How REALTORS® Can Help Keep the Housing Crisis Front and Centre During Federal Election 2025

Canada’s housing system is in crisis and too many Canadians are falling through the cracks. The trade war with the United States is causing economic turmoil, with the potential to push more people out of jobs, homes, and towards homelessness. 

This federal election, it’s never been more important to come together to address these critical issues, and REALTORS® have a key role to play in advocating for meaningful solutions.

CREA Election Toolkit 2025 and Additional Resources

CREA’s Election Toolkit 2025 provides an overview of the 2025 federal election campaign, an economic overview of the current housing landscape, key insights into current public opinion, seven ways REALTORS® can engage, and guidance on how to organize all-candidates events. The toolkit also includes a list of sample questions to help kickstart the conversation, along with templates for invitations or news releases.

You can find the Election Toolkit 2025 and other valuable tools, including shareable one-pagers, policy documents, and a comprehensive weekly report from Abacus Data, detailing the latest voter preferences, key trends, and insights into emerging issues, on the REALTOR® Action Network. 

Housing Priorities by Federal Party

With a tight election race, housing has taken center stage across all major political party platforms. As the federal election approaches, you can get the most up-to-date information about each housing plan and platform on their websites, which we’ve shared below. An overview of housing commitments will also be made available on the REALTOR® Action Network.

Policy platforms and commitments for the major political parties:

• Liberal Party of Canada
• Conservative Party of Canada
• New Democratic Party
• Bloc Quebecois
• Green Party of Canada

Housing Canada Coalition Policy Blueprint

In March, the Housing Canada Coalition, made up of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH), Habitat for Humanity Canada, and the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA) released a policy blueprint that aims to address challenges across the housing system.

Housing Canada: A Sovereign Plan to Protect Canadians and Build a Resilient Housing System proposes 10 comprehensive policy ideas:

1. Creating an immediate housing safety net to protect Canadians from the impacts of an economic shock.
2. Protecting renters from falling into homelessness.
3. Doubling the share of community housing.
4. Ensuring access to the land and infrastructure needed to build communities.
5. Creating resilient housing material supply chains that can withstand tariffs and trade barriers.
6. Developing a housing skills agenda for Canada that equips our workforce.
7. Reforming taxes to facilitate home building.
8. Streamlining permissions to facilitate home building.
9. Accelerating innovation to build faster, less expensive, and better homes.
10. Rapidly expanding indigenous Urban, Rural and Northern (URN) housing to meet the housing needs of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people and communities. 

The list reflects several advocacy positions REALTOR® members would have engaged on in the past and our longstanding REALTOR® advocacy efforts. These include but aren’t limited to:

• Creating a housing safety net to protect Canadians from economic shock. Similar to programs advocated for during the COVID-19 pandemic, these measures will help in light of the potential economic fallout from U.S. tariffs and the risks to Canadian industries and jobs.
• Developing a housing skills agenda for Canada that equips the workforce, including the re-skilling of displaced manufacturing workers, and an immigration workforce strategy—an initiative REALTORS® have long advocated and is backed by a Conference Board of Canada research paper lead by our industry.
• Accelerating innovation to build faster, less expensive, and better homes. REALTOR® advocacy has led the charge on this front and embracing increased innovation in homebuilding has been an approach REALTORS® have strongly supported. This includes modular homes and offsite construction of entire homes and/or elements of homes, such as prefabrication and panelization.
• Reforming taxes to facilitate homebuilding, like the removal of GST on new homes, a capital gains tax break for reinvesting in the housing market, and rebates to reflect current housing prices.
• Ensuring access to the land and infrastructure needed to build communities. That means funding agreements with provinces and territories should include clear conditions that tie funding commitments to the creation of new housing. These agreements must prioritize roads, wastewater management, and public services to accommodate new housing developments. 

Join the Movement to End Canada’s Housing Game

On April 7, 2025, the Housing Canada Coalition launched a collaborative non-partisan advocacy campaign aimed at ending the housing game. The campaign calls on all federal parties to build a housing safety net, end homelessness, solve the housing crisis, and ensure that every Canadian has a safe, secure, and affordable home.

REALTORS® can take action by:

1. Signing up to add your voice to the campaign.
2. Sending a letter to your local candidates to let them know you want action on housing and homelessness this federal election.
3. Sharing the campaign with colleagues, clients, friends, and family and ask them to join the movement, too.
4. Reaching out to your local board or association and check out the Guide to Becoming a PAC Rep. 

Full campaign details and assets can be found at EndTheHousingGame.ca. 

The National Debates

Leger poll, conducted for The Canadian Press, suggests 61% of respondents have already made their final decision on how they'll vote, while 37% said they could change their mind. If you're in the undecided camp, the upcoming leaders' debates might provide some insight. Two national debates are scheduled this month — one in French and one in English — and they'll give voters a chance to hear all the major party leaders face off on key issues.

The French-language debate will take place on Wednesday, April 16 at 8 p.m. EDT. It will be moderated by journalist Patrice Roy and broadcast across multiple platforms.

The English-language debate is set for the following night, Thursday, April 17 at 7 p.m. EDT. It will be moderated by Steve Paikin, host of The Agenda on TVO.

Importance of Voting

Polls show an overwhelming majority of Canadians believe the current federal election, being fought amid continued threats against Canada’s sovereignty from U.S. President Donald Trump and a major cost of living crisis, is the most import one yet. Your voice matters! 

Election Day is Monday, April 28, 2025. 

Advance polling stations are open Friday, April 18 to Monday, April 21, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in your local riding.

Check your voter information card or use the Voter Information Service to find your polling station.