HOUSEINCOMMITTEE

Private Member's Bill

45th Parliament · Session 1

Bill C-227: An Act to establish a national strategy on housing for young Canadians

National Strategy on Housing for Young Canadians Act

Introduced

September 18, 2025

Current Stage

HouseInCommittee

Last Updated

February 12, 2026

Sponsor

Braedon Clark

Community Support

Community Vote

100% Support

1 votes

Politicians' Vote

50% Support

335 MPs

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Bill C-227

Thu Feb 12 2026

An Act to establish a national strategy on housing for young Canadians

Impact Rating

2/5

Short Summary

Mandates the government to create a housing plan specifically for people aged 17-34 within 18 months, focusing on rentals, student housing, and first-time buyers.

Housing Crisis

Youth

Affordability

Student Housing

First-Time Home Buyers

Detailed Analysis

This Private Member's Bill requires the federal government to develop a specific 'National Strategy' to help Canadians aged 17 to 34 find affordable housing. The designated Minister must consult with provinces, municipalities, and youth organizations to create a plan that addresses rental costs, student housing shortages, and barriers to first-time home ownership. The government has 18 months to write this plan and present it to Parliament.

Why does this bill exist?

Origin (Public Outcry/Event)

Response to the extreme difficulty young Canadians face in affording rent or entering the housing market compared to previous generations.

Key Points

Target Demographic: The bill specifically defines 'Young Canadian' as anyone between the ages of 17 and 35.
Scope of Strategy: The plan must address rental availability, student housing, co-operative housing, and entry-level home ownership.
Consultation Required: The Minister is legally required to hold at least one conference with provinces, municipalities, and youth groups to gather ideas.
Timeline: The strategy must be finished and presented to Parliament within 18 months after the bill passes.
Review Process: Four years after the strategy is released, the government must report on whether it actually worked.

Impact By Group

Young Adults (17-34)

(Neutral)

No immediate change. You may be invited to participate in consultations or surveys.

University Students

(Neutral)

The strategy must specifically look at student housing, which could lead to better campus housing policies in 2-3 years.

Federal Bureaucrats

(Harder)

Must organize a national conference and coordinate data from all provinces to write the report.

Provincial Impact

Low (Information Sharing) Interaction

The bill requires the federal Minister to consult with provinces, but it cannot force provinces to change their zoning or housing laws.

Benefits & Pros

Forces the government to specifically analyze how the housing crisis impacts young adults, rather than just the general population.

Encourages coordination between federal, provincial, and municipal governments who often blame each other for housing failures.

Highlights the specific lack of student housing and co-ops, which are often overlooked in favor of standard condos.

Beneficiaries

Young Canadians (17-34)

Student Unions

Housing Advocacy Groups

Risks & Cons

Does not build a single house or spend a single dollar on housing; it only mandates the creation of a document.

The 18-month timeline to create the strategy is slow given the urgency of the current crisis.

There is no penalty if the strategy is created but simply ignored by future governments.

Affected Groups

Taxpayers (paying for the study/conference)

Before & After

Currently, the federal government has a general National Housing Strategy. Under this bill, they would be legally required to produce a separate, specific document focused exclusively on the needs of people aged 17-34, covering student housing and entry-level rentals.

Real World Scenario

Currently: A 22-year-old student cannot find a place to live near campus. The federal government says housing is a provincial issue. Under this Bill: The federal Minister must meet with provincial leaders and student groups to write a report identifying exactly why student housing is failing and propose a coordinated fix.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this bill lower my rent?

Does this provide money for a down payment?

When will we see the plan?

Votes on this bill

Vote 68

Agreed To

2nd reading of Bill C-227, An Act to establish a national strategy on housing for young Canadians

Thu Feb 12 2026

Yeas: 169

Nays: 152

Total: 335

Sponsor

Braedon Clark

Member of Parliament

House of Commons

First reading

Completed on September 18, 2025

Second reading

Completed on February 12, 2026

Consideration in committee

Not yet started

Report stage

Not yet started

Third reading

Not yet started

Senate

First reading

Not yet started

Second reading

Not yet started

Third reading

Not yet started

Abuse Potential

The abuse potential is low in terms of rights violations, but high in terms of political delay. A government could use this bill as an excuse to postpone immediate housing action for 18 months, claiming they must 'wait for the National Strategy to be completed' before spending money or changing laws. It risks being a performative exercise that generates paperwork instead of homes.

Financial Impact

Administrative change only. Costs are limited to holding the required conference and paying staff to write the report. No housing funding is authorized by this bill.

Implementation Risk

Low. Writing a report is low-risk. The risk is that the report gathers dust and leads to no actual construction.

Broad Economic Impact

None

Everyday Life

Minimal impact

Admin Burden

No changes to daily routine

Timeline

18-month planning phase before any potential policy changes.

Bill Text Versions

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Summary

This enactment provides for the development of a national strategy on housing for young Canadians to ensure they have greater access to affordable and secure housing. It also provides for reporting requirements in respect of the strategy.

Full Text

Short Title Short title 1 This Act may be cited as the National Strategy on Housing for Young Canadians Act . Interpretation Definitions 2 The following definitions apply in this Act. Minister means the Minister designated under section 3. ( ministre ) young Canadian means a person in Canada who is at least 17 years of age but less than 35 years of age. ( jeune Canadien ) Designation of Minister Order 3 The Governor in Council may, by order, designate a member of the King’s Privy Council for Canada as the Minister for the purposes of this Act. National Strategy on Housing for Young Canadians National strategy 4 (1) The Minister, in consultation with representatives of provincial and territorial governments responsible for housing, organizations and communities providing housing services, municipalities, young Canadians, youth-serving organizations and other relevant stakeholders, must develop a national strategy on housing for young Canadians to ensure they have greater access to affordable and secure housing. Content (2) The strategy must provide an assessment of the current state of housing affordability and availability for young Canadians, including access to rental housing, student housing and entry-level home ownership, and must, among other things, include measures that can be taken to (a) improve access to affordable and secure rental housing; (b) support young Canadians seeking to purchase their first home; (c) promote the construction of rental housing, student housing, co-operative housing and housing that is affordable for first-time buyers; (d) encourage knowledge-sharing and coordination among federal, provincial and municipal partners; and (e) identify further ways to reduce barriers faced by young Canadians seeking affordable and secure housing. Considerations (3) The strategy must take into consideration (a) existing federal frameworks and strategies related to housing for young Canadians; and (b) relevant provincial, territorial and municipal housing initiatives. Conference (4) For the purpose of developing the strategy, the Minister must hold at least one conference with the persons referred to in subsection (1). Reports to Parliament Tabling of national strategy 5 (1) Within 18 months after the day on which this Act comes into force, the Minister must prepare a report setting out the national strategy and cause it to be tabled in each House of Parliament on any of the first 15 days on which that House is sitting after it is completed. Publication (2) The Minister must publish the report on a publicly available website within 10 days after it has been tabled in both Houses of Parliament. Report 6 (1) Within four years after the day on which the report referred to in section 5 has been tabled in both Houses of Parliament, the Minister must prepare a report on the effectiveness of the national strategy that also sets out the Minister’s conclusions and recommendations, and cause the report to be tabled in each House of Parliament on any of the first 15 days on which that House is sitting after it is completed. Publication (2) The Minister must publish the report on a publicly available website within 10 days after it has been tabled in both Houses of Parliament.

Version History

September 19, 2025 at 02:23 PM

Doc ID: 13592752