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With housing affordability dominating discussions in living rooms and coffeeshops across the country, policy wonks in Canada’s political parties are looking for some way to turn the issue in their side’s favour in the federal election scheduled for the fall.

“I’m not sure there will be direct measures” on housing in next month’s budget, Finance Minister Bill Morneau told reporters in Victoria, B.C. a few weeks ago. That could mean the government is saving popular policies for an election campaign later this year, that it will stand pat on the house market, or that it is considering some kind of indirect measures.

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Whatever the plan, here are a few policy ideas the government could consider.

Allow longer amortization periods

Since 2012, a 25-year amortization has been the maximum for anyone looking for a CMHC-insured mortgage. As housing affordability worsens, some have called for the government to reintroduce the option for 30-year terms.