Canada’s federal housing advocate, Marie-Josée Houle, is directing the National Housing Council to launch a review panel to examine the shortage of accessible housing across Canada as it poses a serious human rights concern in every province and territory.

About eight million Canadians have a disability, up from 6.2 million people in 2017.

With life expectancy rising and Canada’s senior population growing rapidly, the demand for accessible housing is increasing sharply. Many people will be unable to remain safely in their homes due to evolving mobility and accessibility needs.

As Canada seeks to build a record number of new homes, the Canadian Human Rights Commission says this is a pivotal moment to build in accessibility, as well as the viewpoints of people with lived experience, from the very start. It is crucial that Canada ensures every person with an accessibility need has an accessible, affordable, and safe place to live.

“There is a shocking lack of accessible housing in Canada, and this is particularly amplified for people in rural, remote, and Northern areas,” said Houle. “In fact, most of us will need some accessibility features in our homes at some point in our lives. We need accessible and inclusive housing to be built into Canada’s housing policies and strategies.”

Some people with disabilities have turned to medical assistance in dying because they can’t access housing and support that meet their needs. A lack of such housing is contrary to Canada’s international and domestic human rights obligations and it undermines countless other human rights, such as health and social services systems and workforce participation.

Data from a joint monitoring project between the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate and the Canadian Human Rights Commission shows that people with disabilities are overrepresented in all aspects of inadequate housing and homelessness. They are more likely to live in unaffordable and unsafe housing, are often living in homes that are not accessible or do not have the necessary physical aids, and are unable to access crucial supports.

The findings and recommendations of the review panel will be set out in a report to the federal Minister responsible for housing, and include the review panel’s opinion on the issue and recommendations to address it. The Minister must respond to the report within 120 days and table that response in the House of Commons and the Senate.