Parliamentary Secretary Maggie Chi Highlights Budget 2026 in Markham: $1.2 Billion to Extend Mental Health and Home and Community Care Agreements
Maggie Chi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, and Michael Ma, Member of Parliament for Markham—Unionville, met with partners and stakeholders in Markham, Ontario, on November 9 to highlight Budget 2026: Masters of our destiny, Canada's plan to build a stronger, more independent and resilient economy and make life more affordable for Canadians. Markham is home to one of Canada's largest Chinese-Canadian communities.
The budget proposes $1.2 billion in 2027-28 to extend mental health, addictions, and home and community care agreements, helping more Canadians access the care they need regardless of their ability to pay. Chi said every Canadian deserves access to quality health care, mental health supports, and community services when and where they need them, and that the investment helps more people access care closer to home, supports caregivers, and strengthens the health and well-being of communities across the country.
Other measures in the budget include a long-term housing strategy providing nearly $45 billion on a cash basis over the next 11 years, putting Canada on a path to end homelessness within 10 years; a $2 billion investment to help up to 820,000 households switch to heat pumps and support home retrofits through the new National Heat Pump Rebate; a one-time 50% increase to the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit for the 2026-27 benefit year, delivered in early 2027, worth up to $339 for a single person without children and up to $679 for a couple with two children; and $610.3 million over four years, starting in 2027-28, for Nutrition North Canada to help lower the cost of imported foods in northern communities. The budget also estimates that 240,000 people will be lifted out of poverty through the new Build Canada Workers Benefit.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said being masters of our destiny is about having the confidence to build on Canada's strengths and shape its own future. The budget keeps Canada on a path to balance day-to-day operating spending with revenues by 2027-28, a full year ahead of schedule, while keeping the deficit-to-GDP ratio on a declining path.
(Source: Health Canada)
Source: Health Canada
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加拿大安大略省 Markham 市政中心。Raysonho 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Markham Civic Centre in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Photo by Raysonho, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
