Prime Minister Mark Carney promotes the 2026 federal budget's plan to end homelessness within 10 years, with $17.8 billion in funding and at least $1 billion for Winnipeg housing.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Winnipeg to highlight measures in the 2026 federal budget aimed at ending homelessness within 10 years. The budget, tabled on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, estimates there are 65,000 homeless Canadians.
The federal budget offers $11.2 billion to tackle homelessness over four years, starting next year, and $17.8 billion over 10 years. The approach includes building affordable housing and providing health supports to help people escape homelessness long-term. Partnerships with other levels of government would see the federal government fund construction costs, while provinces and other partners cover operations.
Winnipeg receives at least $1 billion in new money toward 2,000 new housing units and construction of a Centre for Mental Health and Addictions. Manitoba is committing $84 million a year to support what Ottawa has committed to build.
"For decades, governments and communities have tried to address this crisis. Too often, these efforts have been inadequately resourced, poorly co-ordinated and not sustained," Carney said at a press conference Friday in Winnipeg.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew called the federal money a "huge, humungous deal" for the province. He said it is the first time in the country's history where every level of government has come together to tackle homelessness, including First Nations and Métis governments. The provincial NDP is working toward ending chronic homelessness by 2031.
The event was held at Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn, the former Hudson Bay store being transformed into an Indigenous hub of housing and other services by the Southern Chiefs' Organization. Jerry Daniels, the organization's grand chief, said the announcement was welcome.
Jennifer Moore Rattray, CEO of End Homelessness Winnipeg, said there is already tremendous co-ordination between Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations, but they have not had enough funding before.
The Liberal government's 2026 budget lays out a housing agenda that includes more homes on federally owned land and an Integrated Supports Fund for transitional housing with mental health, addictions and social supports. It also plans to put billions of dollars into the Canada Housing Benefit over the next decade.
The Star reports that Conservatives sought to portray the document as a costly spending binge. CityNews notes opposition parties expressed their distain as the government began to sell the budget.
The budget marks the federal government's most ambitious attempt to eliminate homelessness within a decade, relying on sustained funding and co-ordination across federal, provincial, municipal and Indigenous governments.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
The day's checked news, by email
One short email a day with the top stories. Free, and you can unsubscribe in one click.
Or follow for the latest news:
No comments yet. Start the discussion.
BusinessTrending
Fox Corp. has closed its acquisition of Roku for $22 billion, creating a combined streaming business that includes Roku, Tubi, and FOX One, with Roku reaching more than 100 million households.
BusinessTrending
The Canadian dollar fell to a nearly three-week low against the U.S. dollar after Canada unexpectedly lost 4,700 jobs in October, while the U.S. added 165,000 jobs.
