy Area | Liberal | Conservative | NDP | Green | Bloc | Canadian Future | PPC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Building Target | 3.9M by 2031 | 15% per year | 1M over 10 years | 50,000 per year | Province-led investments only | Gov/Military & Essential Workers | None |
| First-Time Buyer Incentives | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ (Down payment aid) | ✗ |
| Renoviction Ban | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Public Housing Investment | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (if funds transferred directly) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Vacancy/Speculation Tax | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Rent Control | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Rent-to-Own/Youth Focus | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Zoning Reform | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ (Mid-size city densification) | ✗ |
| Climate-Friendly Retrofits | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Indigenous Housing Strategy | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ (province-led programs only) | ✓ (Off-reserve & culturally appropriate) | ✗ |
| Essential Worker Housing | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Remote Work Policy | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Permit and Approval Reforms | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Your Housing Journey and Your Vote
Housing will make or break this election. The platforms range from supply-first strategies to renter-focused protections. As you weigh your options, the Canada federal election housing platforms are the right spot to start your comparison. Naturally, if housing is an important issue to you, your vote will probably correlate with where you are on your housing journey.
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