Canada Unveils Groceries and Essentials Benefit
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 Miramichi, the Honourable Wayne Long, Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions), took part in an event to highlight how the government is working to make life more affordable, and delivering significant new support for those most affected by the rising price of food.
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 280,000 in New Brunswick, starting in the spring of 2026 (subject to Royal Assent).
The government has introduced legislation in Parliament that would implement the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit which would be indexed to inflation, and build on the existing Goods and Services Tax (GST) Credit to provide $11.7 billion in additional support over six years by:
Taken together, these measures would provide up to an additional $402 to a single individual without children, $527 to a couple, and $805 to a couple with two children. At these levels, Canada's new government will be offsetting grocery cost increases beyond overall inflation since the pandemic.
The government has also announced a suite of measures to tackle food insecurity, support producers and strengthen supply chains, including:
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2026/01/secretary-of-state-long-highlights-the-new-canada-groceries-and-essentials-benefit.html
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