OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 8, 2026 /CNW/ -- 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 maîtres chez nous, building our sovereignty and giving us the freedom to live our lives as we choose. And being maîtres chez vous begins with a place to call your own.  

Today, the Honourable Mona Fortier, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Ottawa–Vanier–Gloucester highlighted Budget 2026's historic investments in supportive and transitional housing. These investments are part of a nearly $30 billion national commitment to expand housing options, strengthen essential services and help more Canadians access safe, stable homes.

The Government of Canada is investing in affordable housing in Ottawa and communities across Ontario, helping to build new homes and preserve existing affordable and community housing. For example, under the federal Build Canada Homes partnership, the City of Ottawa will see eight affordable housing projects that will build over 1,100 new rental homes.

For decades, governments, communities, and front-line organisations 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 to provide 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, 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 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 maîtres chez nous: 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

"A strong future for Canada requires having the right supports for our people. Housing is crucial to economic well-being and, more importantly, to a sense of security and belonging. Budget 2026 will help lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty, while putting Canada on a path to end homelessness, create more non-market housing, and build a housing market that works for everyone. Today's announcement is the first step in delivering that plan, helping build a healthier, more prosperous Canada, and truly making us masters of our destiny." 

The Hon. François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue

"Building for the future starts with meeting people's needs today, and for so many families, that starts with a safe, affordable place to call home. This investment recognizes the important role experienced community housing providers can play in turning ambitious housing goals into homes people can afford. Ottawa Community Housing has the experience, partnerships and capacity to deliver at scale, and we welcome the federal government's continued commitment to affordable, non-market and supportive housing. With sustained investment and strong partnerships across all orders of government, we can turn more ready projects into high-quality, affordable homes for Ottawa; homes that give people a stable foundation on which to grow."

 Stéphane Giguère, Chief Executive Officer, Ottawa Community Housing

Related products

• Budget 2026: Masters of our destiny

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SOURCE Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities