Chamber
commons
Stage
Cmte Reading
Introduced
Feb 5, 2026
Progress
This bill creates Build Canada Homes as a Crown corporation to increase affordable housing supply and promote innovative construction methods.
Key Changes
- Creates Build Canada Homes as a new federal Crown corporation focused on affordable housing supply and innovative construction
- Authorizes up to $11.5 billion in federal funding from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the corporation's operations
- Gives the corporation broad powers including lending, investing, developing land, constructing housing, and providing loan guarantees (with Finance Minister approval)
- Allows the government to transfer assets and obligations from Canada Lands Company Limited to Build Canada Homes
- Provides up to $1.515 billion for Canada Lands Company Limited or related entities during the transition period
- Requires a parliamentary review of the Act after five years and every ten years thereafter
Gotchas
- The corporation is exempt from several standard Financial Administration Act provisions (sections 89, 90, 91, 99(2), 100(1)), giving it more operational flexibility than typical Crown corporations but with less standard oversight
- The Governor in Council can declare the corporation is NOT an agent of the Crown for specific activities, which could affect its legal accountability in those situations
- Loan guarantees provided by the corporation are not counted toward its $400 million external borrowing limit, meaning the government's total financial exposure could be significantly higher than the borrowing cap suggests
- The government is shielded from lawsuits related to directives issued to reorganize Canada Lands Company Limited or its subsidiaries, limiting legal recourse for affected parties
- Coordinating amendments are included to prevent double-counting of funds if overlapping provisions in Bill C-15 (Budget 2025 Implementation Act) also come into force
- The transitional provisions allow the existing Build Canada Homes special operating agency's CEO to continue in the role, and the first Chairperson can be appointed without the usual board consultation requirement
Who's Affected
- Canadians seeking affordable housing
- Housing developers and construction companies
- Canada Lands Company Limited and its subsidiaries
- Municipal and provincial governments (as potential partners or recipients of financial assistance)
- Federal taxpayers (as funders of the corporation)
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The corporation is exempt from several standard Financial Administration Act provisions (sections 89, 90, 91, 99(2), 100(1)), giving it more operational flexibility than typical Crown corporations but with less standard oversight
- The Governor in Council can declare the corporation is NOT an agent of the Crown for specific activities, which could affect its legal accountability in those situations
- Loan guarantees provided by the corporation are not counted toward its $400 million external borrowing limit, meaning the government's total financial exposure could be significantly higher than the borrowing cap suggests
- The government is shielded from lawsuits related to directives issued to reorganize Canada Lands Company Limited or its subsidiaries, limiting legal recourse for affected parties
- Coordinating amendments are included to prevent double-counting of funds if overlapping provisions in Bill C-15 (Budget 2025 Implementation Act) also come into force
- The transitional provisions allow the existing Build Canada Homes special operating agency's CEO to continue in the role, and the first Chairperson can be appointed without the usual board consultation requirement
Summary
Bill C-20 establishes Build Canada Homes as a new federal Crown corporation. Its main purpose is to increase the supply of affordable housing in Canada and encourage new, more efficient ways of building homes. It was introduced in February 2026 as part of the federal government's efforts to address Canada's housing shortage. The new corporation will have broad powers, including providing financial assistance to builders and governments, investing in housing projects, developing land, constructing homes directly, and collecting housing data. It will be governed by a board of directors (9–11 members) and a Chief Executive Officer, all appointed by the Governor in Council. The Minister of Finance can provide up to $11.5 billion from the federal treasury to fund its operations. The bill also allows the government to transfer assets and obligations from Canada Lands Company Limited (an existing Crown corporation) to Build Canada Homes, and provides up to $1.515 billion for Canada Lands Company Limited or related entities during this transition. A review of the Act must be conducted five years after it comes into force, and every ten years after that.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses