Housing is not a luxury. It is a requirement for human existence.
In the 2026 CBC Massey Lectures, Leilani Farha, global director of The Shift and former UN special rapporteur on the Right to Housing, reckons with a crisis engineered by governments and perfected by financial firms.
In her first Massey Lecture, “Home,” she explores how our homes shape our sense of dignity, identity, and security. Because home is so fundamental to our lives, she argues, our housing system is inextricably linked to the question of who lives, who dies, and who counts.
Since 1965, CBC IDEAS has broadcast the Massey Lectures, exploring the ideas that make us who we are. The lectures are a partnership between CBC, House of Anansi Press and Massey College in the University of Toronto. For a complete list, visit the CBC Massey Lecture archives.