In times of uncertainty and instability, housing security must be a national priority. Experts across the sector agree: non-market community housing is essential to increasing affordability, boosting productivity, and strengthening the economy. Most importantly, access to affordable housing provides the foundation for safety and access to opportunity.

Housing must be a key issue in the 2025 federal election. OAHS is calling on all parties to move beyond promises and take action on the following solutions:

  1. Unlock shovel-ready affordable housing initiatives in urban Indigenous communities by investing $3 billion per year in the Urban, Rural, and Northern Housing Strategy.
    • Indigenous-led housing providers already have the expertise and ready-to-build solutions – funding must match our capacity to deliver.
    • Federal studies, reports, and recommendations, outline the path forward, and the responsibility. It’s time to stop stalling on progress and start building homes.
  1. Fight tariffs with homegrown solutions by building Indigenous-led affordable housing and strengthening the community housing supply chain, from Canadian lumber and steel to Canadian labour.
    • Tariffs on Canadian building materials not only raise housing costs and pressure domestic supply chains, they will also worsen the long wait times for affordable community housing.
    • By building Indigenous-led community housing and supporting domestic supply chains, we can stimulate local economies and labour, while addressing urgent housing needs.
  1. Boost Canada’s productivity by immediately doubling the stock of non-market community housing as recommended by Scotiabank, the Canadian Real Estate Association, the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, and Canada’s own National Housing Council.
    • Canadians overwhelmingly support non-profit and co-op housing solutions—yet Canada lags behind other OECD nations with only 3.5% non-market housing.
    • Economists and industry leaders agree: doubling non-market housing will make Canada more productive, adding up to 9.3% in economic growth while ensuring homes remain affordable

Read the reports: