This is one of five recommendations the panel has made to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance in a pre-budget submission. The committee invites submissions as part of its consultation process for the 2026 federal budget in the fall.

The panel used the submission to pinpoint the experience of parishes (Christ Church Bells Corners, St. Thomas the Apostle Alta Vista, St. James the Apostle Perth, St. John the Evangelist Smiths Falls) and the Diocese through Cornerstone Housing for Women and Belong Ottawa.

The pre-budget consultations are an opportunity to reach Members of Parliament of all political parties, both those on the finance committee and others.

The panel’s submission urged the government to adopt the National Housing Accord, a 10-point plan drawn up by housing experts from the private and non-profit sectors to restore rental housing affordability.

The Accord’s leading recommendation is to create a permanent roundtable, representative of all orders of government — federal, provincial, municipal —  to develop a coordinated plan with targets and accountability.

The permanent roundtable is seen as a means of addressing and overcoming delays and confusion that often arise, typically when two or even three orders of government are involved in the funding process.

The panel’s brief draws on the experience of parishes and the diocese, creating affordable housing in consultation with Cahdo, the Ottawa non-profit developer. Cahdco has worked with several diocesan projects, including the current Ellwood House Extension.

The Ellwood directors, while acknowledging the importance of federal capital funding, reported that the funding process has been long and confusing, with many repeat requests for documentation and many legal documents that raise issues of risk.

This view is backed up by Cahdco whose finding is that the main contribution the federal government could make would be guaranteed consistency in the funding infrastructure over 10 years. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has changed the funding requirements for programs almost annually.

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