Jennifer McKelvie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Member of Parliament for Ajax, met with local residents and stakeholders in Ajax today to highlight key affordability measures in federal Budget 2026, titled Masters of our Destiny, according to the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada.
Budget 2026 includes more than $22 billion over five years in new measures to help Canadians manage the cost of living, keep more money in their pockets and build a stronger future, the department said.
The measures include enhancing the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit with a 2027 Supplement and expanding Nutrition North Canada to help lower the cost of food; a new Build Canada Workers Benefit expected to lift an estimated 240,000 people out of poverty; and a middle-class tax cut the department says will help nearly 22 million Canadians keep more of what they earn, saving a two-income family up to $840 this year.
The budget also supports up to one million energy-efficient home retrofits, including through a new National Heat Pump Rebate, and temporarily suspends the federal fuel excise tax, reducing costs at the pump by up to 10 cents per litre for gasoline and up to 4 cents per litre for diesel.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Budget 2026 builds on Canada's strengths by unlocking investment, building more at home and helping Canadian businesses grow and compete, creating good jobs and making life more affordable.
McKelvie said affordability starts with the basics — a home people can afford, lower monthly bills and confidence in their family's future — and that the budget's investments will help Canadians today while laying the foundation for long-term prosperity.
Behind the story
Sources & publication details
- Byline
- Daily Durham News
- Published
- Nov 9, 2026, 3:26 p.m.
- Source
- www.newswire.ca
