SURREY, BC, Nov. 7, 2026 /CNW/ -- Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

In an increasingly turbulent world, Canada is determining our future. We have the strength to build, the discipline to deliver and the values to take care of each other.

Budget 2026 is the major next step of our ambitious, pragmatic, generational plan to make Canadians masters of our destiny, building our sovereignty and giving us the freedom to live our lives as we choose. And that begins with a place to call your own.

Today, Taleeb Noormohamed, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, met with media in Surrey to highlight Budget 2026's plan to end homelessness within 10 years. Backed by nearly $30 billion, this is an unprecedented federal initiative to tackle homelessness and ensure all Canadians can live in dignity and community.

For decades, governments, communities and front-line organizations have grappled with homelessness, and their experience has shown what makes the biggest difference.

Homelessness is about more than a roof over one's head. It is about the help people rely on every day, the stability of a safe and affordable home, and the health care many need, including for mental health and addictions. For too long, these systems have operated apart, and not at the scale this crisis demands. Budget 2026 brings them together around what we have learned works: help, housing and health.

Help: reaching people early and staying with them until they find a home

• $6.5 billion to renew and strengthen the Reaching Home initiative and support for veteran homelessness: This funding supports community-led efforts to prevent homelessness, connect people with shelter and essential services, and help them find employment support and a permanent home. Communities will be expected to provide more consistent and timely data to measure the scale of homelessness and track progress in reducing it.
• $5.5 billion to renew the Canada Housing Benefit: This benefit provides direct monthly rental assistance to low-income Canadians, including survivors of gender-based violence, so they can pay their rent, keep their homes and avoid becoming homeless.

Housing: a safe place to go, from transitional homes to deeply affordable ones

• $10 billion through Build Canada Homes to support the delivery of about 25,000 supportive and transitional homes across Canada: The federal government will fund construction, while provinces and territories fund operations and the services residents need to stay housed. This investment will grow as more partners step forward.

Health: care and a home, together under one roof

• $5 billion for a new Integrated Supports Fund: Delivered through Build Canada Homes, this fund will support projects to build facilities that bring together housing, health care, mental health and addictions treatment, and other social services, with public, private and philanthropic partners. The model builds on the success of Toronto's Dunn House, where residents' emergency room visits have been cut in half.
• $2 billion for the Build Communities Strong Fund's Health Infrastructure Fund: This fund will support projects to build new community mental health and addictions treatment facilities and refurbish existing ones.

A home is more than a roof over someone's head. It is the foundation for good health, personal security and the opportunity to build a better life. This is what it means to be masters of our destiny: a sovereign Canada where we take care of each other, where we create opportunities for all and where we are free to live our lives as we choose.

Quotes

"Being masters of our destiny is about having the confidence to build on our strengths and shape our own future. Canada has the resources, talent and ambition to succeed. Budget 2026 builds on those strengths by unlocking investment, building more at home, strengthening our energy and natural resource advantage, and helping Canadian businesses grow and compete on the world stage. That's how we will create good jobs, make life more affordable, and build a stronger, more resilient and more united Canada for generations to come."
– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue 

"Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Budget 2026 takes meaningful action to address the housing and homelessness challenges facing communities across the country by putting Canada on a path to end homelessness within a decade, while continuing to make life more affordable for families. As housing costs ease and affordability measures deliver results, we are working with provinces, territories, municipalities and partners to ensure more Canadians can access the housing and support they need. Together, we are building stronger communities and a more united Canada where everyone has the opportunity to thrive."
– Taleeb Noormohamed, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation

Related products

• Budget 2026: Masters of our destiny

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