Here are a few tips to keep in mind to ensure your credit is in good standing:

Pay your bills on time: always pay your credit cards, lines of credit, car leases, store credit cards etc. on time. Even if you make the minimum payment each month make sure you pay it on or before the due date. Never let any other items go into collections.

Check your credit report for accuracy and often-at least once a year request from Equifax or TransUnion a copy of your own credit report. Make sure that there are no items that you do not recognize. Unfortunately Identity Theft is a real problem in Canada; so you want to make sure that there are no accounts being opened in your name that you are not aware of.

Keep your credit card balances in check; never go over your maximum balance and wherever possible only use 75-80% of the available credit.

If you have no credit, or have a previous bankruptcy you will need to rebuild your credit score. But how can you do that if the bank will not approve you for a credit card? You can actually get a pre-paid credit card that will help you rebuild your credit. Ideally you want to have a few credit cards/store cards with approx $2000-$2500 of available credit which you are making the monthly minimum payments each month on time for about a year after bankruptcy to then start thinking about a mortgage.