Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

Comité permanent des ressources humaines, du développement des compétences, du développement social et de la condition des personnes handicapées

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 16, 2023 -

Across the country, too many Canadians are caught in a housing affordability crisis and are unable to access affordable and adequate housing. To address this problem, the federal government is funding the creation and maintenance of housing supply through the $82 billion National Housing Strategy (NHS), launched in 2017 and led by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Governments, housing providers, developers, and other organizations can apply for financial support through different funding streams.

On Monday, June 12th, 2023, Robert Morrissey, Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA), presented the Committee’s 11th report in the House of Commons.

Entitled National Housing Strategy, the report follows a motion sponsored by Chad Collins (Member of Parliament for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek) and adopted by the Committee on November 21st, 2022. The motion required that CMHC appear before the Committee over the course of two meetings to provide an update on the rollout of NHS programs and to answer questions on the administration of the programs; and further, that the Committee report its findings and recommendations to the House. Pursuant to a motion adopted on February 17th, 2023, the Committee also considered evidence provided to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PACP) as a part of that committee’s study on Report 5, Chronic Homelessness, of the 2022 Reports 5 to 8 of the Auditor General of Canada. In addition, it considered the February 2023 report of the Parliamentary Budget Officer entitled Federal Program Spending on Housing in 2022.

While the Committee heard that CMHC has worked to adjust programming to address changing requirements and is making continuous client service improvements, it sees the need for further action to ensure that NHS funding is making the intended impact. Following an overview of major NHS programs, the Committee’s report makes 15 recommendations on key issues related to the NHS’s administration, including allocating and disbursing funds, improving client experience, defining and measuring affordability, ensuring accountability for the NHS’s targets, and improving measurement and reporting on the NHS’s progress.

The Committee is composed of 12 Members of Parliament. It is chaired by Robert Morrissey (Egmont) and its vice-chairs are Louise Chabot (Thérèse-De Blainville) and Tracy Gray (Kelowna—Lake Country). The other committee members are as follows: Scott Aitchison (Parry Sound—Muskoka); Chad Collins (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek); Michael Coteau (Don Valley East); Rosemarie Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster): Michelle Ferreri (Peterborough—Kawartha); Wayne Long (Saint John—Rothesay); Soraya Martinez-Ferrada (Hochelaga); Tony Van Bynen (Newmarket—Aurora) and Bonita Zarrillo (Port Moody—Coquitlam).