The global landscape is rapidly changing, leaving economies, businesses, and workers under a cloud of uncertainty. In response, Canada's new government is focused on what we can control: building a stronger economy to make life more affordable for Canadians. Affordability pressures-especially those related to food-require immediate support for Canadians.
Today in Sainte-Thérèse, QC, the Minister of Health, the Honourable Marjorie Michel, visited La Moisson - Supermarché Santé to highlight how the government is working to put more money back in the pockets of those most affected by the rising price of food, and to tackle food insecurity, across a range of fronts.
As announced on January 26 by the Prime Minister, the government is proposing the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit to help more than 12 million low- and modest-income Canadians afford day-to-day essentials, including around 2.8 million in Quebec.
To bring down costs, the government is :
- increasing the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit - formerly the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Credit by 25% for five years beginning in July 2026.
- In addition to that, we are providing a one-time payment, equivalent to a 50% increase this year.
Combined, this means that a family of four will receive up to $1,890 this year, and about $1,400 a year for the next four years; and a single person will receive up to $950 this year, and about $700 a year for the next four years.
The government also announced a suite of measures to tackle food insecurity, support producers and strengthen supply chains, including:
- Setting aside $500 million from the Strategic Response Fund to help businesses address the costs of supply chain disruptions without passing those costs on to Canadians at the checkout line.
- Creating a $150 million Food Security Fund under the existing Regional Tariff Response Initiative for small and medium enterprises and the organizations that support them.
- Introducing immediate expensing for greenhouse buildings to lower the cost of food production. This allows producers to fully write off greenhouses acquired on or after November 4, 2025, and that become available for use before 2030. This measure supports increased domestic supply and investment in food production over the medium-term.
- Providing $20 million to the Local Food Infrastructure Fund to ease immediate pressures with food banks. This supports food banks and other national, regional, and local organizations to deliver more nutritious food to families in need.
- Developing a National Food Security Strategy to tackle the root causes of food insecurity - one that strengthens domestic food production and improves access to affordable, nutritious food.
- This strategy will also include measures to implement unit price labelling and support the work of the Competition Bureau in monitoring and enforcing competition in the market, including food supply chains.
