Framing the Canadian Housing Crisis: A Discourse Analysis of Parliamentary Debates

This study explores the political framing of the housing crisis in Canada through a discourse analysis of parliamentary debates. Drawing on a qualitative content analysis of one month of Hansards in March 2023, it examines how Canada’s main political parties frame the source of the housing crisis. The research identifies six dominant frames, with excessive federal spending and excessive bureaucracy emerging as the most prominent. These frames reflect the polarized nature of political discourse and the strategic allocation of blame across different levels of government. By linking these findings to literature on political framing and multi-level governance, the study highlights how competing narratives shape public policy in a decentralized federation. The results suggest that such framing may hinder the development of cohesive and effective housing policy.