This opinion piece was originally published on January 29, 2025 in The Hill Times.
More than 1.7 million people across Canada are struggling to afford a roof over their heads and thousands more are just one paycheque away from losing their homes. In a country as wealthy as Canada, this is both a moral and social failure. As political leaders prepare their campaign promises, they must address two of the country’s most urgent crises: the escalating housing and homelessness crisis, and the climate emergency—because these challenges aren’t just economic issues, but stark violations of people’s human rights.
Housing was formally recognized as a fundamental human right in Canada when the federal government passed the 2019 National Housing Strategy Act (NHSA). Yet since then, government has been slow to implement a rights-based approach in housing policy and has instead continued to support the status quo market solutions that do little to help those in greatest housing need—an obligation set out by the NHSA and commitments under international law. This leaves marginalized populations such as Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized communities, persons with disabilities, women, gender diverse, 2-Spirit persons, and low-income individuals to bear the brunt of a housing system that continues to fail them.
A recent report by the Parliamentary Budget Office showed that despite a 50% increase in federal spending to address housing affordability in the past 10 years, a vast majority of these funds have not been going towards those in greatest housing need—a tell-tale sign that government has not focused enough on working with marginalized communities to create evidence-based solutions. This is further evidenced by the recent report released by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), which states: “Without significant intervention, homelessness [in Ontario] could more than triple by 2035, leaving up to 294,266 people without stable housing.”
So, what do we do? The solution lies within a rights-based approach to housing where—when done properly—the expertise of people with lived and living experience of homelessness is centred to develop the solutions that most impact their lives. These solutions use a maximum of available resources, address the systemic issues found within our housing system, and commit to concrete goals and timelines. Without these pieces, we’ll just continue throwing money at the wall, hoping something sticks—but by then, thousands more will fall into homelessness and housing insecurity.
At the same time, the climate crisis remains a looming challenge that must also be addressed. Not only is this an issue of affordability; it’s also about the safety and well-being of communities in the face of climate breakdown. The recent wildfires in California are a stark example of what happens when thousands of families are displaced by climate-induced natural disasters—affecting everyone, regardless of economic background.
The reality is that our housing stock is not prepared for the climate disruptions already underway. Increasingly severe climate disasters like deadlier heat waves and flooding not only contribute to a loss of public services for those most vulnerable, but those without housing are at an increased danger of losing their lives. Having access to safe, accessible, and affordable housing is critical, especially for those living in informal settlements such as encampments.
To be clear, the challenges are immense. However, the opportunities for government to enact real change are also clear. We already have mechanisms under the NHSA such as the National Housing Council, Federal Housing Advocate, and review panels that create spaces for lived experts to be part of the solution. Recommendations that came out of the Federal Housing Advocate’s review on encampments, for example, resulted in a $250 million encampments response fund for municipalities—but we’ll need more long-term solutions to ensure that everyone in Canada has access to safe, affordable, and accessible housing. This includes expanding social, non-profit, and co-operative housing investments, implementing rent and vacancy controls, and ensuring that housing policies directly benefit marginalized groups.
As we look ahead to the federal election, parties that truly prioritize the right to housing will have the opportunity to deliver concrete policies that address the twin crises of housing and climate change in ways that prioritize people over profit. This is not just a call for more housing—it is a call to address housing as an issue of dignity, equity, and justice.
About the author:
Jessica Tan is the Communications Lead of the National Right to Housing Network—a group of key leaders, thinkers, experts and people with lived experience of housing precarity and homelessness, with a mission to fully realize the right to housing for all and ultimately eliminate homelessness in Canada.
Jessica Tan
Communications Lead
Phone: 613-621-4575
Email: jessica@housingrights.ca