Key measures

1. Income and social supports

What we asked for

• National targets to cut food insecurity in half and eliminate severe food insecurity by 2030.
• A permanent Groceries and Essentials Benefit (GEB) to offset rising household costs.
• An expanded and adequately funded Canada Disability Benefit (CDB).
• Automatic benefit access for low-income non-filers.
• Measures to ensure that income supports keep pace with the cost of living.

What Budget 2025 delivered

• Automatic federal benefits: $71 million over five years (starting 2025–26) to implement automatic benefit delivery for eligible non-filers. Rollout to reach 1 million people by 2027 and 5.5 million by 2028.
• CDB enhancements: $115.7 million over four years (starting 2026–27) to lower access barriers and provide a one-time $150 supplement per Disability Tax Credit certification. Introduce legislation to exempt the CDB from taxable income.
• Personal Support Workers Tax Credit: $1.48 billion over six years for a refundable credit equal to 5% of eligible earnings, up to $1100 yearly. This is for PSWs in provinces and territories with no agreements with the federal government to raise PSW wages.
• Middle-class tax cut: Up to $420 per person or $840 for dual-income households, benefiting 22 million Canadians.
• National School Food Program: Permanently established, with $216.6 million annually beginning in 2029–30, benefiting up to 400,000 children.
• Maintenance of existing supports: Continuation of the GST/HST credit, Canada Workers Benefit, Dental Care Plan, and other programs at current levels.
• Additional context: Budget 2025 fails to establish an income adequacy benchmark or introduce robust income supports. Some measures, such as tax cuts, reduce public revenue at a time when major investments in social programs are needed. The budget also commits to increases in defense spending, reflecting strategic trade-offs with real social implications. These choices underscore how current priorities may deepen existing inequalities by directing more resources to security and industry while leaving limited room to strengthen supports for the broader population.

2. Employment Insurance and Worker Supports

What we asked for

• Comprehensive Employment Insurance (EI) reforms: expanded coverage, higher benefit rates, and reduced qualifying hours.
• A Canada Working-Age Supplement (CWAS) to replace the Canada Workers Benefit.
• Stronger income protections for low-wage, gig, and precarious workers.

What Budget 2025 delivered

• Extended EI benefits: $1.6 billion over five years to extend benefits by 20 weeks and waive waiting periods for eligible workers.
• Enhanced EI supports: $3.6 billion over 5 years for workers affected by trade shocks.
• Reduced hours EI benefits: $370.5 million over five years (starting 2025–26) to support workers facing reduced hours beyond their control.
• Workforce innovation and apprenticeship programs: $450 million for retraining, including union-led apprenticeships and faster credential recognition.
• Youth employment: $1.54 billion over three years (starting 2026–27) for summer jobs, work-integrated learning, and training supports, benefiting 175,000 youth.
• Other measures: EI modernization, including digitization of claims and a commitment to review eligibility parameters by 2027. No permanent EI reform was announced.

3. Indigenous Food Sovereignty

What we asked for

• Dedicated, unrestricted federal funding for Indigenous-led food sovereignty initiatives.
• Clear inclusion of Indigenous leadership in federal food programs such as the Local Food Infrastructure Fund and National School Food Program.
• Recognition of Indigenous food sovereignty as a policy priority, embedded in national frameworks.

What Budget 2025 delivered

• No dedicated Indigenous food sovereignty funding was included. Budget references to Indigenous communities appear mainly under housing and infrastructure initiatives, not under food systems or food policy.
• The National School Food Program does not outline Indigenous governance participation or targeted access mechanisms.
• Some potential for indirect benefit through the new Build Canada Homes partnership with Indigenous organizations on housing and infrastructure, but no explicit food security or food sovereignty mandate.
• Additional context: The government continues to describe collaboration with Indigenous Peoples in general terms, without establishing a specific funding stream or framework for Indigenous food sovereignty or self-determined food systems.

4. Housing

What we asked for

• Major new federal investments in affordable and social housing, especially in northern, rural, and Indigenous communities.
• Stronger rental protections and housing-income linkages to address affordability and food insecurity simultaneously.
• Policy measures connecting housing, income, and food security outcomes.

What Budget 2025 delivered

• Build Canada Homes: $13 billion in start-up funding for a new federal agency to build affordable, supportive, and community housing with provinces, municipalities, and Indigenous partners.
• Rental Protection Fund: $1.5 billion to help non-profits purchase and preserve older rental buildings, maintaining affordability.
• Transitional and supportive housing: $1 billion for housing linked with health and job supports, focused on people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
• Nunavut Housing Partnership: Co-investment to build 700 new affordable and supportive homes using modular construction.
• GST rebate on housing: Elimination of GST on new homes up to $1 million and a partial reduction for homes between $1–1.5 million for first-time buyers.
• Infrastructure alignment: Additional $115 billion over 5 years for public infrastructure, including community and Indigenous housing.
• Additional context: The housing plan marks renewed federal leadership but remains insufficient relative to demand. No linkage made between housing and food insecurity outcomes, and no rental supports for those facing housing insecurity today.

Conclusion and next steps

Right To Food welcomes incremental progress in benefit access, worker supports, and housing affordability. However, the absence of a rights-based framework and measurable food security targets leaves systemic gaps unaddressed.

As we move forward, Right To Food will continue collaborating with its partners to:

• Advocate for a national target to reduce food insecurity by 50% and eliminate severe food insecurity by 2030.
• Advance policy dialogue on income adequacy through a proposed Groceries and Essentials Benefit, a fair and adequate Canada Disability Benefit, and stronger income supports for all low-wage workers.
• Collaborate with Indigenous partners to press for dedicated federal funding for food sovereignty initiatives.
• Monitor implementation of automatic benefits and the National School Food Program to ensure equitable access and rights-based delivery.