Many prospective homebuyers in federal focus groups said they would prefer a traditionally constructed house over the prefabricated and modular homes promoted by Prime Minister Mark Carney as part of Ottawa’s housing strategy.A Privy Council Office report found participants generally acknowledged factory-built homes could cost less, but many raised concerns about construction quality, available space and whether rapid building could result in inferior workmanship.“Discussing how they would personally feel about living in a modular home, many expressed a preference for a traditionally built home,” said the report, Continuous Qualitative Data Collection Of Canadians’ Views.While some participants believed factory-built homes would be of acceptable quality, others thought conventional homes generally offered better plumbing and electrical systems and more living space.“A few also worried about whether there were enough qualified tradespeople and high quality materials available to build these homes and were concerned this could lead to developers relying on less knowledgeable workers and substandard materials in order to build homes at a more rapid rate,” said the report.The findings were based on focus groups conducted in Alberta and Ontario under a $1.6 million contract with Toronto polling firm The Strategic Counsel.The report was dated March 31.Carney launched the Build Canada Homes program on Sept. 14, 2025, promising to tackle Canada's housing shortage partly through greater use of factory-built construction.The prime minister said the program would have “an intense focus on using cost efficient and modern methods of construction such as factory built.”“Build Canada Homes will mainstream these advanced methods of construction with the potential to cut building timelines by up to 50%,” he said.Focus group participants generally agreed modular construction could reduce some costs.Asked whether prioritizing modular and factory-built construction would make housing more affordable, several participants said it would, while a smaller number were uncertain.Those expressing doubts pointed to land prices and other expenses that would remain regardless of how a house was constructed.“For those who were more uncertain, it was felt that while this strategy would assist in making some aspects of homebuilding more affordable, there were other costs related to purchasing a home such as the cost of buying land that would likely remain quite expensive for the foreseeable future,” said the report..Carney unveiled the program at a construction site operated by Caivan Homes in his Nepean, Ont. riding.A subsequent federal Inquiry Of Ministry, tabled in the Commons on Nov. 25, disclosed that partially constructed townhouses used as the backdrop for the announcement were later dismantled.“The homes have since been disassembled,” said the Inquiry.The structures displayed during the announcement were subsequently transported to an undisclosed location in Eastern Ontario, according to the document.
