The following is being distributed at the request of Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation:

Today, the federal Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, as the federal co-chair, and Saskatchewan’s Minister of Social Services, the Honourable Gene Makowsky, as the provincial-territorial co-chair, hosted the annual in-person meeting of federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) housing ministers. Ministers also met, in a separate meeting, with national Indigenous leaders and representatives. It has been five years since FPT housing ministers signed the Housing Partnership Framework¹, an historic agreement to work together to build better housing outcomes for Canadians. Ministers took stock of all the achievements and work accomplished to date, including investments and initiatives beyond the National Housing Strategy to address housing needs. Ministers agreed that there is still a lot more work to do and FPT collaboration will help achieve the best results for Canadians.

Discussions with national Indigenous leaders and representatives focused on shared housing priorities, including how governments can support Indigenous-led housing solutions to address the unique housing needs of Indigenous people. Ministers heard from national Indigenous leaders and representatives about their unique perspectives and challenges. Improving the quality and affordability of housing for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples is vital to building a prosperous and inclusive society.

The Ministers’ FPT meeting centered around improving access to affordable housing across Canada. Housing affordability and supply challenges are complex problems that require close collaboration and innovation among all orders of government, and with the private and non-profit sectors. FPT governments reaffirmed their commitment to work together in designing and implementing solutions to achieve better housing outcomes. Ministers also discussed how to better align initiatives and programs, while recognizing that addressing housing issues is not a “one size fits all” approach, and flexibility is required in program design and delivery to meet local needs. As partners in housing, Ministers committed to looking more closely at how they can better meet Canadians’ needs through shared investments and increased flexibility within housing initiatives and agreements.

The housing landscape has changed significantly in the last five years, and Ministers discussed these changes and the key issues affecting the sector. Communities across Canada continue to face elevated home prices, increased rates of homelessness, and challenges related to housing affordability, adequacy, and supply. Rising costs in the construction industry have also significantly increased the cost to build and repair homes. While these challenges have put pressure on federal, provincial, and territorial resources, Ministers remain committed to working together to maintain and expand affordable housing.

Ministers agreed to continue working together, and with Indigenous communities and partners across Canada to support Indigenous housing. Ministers also discussed the forthcoming federally funded Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy. The 2023 federal budget commits $4 billion, over seven years, starting in 2024-25, to implement the Strategy, co-developed by the federal government with Indigenous governments, organizations, housing and service providers, in coordination with provincial and territorial governments.

Recognizing the range of issues and complex needs, which prevents many Canadians from finding and retaining affordable housing, Ministers engaged in a productive conversation on supportive housing and homelessness. Ministers agreed to work together to better align supportive housing and homelessness programs and explore further solutions, to ensure the most vulnerable Canadians become successfully housed.

Minister Makowsky announced that as Saskatchewan’s two-year term as PT co-chair of the FPT Forum on Housing will come to an end in December 2023, Manitoba will assume the next two-year PT co-chair term beginning in January 2024.

Quotes
“Too many Canadians are struggling with the cost of housing. That’s why, at the federal level, we legislated the right to housing and are making historic investments to rapidly increase the supply of affordable housing through Canada’s first-ever National Housing Strategy. But we cannot solve the housing affordability crisis alone. Because housing is primarily a provincial and territorial area of jurisdiction, we will continue our collaboration on this. That’s why we are continuing to work in collaboration with the provinces and territories to advance the bold solutions needed to protect the affordability of existing housing and further increase the supply of new affordable housing.”
The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, Government of Canada

“Saskatchewan has been honoured to work with our provincial and territorial counterparts and with the federal government on the important housing issues facing Canadians. We look forward to meaningful collaboration with the Government of Canada as we strive to address the complex challenges around housing supply, affordability, and Canada’s growing issue of homelessness. I look forward to working with Manitoba as we transition the provincial co-chair responsibilities to their capable leadership on this important file.”
The Honourable Gene Makowsky, Minister of Social Services, Government of Saskatchewan

Quick facts:

• In 2018, ministers responsible for housing endorsed a multilateral Housing Partnership Framework, which recognizes federal, provincial and territorial governments as primary partners in housing. The multilateral Framework asserts a shared vision for housing and sets the foundation for the delivery of key National Housing Strategy (NHS) initiatives.
• The federal, provincial, and territorial (FPT) Forum on Housing is the primary intergovernmental forum to discuss housing policy and program design, as well as monitor and evaluate the state of housing in Canada. The Forum also provides opportunities to discuss the assessment of NHS effectiveness and shared knowledge to inform decision-making and priority setting by each government, as well as adjustments to FPT agreements where appropriate.

¹ While it shares many of the objectives sought by other governments, Québec did not endorse the Housing Partnership Framework. Québec has a bilateral agreement with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation outside of the National Housing Strategy.