CHBA calls for stronger support for housing for ownership following Federal Budget

NOVEMBER 5, 2026 – OTTAWA, ON – The Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) is encouraged that the federal government is recognizing the importance of supporting the full housing continuum in today’s Federal Budget. However, it falls short when it comes to announcing new measures to support Canadians’ homeownership aspirations and addressing the challenges facing the market-rate housing sector.

Much of what was included in the Budget reiterates previously announced commitments, most notably to support social and rental housing, with few new measures to support the construction of ownership-oriented homes. If Canada is to meaningfully restore housing affordability, a greater focus on increasing the supply of market-rate homes for ownership must be part of the solution.

“Addressing Canada’s housing challenges requires a range of housing options, and investments in social and rental housing are certainly needed,” said CHBA Interim CEO Frank Lohmann. “But we cannot lose sight of the importance of homeownership in Canada’s housing system. We need more policies that support the construction of homes Canadians can aspire to own, alongside the measures being taken to increase rental and non-market housing supply.”

The decline in ownership-oriented housing construction highlights the growing challenge. According to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), in 2021, approximately 69% of housing starts were intended for homeownership. By 2025, that share had fallen to just 45%. This shift reflects a significant erosion in the supply of new homes being built for Canadians looking to enter or move up in the ownership market.

CHBA’s Housing Market Index (HMI) further reinforces this concern, showing that builder confidence in the market for housing sales for freehold and condominium ownership continues to dwindle across the country. With builders facing challenging market conditions and many projects becoming increasingly difficult to move forward, Canada risks further reducing the pipeline of new ownership homes at a time when the country needs more housing of every type.

Furthermore, while the Federal Budget restates the government's recent infrastructure investments and commitment to reduce development charges (DCs) through the Build Communities Strong Fund, CHBA continues to call on federal leadership to help support and enable municipalities to find alternatives to DCs, such as implementing municipal debt financing models, recovering costs of water, wastewater, and road infrastructure through user charges rather than levying them on new home buyers, and more.

CHBA looks forward to continuing to work with the federal government on policies that strengthen the residential construction sector and help ensure Canada builds the full range of housing needed to restore affordability.

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About the Canadian Home Builders’ Association

The Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) is the voice of the residential construction industry in Canada, representing some 8,500 member firms across the country. Our membership spans new home builders, renovators, developers, trade contractors, building material manufacturers and suppliers, lenders, and other professionals in the housing sector.