Canada’s new government is lowering costs to help Canadians get ahead

From: Department of Finance Canada

Backgrounder

Transitioning to Automated Federal Benefits

Filing an income tax return is the gateway for many Canadians to access important financial benefits—like the GST/HST Credit, the Canada Child Benefit, the Canada Disability Benefit, and more —which can help them manage their day-to-day costs. That's why the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will make it easier for Canadians to file a tax return and access key benefits by:

  • Preparing a pre-filled tax return in CRA's My Account online filing system for about 1 million lower-income individuals with simple tax situations, starting for the 2026 tax year—scaling up to about 5.5 million individuals for the 2028 tax year; and
  • Continuing to add new information to its secure Auto-fill my return digital service that helps individuals using certified commercial tax software fill parts of their tax return.

CRA's existing SimpleFile service will complement these initiatives by continuing to provide an easy and fast way for lower-income Canadians with simple tax situations to file their tax and benefit return. By making the tax system work for them, these measures will allow all Canadians to meet this hinge moment and build for the future with greater confidence.

Making the National School Food Program Permanent

Every child deserves to have the food they need to get a fair start in life, regardless of their family's circumstances—which is why the Government of Canada is making the National School Food Program permanent.

Originally announced on April 1, 2024 with an investment of $1 billion over five years, the program aimed at providing meals to 400,000 more kids every year, beyond those served by existing school food programs. With today's announcement, the program will receive permanent funding of $216.6 million per year, starting in 2029-30.

The National School Food Program is helping provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners expand their existing school food programs to make sure more children across the country can enjoy the healthy meals they need. The Program is good for parents and kids, and it's good for the economy as well: It is helping take pressure off of families and investing directly in the future of our kids, while improving children's health, education, and well-being.

Extending the Canada Strong Pass for the Holidays and Summer 2026

From June 20 to September 2, 2025, the Canada Strong Pass offered expanded access to Canada's nature and culture across the country, helping families discover and celebrate Canada throughout the summer. Since its launch, it has led to increased visits across national, provincial and territorial museums, historic sites, parks as well as increased rail travel—supporting local communities and businesses across Canada. It will be renewed from December 12th, 2025, to January 15th, 2026 and then again for Summer 2026 – helping Canadians reconnect with their country and experience the places, cultures and stories that shape our shared identity, bring us together and make Canada strong.

The Canada Strong Pass includes:

  • Parks Canada: Free admission for all visitors to national historic sites, national parks and national marine conservation areas administered by Parks Canada and a 25 per cent discount on camping fees.
  • National museums and the Plains of Abraham Museum: Free admission for children aged 17 and under and a 50 per cent discount for young adults aged 18 to 24.
  • VIA Rail: Free travel for children aged 17 and under when accompanied by an adult and a 25 per cent discount for young adults aged 18 to 24.
  • Selected participating provincial and territorial museums and galleries: Free admission for children aged 17 and under and a 50 per cent discount for young adults aged 18 to 24.

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2025-10-10