GATINEAU, QC , Oct. 30, 2025 /CNW/ - On October 28, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, tabled before Parliament the 2025 Report of the National Advisory Council on Poverty, entitled We Can Do Better: It is not a safety net if the holes are this big.
The report recognizes that the Government of Canada has made significant investments in social protection programs, while underscoring the need for a stronger social safety net to support Canadians experiencing poverty and those at risk. Specifically, the Council recommends taking concrete actions on affordable housing, investing in non-market housing and making the rental market more affordable.
The federal government shares the Council's goal of building a fairer and more inclusive country. To help make housing more affordable, the Government recently launched Build Canada Homes, a new federal agency that will build affordable housing at scale. Build Canada Homes will help fight homelessness by building transitional and supportive housing--working with provinces, territories, municipalities and Indigenous communities. It will build deeply affordable and community housing for low-income households, and partner with private market developers to build affordable homes for the Canadian middle class.
Earlier this month, key measures from the upcoming Budget 2025 were announced that will lower costs and protect essential programs that empower Canadians, including:
- Starting automatic federal benefits for the 2026 tax year that will reach up to 5.5 million low-income Canadians by the 2028 tax year. The CRA will automatically file these individuals' taxes to ensure they receive government benefits they qualify for, such as the GST/HST credit, the Canada Child Benefit, the Canada Disability Benefit, and more--including benefits that these Canadians may not be aware they are entitled to.
- Making the National School Food Program permanent to provide meals for up to 400,000 children. This program ensures kids are fed healthy meals at school and saves families with two children $800 per year on groceries. By making it permanent, we will work with provinces, territories and Indigenous partners to expand the program into more schools across Canada.
These measures build on measures already taken--including cancelling the consumer carbon tax, cutting taxes for 22 million middle-class Canadians and eliminating GST for first-time homebuyers. The Government of Canada is focused on empowering Canadians with lower costs and new opportunities to help them get ahead.
The world is changing rapidly and the Government of Canada will continue to focus on what it can control. As Canada navigates economic challenges, the Government remains focused on the 2030 goal of cutting poverty by half.
Quotes
"As Canada faces economic challenges, our commitment remains clear. We're focused on building a more inclusive and resilient country, one where every Canadian can build a secure future and thrive."
– The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
"The National Advisory Council on Poverty is heartened by the countless individuals and organizations across our country that are deeply dedicated to improving the daily lives of others. We applaud the significant investments that the federal government is making to reduce poverty in all its forms and improve the daily lives of all that call Canada home. Despite these ongoing efforts, we continue to hear about the pain of monetary poverty and the trauma of social and economic exclusion. We are calling for courageous choices to be made as a country, both collectively and individually, to tackle the immediate needs of people experiencing poverty and to evolve the broader systems of support that allow it to exist and persist. As we continue to build a Canada to thrive in these extraordinary times, we must recognize that we have always been at our best when we take care of each other."
– Scott MacAfee, Chair of the National Advisory Council on Poverty
Quick facts
- Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy includes concrete poverty reduction targets and established Canada's Official Poverty Line to measure poverty and track progress. The targets are:
- a 20% reduction in poverty, relative to 2015 levels, by 2020, an objective that was reached ahead of schedule; and
- a 50% reduction in poverty by 2030, relative to 2015 levels, which is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
- The Poverty Reduction Strategy created the National Advisory Council on Poverty to provide independent advice to the Government on poverty reduction, to submit an annual report on progress toward the Government's poverty reduction targets, and to maintain a dialogue with Canadians on poverty. The mandate of the Council is defined in the Poverty Reduction Act, which became law in June 2019.
- The members of the Council are selected as part of an open, transparent and merit-based selection process that strives to reflect Canada's diversity, in terms of gender, regions and official languages. The Council includes people with lived experience of poverty, Indigenous people, racialized people, community leaders, academics, and practitioners who work in the field of poverty reduction.
Associated links
Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy
Poverty Reduction Act
National Advisory Council on Poverty
Reports of the National Advisory Council on Poverty
SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
Contacts: For media enquiries, please contact: Jennifer Kozelj, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, 343-540-6643, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
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