Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau...

 Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence

April 8, 2024
Trenton, Ontario

We live in an increasingly complex world, and the security threats faced by Canada are rapidly changing. Growing challenges to the international order that has long protected Canada’s prosperity and security, the rising impact of climate change, and the rapid pace of technological change is all affecting Canada’s national interests. These trends are also having real and tangible impacts on the daily lives of Canadians.

In response to these challenges, the service of our Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is more important than ever – from defending Canada and securing our sovereignty in the Arctic, to protecting our continent alongside the United States, to providing life-saving assistance to Canadians impacted by natural disasters, to strengthening NATO’s collective defence and providing military assistance to help Ukraine defend itself, to increasing our presence in the Indo-Pacific.

We need a robust military that can defend Canada and protect Canadians at home, including in our North, while defending North America and our national interests abroad with Allies and partners. The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and the Minister of National Defence, Bill Blair, today released Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence and announced a new overall investment of $8.1 billion over five years and $73 billion over 20 years in defence spending to be included in the upcoming Budget 2024. Canada’s defence spending to GDP ratio is expected to rise to 1.76 per cent by 2029-30, a major step toward reaching the NATO commitment of 2 per cent.

Since the launch in 2017 of Strong, Secure, Engaged, Canada’s comprehensive defence policy, we have already invested to strengthen the CAF, and we are on track to more than double our defence spending from 2016-17 to 2026‑27. We are acquiring new fighter jets and maritime patrol aircraft, and new built-in-Canada Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels are being delivered to Canadian sailors. In 2022, we invested around $38 billion to modernize our contribution to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Our North, Strong and Free builds on these previous commitments, providing a renewed vision for defence and investing in Canada’s capacity to respond to the significant global shifts we have witnessed since the release of Strong, Secure, Engaged.

As Arctic waters become increasingly navigable due to the disproportionate impacts of climate change, Canada will be exposed to new vulnerabilities in the North, which is also NATO’s Northern and Western flank. The character of war is changing, while new and disruptive technologies as well as increasingly hostile autocratic states are redefining what it means to be safe and secure. Autocracies are challenging the international order that keeps Canada safe and prosperous. At a time when defence and security needs are changing faster than ever, Canada’s military needs to be equipped to keep us strong at home, secure in North America, and engaged in the world.

The most urgent and important task we face is asserting Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic and Northern regions, where the changing physical and geopolitical landscapes have created new threats. The investments outlined in Our North, Strong and Free will provide the CAF with the tools and capacity they need to defend Canada and protect North America. These include:

• $1.4 billion over 20 years to acquire specialized maritime sensors to conduct ocean surveillance. They will be used to monitor Canada’s maritime approaches, including in the Arctic and North, and will be a critical component of the CAFs’ ability to defend Canada from a growing range and sophistication of underwater threats, including vessel-launched missiles, underwater systems, ships, and submarines, on all three coasts.
• $18.4 billion over 20 years to acquire a more modern, mobile, and effective tactical helicopter capability. This will provide the CAF with the speed and airlift capacity to assert Canada’s sovereignty and respond to natural disasters and emergencies throughout the country.
• $218 million over 20 years for Northern Operational Support Hubs to better ensure Canadian sovereignty by establishing a greater year-round presence across the Arctic and the North, and invest in multi-use infrastructure that also meets the needs of territories, Indigenous Peoples, and Northern communities.
• $307 million over 20 years for airborne early warning aircraft that will vastly improve Canada’s ability to detect, track, and prioritize airborne threats sooner, ensuring a faster, better coordinated response with the United States when required.

At the same time, the security and prosperity of Canadians is ensured by the international rules and institutions that we helped build. Our investments to help the CAF advance Canada’s global interests and values include:

• $9.9 billion over 20 years to improve the sustainment of our naval fleets. This will include extending the life of the Halifax-class frigates and preserving the Royal Canadian Navy’s interim at-sea replenishment capability. These investments will help Canada maintain a globally deployable naval fleet capable of supporting NATO and engaging in operations, exercises, training, and defence diplomacy with key Allies and partners, among other activities.
• $5.5 billion over 20 years to acquire a comprehensive worldwide satellite communication capability. Working with our Allies, we will jointly develop updated access to the satellite constellations that enable the military to operate effectively around the world, including by better defending its communications against jamming or disruptions by adversaries while deployed.
• $2.8 billion over 20 years to stand up a joint Canadian cyber operations capability with the Communications Security Establishment, integrating the unique strengths of each organization into a unified team that will conduct active cyber operations in support of Canadian interests.
• $2.7 billion over 20 years to acquire long-range missile capabilities to enable our Armed Forces to deter threats to Canada from an appropriate distance and reach targets at greater ranges than our adversaries in combat.

None of this work is possible without the CAF members who bravely serve our country. Investments to support them include:

• $295 million over 20 years to establish a CAF Housing Strategy, build new housing, and rehabilitate existing housing so CAF members have safe and affordable places to call home where they and their families are posted.
• $100 million over five years to improve child care access for CAF personnel on bases across Canada.
• $497 million over 20 years to accelerate development of an electronic health record platform to improve the continuity of care as CAF members move between provinces and territories.
• $1.8 billion over 20 years to increase the number of civilian specialists in priority areas to accelerate and improve the purchase of new equipment, our capacity to recruit and train new soldiers, and infrastructure upgrades.

To enable future growth, we must also strengthen the foundations of defence – and invest in building an innovative Canadian Defence Industrial Base that can equip our military and create skilled, middle-class jobs across Canada. Our plan will support these objectives by investing in key areas, including:

• $10.2 billion over 20 years to maintain and renew National Defence infrastructure to support the required tempo of training, operations, and day-to-day military activities. These investments will range from asset maintenance and repair to other improvements to military facilities, such as piers and runways.
• $9.5 billion over 20 years to build a strategic reserve of ammunition and scale up the production of made-in-Canada artillery ammunition in partnership with Canada’s defence industry, to equip our Armed Forces and create good jobs.
• $9 billion over 20 years to sustain military equipment under the National Procurement Program to ensure the CAF can continue to receive the critical updates necessary to preserve their ability to deploy on operations.

This is about preserving our values of democracy, freedom, peace, and fairness for the next generation of Canadians, so they can enjoy the same security and prosperity that was given to us by our parents and grandparents. It is about supporting and honouring members of our Armed Forces and equipping them with the resources they need to keep Canadians safe in an increasingly unpredictable world. In Budget 2024, we are also building more homes faster, getting healthy food on kids’ plates, investing in health care, making life more affordable, and creating good jobs to make sure every generation can get ahead.

Quotes

“Members of our Armed Forces serve our country with unwavering dedication. With today’s announcement, we’re strengthening the Canadian Armed Forces with transformative investments in equipment, capabilities, and talent. As we tackle the evolving challenges ahead, including protecting and defending the Arctic, these investments will keep Canada safe, secure, and prosperous.”

— The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

“The brave Canadians who serve in our Armed Forces need cutting-edge equipment to protect Canadians and defend democracy. They help uphold the rules-based international order, which has enabled the decades of peace and prosperity that generations of Canadians have enjoyed. Our government is making transformative investments to secure our Arctic and ensure the Canadian Armed Forces can keep up with emerging threats today and in the years ahead.”

— The Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

“In our rapidly changing world, we are committed to fulfilling our essential responsibility of protecting Canada and its people. Our world has evolved significantly in the past few years, and we need to do more to respond to new security threats. Our North, Strong and Free outlines our plan to do more and is a significant step forward in meeting our commitments to our Allies. I thank our personnel for their dedication to protecting Canada – and I am more confident than ever in their future.”

— The Hon. Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence

“As Canada faces increasing and constantly evolving threats, the service of Canada’s military members is more important than ever. These investments will ensure that, from child care to housing, our servicewomen and men will be well equipped and well supported in all they do ‒ at home and on deployments.”

— The Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence

Quick Facts

• New defence funding outlined in Budget 2024 builds on historic investments the government has made to date to support members of our Armed Forces, strengthen Canada’s defence capabilities, and respond to global challenges. Together with our ongoing investments, these measures are expected to increase defence spending from 1.33 per cent to 1.76 per cent of GDP. Ongoing investments include:
  • Around $38 billion over 20 years to strengthen the defence of North America, reinforce Canada’s support of our partnership with the United States under NORAD, and protect our sovereignty in the North.
  • $11.5 billion over 20 years for Canada’s contribution to increasing NATO’s common budget and to establish a new regional office in Halifax for NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic.
  • More than $11 billion since 2015 to enhance benefits for veterans, including improvements to education, employment, and caregiver supports as well as the introduction of Pension for Life.
  • $4.4 billion over 20 years to enhance Canada’s cyber security by expanding cyber operations capability and shoring up critical infrastructure to fend off cyber attacks.
  • $3.8 billion over 20 years to acquire new critical weapons systems, replenish stocks of ammunition, and improve the CAF’s digital systems.
  • $3.5 billion to renew and expand Operation REASSURANCE, the CAF’s largest overseas mission, through which it contributes to NATO assurance and deterrence measures in Central and Eastern Europe.
  • $4 billion in military assistance for Ukraine.
  • $910 million to support military operations in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific region.
  • Nearly $1 billion over 20 years to support culture change and wellness in the CAF, and introduce amendments to the National Defence Act to implement key external recommendations to advance culture change.
• In recent months, the government has also announced significant acquisitions to enhance the defence of Canada and North America. This includes approximately 140 new aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) – including F-35 fighter jets, CC-330 Husky aircraft, and P-8A Poseidon aircraft – and a Remotely Piloted Aircraft System to provide the CAF with the capability to remotely engage targets in complex environments.
• In June 2022, the government made a landmark commitment of around $38 billion to invest in continental defence and modernize NORAD. We continue to advance several major projects to protect Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic, including:
  • New Arctic and Polar Over the Horizon Radar systems and enhanced space-based surveillance systems to expand situational awareness of Canadian territory and air and maritime approaches.
  • New long-range and additional short- and medium-range air-to-air weapons systems to expand the reach of Canadian fighters in engaging threats and respond to evolving air-based threats.
  • New command and control capabilities, including a modernized aerospace operations centre and enhanced Polar communications satellites.
  • New infrastructure initiatives at three forward operating locations and one deployed operating base across Canada’s North to support a more robust presence in the Arctic and the new capabilities Canada is acquiring, like the F-35.
• To protect our NATO Allies, Canada is more than doubling its military presence on Operation REASSURANCE – from about 1,000 troops to a sustained deployment of up to 2,200 troops by 2026, as committed in the July 2023 Roadmap on Scaling the eFP Latvia Battle Group to Brigade. Canada is also deploying additional capabilities to the Battle Group, including a Canadian Army Tank Squadron of 15 Leopard 2 Main Battle Tanks to Latvia. And starting this summer, Canada will begin to deploy RCAF helicopters to the Battle Group.
• The Government of Canada’s Budget 2024 will be tabled in the House of Commons by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.
• In recent days, the Prime Minister announced Budget 2024 would also:
  • Restore generational fairness for renters, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, by taking new action to protect renters’ rights and unlock pathways for them to become homeowners. Learn more.
  • Save more young families money and help more moms return to their careers by building more affordable child care spaces and training more early childhood educators across Canada. Learn more.
  • Create a National School Food Program to provide meals to about 400,000 kids every year and help ensure every child has the best start in life, no matter their circumstances. Learn more.
  • Launch a new $6 billion Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund to accelerate the construction or upgrade of essential infrastructure across the country and get more homes built for Canadians. Learn more.
  • Top-up the Apartment Construction Loan Program with $15 billion, make new reforms so it is easier to access, and launch Canada Builds to call on all provinces and territories to join a Team Canada effort to build more homes, faster. Learn more.
  • Support renters by launching a new $1.5 billion Canada Rental Protection Fund to preserve more rental homes and make sure they stay affordable. Learn more.
  • Change the way we build homes in Canada by announcing over $600 million to make it easier and cheaper to build more homes, faster, including through a new Homebuilding Technology and Innovation Fund and a new Housing Design Catalogue. Learn more.
  • Secure Canada’s AI advantage through a $2.4 billion package of measures that will accelerate job growth in Canada’s AI sector, boost productivity by helping researchers and businesses develop and adopt AI, and ensure this is done responsibly. Learn more.

Related Products

• Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence
• Backgrounder: Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence

Securing Canada’s AI advantage

April 7, 2024
Montréal, Quebec

Artificial intelligence (AI) has incredible potential to transform the economy, improve the way we work, and enhance our way of life. The global race to scale up and adopt AI is on, and Canada is at the forefront of this technology. To make sure we can seize every opportunity in the economy of the future, and set every generation up for success, we need to scale up our innovation ambitions. And do it in a way that brings everyone along. For Millennials and Gen Z, who feel their hard work isn’t paying off like it did for previous generations, we must invest in good-paying opportunities that help them get ahead. That’s why we’re focused on creating more good jobs, including in innovation and technology, which are among the highest paying of all industries.

AI is already unlocking massive growth in industries across the economy. Many Canadians are already feeling the benefits of using AI to work smarter and faster. The rapid advance of generative AI today will unlock immense economic potential for Canada, significantly improving productivity and reducing the time workers have to spend on repetitive tasks. Researchers and companies in Canada are also using AI to create incredible new innovations and job opportunities across all facets of the Canadian economy, from drug discovery to energy efficiency to housing innovation. In the past year, job growth in AI increased by nearly one third in Canada – among the highest growth of any sector. And most AI jobs pay well above the average income.

Canada has a world-leading AI ecosystem – from development, to commercialization, to safety. We have an advantage that can make sure Canadian values and Canadian ideas help shape this globally in-demand technology. Canada was the first country in the world to introduce a national AI strategy and has invested over $2 billion since 2017 to support AI and digital research and innovation. Since then, countries around the world have begun investing significant funding and efforts into AI to advance their economies, particularly in computing infrastructure. In order to maintain Canada’s competitive edge, and secure good paying jobs and job security for generations of young Canadians, we must raise the bar.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced a $2.4 billion package of measures from the upcoming Budget 2024 to secure Canada’s AI advantage. These investments will accelerate job growth in Canada’s AI sector and beyond, boost productivity by helping researchers and businesses develop and adopt AI, and ensure this is done responsibly.

These measures include:

• Investing $2 billion to build and provide access to computing capabilities and technological infrastructure for Canada’s world-leading AI researchers, start-ups, and scale-ups. As part of this investment, we will soon be consulting with AI stakeholders to inform the launch of a new AI Compute Access Fund to provide near-term support to researchers and industry. We will also develop a new Canadian AI Sovereign Compute Strategy to catalyze the development of Canadian-owned and located AI infrastructure. Ensuring access to cutting-edge computing infrastructure will attract more global AI investment to Canada, develop and recruit the best talent, and help Canadian businesses compete and succeed on the world stage.
• Boosting AI start-ups to bring new technologies to market, and accelerating AI adoption in critical sectors, such as agriculture, clean technology, health care, and manufacturing, with $200 million in support through Canada’s Regional Development Agencies.
• Investing $100 million in the NRC IRAP AI Assist Program to help small and medium-sized businesses scale up and increase productivity by building and deploying new AI solutions. This will help companies incorporate AI into their businesses and take on research, product development, testing, and validation work for new AI-based solutions.
• Supporting workers who may be impacted by AI, such as creative industries, with $50 million for the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program, which will provide new skills training for workers in potentially disrupted sectors and communities.
• Creating a new Canadian AI Safety Institute, with $50 million to further the safe development and deployment of AI. The Institute, which will leverage input from stakeholders and work in coordination with international partners, will help Canada better understand and protect against the risks of advanced or nefarious AI systems, including to specific communities.
• Strengthening enforcement of the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act, with $5.1 million for the Office of the AI and Data Commissioner. The proposed Act aims to guide AI innovation in a positive direction to help ensure Canadians are protected from potential risks by ensuring the responsible adoption of AI by Canadian businesses.

Today’s announcement is about investing in innovation and economic growth to secure Canada’s world-leading AI advantage today and for generations to come. This will create good-paying opportunities for every generation, boost innovation across the economy, raise productivity, and accelerate economic growth – and it’s just one of the things that we are going to be doing in Budget 2024. Alongside these measures, we’re building more homes faster, ensuring every kid has the food they need, investing in health care, making life more affordable, and creating good jobs to make sure every generation can get ahead.

Quotes

“AI has the potential to transform the economy. And our potential lies in capitalizing on the undeniable Canadian advantage. These investments in Budget 2024 will help harness the full potential of AI so Canadians, and especially young Canadians, can get good-paying jobs while raising our productivity, and growing our economy. This announcement is a major investment in our future, in the future of workers, in making sure that every industry, and every generation, has the tools to succeed and prosper in the economy of tomorrow.”

— The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

“Today, we are making a significant investment to boost our economic growth. This will keep Canada a global leader in AI and ensure we are at the very cutting-edge of new technologies. And most importantly, this will mean more high-paying careers for Canadians who are leading the charge in AI.”

— The Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada’s Budget 2024 will be tabled in the House of Commons by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.
• Since 2016, the federal government has committed: more than $16 billion to support scientific discovery, develop Canadian research talent, and attract top researchers from around the planet; and over $2 billion to foster growth across Canada’s AI ecosystem and digital infrastructure.
  • In 2017, Canada was the first country to establish a national AI strategy. The Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy is helping Canada maintain its position as a world leader in AI, businesses be more competitive, and Canadians benefit from growth in the digital economy. Phase 2 of the strategy was announced in 2022 with funding of more than $443 million.
  • The federal research granting agencies – the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) – together have awarded $936.8 million in funding for AI-related research since 2017-18.
  • Since 2017, the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) provided $705.8 million in contributions to AI-related firms. This funding supported 1,111 firms and 3,837 projects in the AI and Big Data Technology space.
  • In addition, the NRC Digital Technologies Research Centre has invested over $27 million both directly to firms and on collaborative AI projects related to natural language processing, Indigenous languages, and high-performance computing for AI.
  • In 2023, Canada announced renewed funding for the Global Innovation Clusters, including Scale AI, bringing total funding for the company to up to $284 million. Scale AI is dedicated to promoting collaboration in AI and supply chain management research and innovation by strengthening linkages between researchers in industry, academia, and research institutes in Canada and abroad, and providing financial support for AI and supply chain management projects.
  • Canada has also made significant investments in fast-scaling AI-related companies through the Strategic Innovation Fund, including Sanctuary AI and semiconductor firm Ranovus.
• Canada is also a leader in the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence:
  • Canada was recently ranked number 1 among 80 countries, tied with South Korea and Japan, in the Center for AI and Digital Policy’s 2024 global report on Artificial Intelligence and Democratic Values.
  • The Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA) was introduced in Parliament as part of Bill C-27 in June 2022. It is designed to promote the responsible design, development, and use of AI systems in Canada’s private sector, with a focus on systems with the greatest impact on health, safety, and human rights. Since the introduction of the bill, the government has engaged extensively with stakeholders on the novel challenges posed by generative AI. Canada is one of the first countries in the world to propose a law to regulate AI. Learn more.
  • The Voluntary Code of Conduct on the Responsible Development and Management of Advanced Generative AI Systems – announced in September 2023 and signed by major tech firms including Cohere, Ada, Coveo, BlackBerry, TELUS, OpenText, and IBM – enables companies to demonstrate that they are developing and using generative AI systems responsibly and strengthen Canadians’ confidence in the technology.
  • The Public Awareness Working Group on AI was launched in 2020 under Canada’s Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence with a mandate to examine avenues to boost public awareness and foster trust in AI. Its objective is to help Canadians have a more grounded conversation around AI, and help citizens better understand the technology, its potential uses, and its associated risks. The Working Group published a report on its public engagement activities in February 2023. A further public report is upcoming specifically on the Working Group’s engagement with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities to better understand their needs, interests, and priorities for AI development and use.
• Since the 1990s, Canada has been a leader in AI and deep learning, made possible by the research and innovations of the “Godfathers of AI”, Canadians Yoshua Bengio and Geoffrey Hinton. In the decades since, Canada has built up a robust and growing AI industry across Canada, anchored by our three national AI institutes in Montréal, Toronto, and Edmonton.
• Canada’s AI sector is a key job creator and driver of productivity, innovation, and economic growth.
  • In 2022-23, there were over 140,000 actively engaged AI professionals in Canada, an increase of 29 per cent compared to the previous year.
  • Canada has 10 per cent of the world’s top-tier AI researchers, the second most in the world.
  • Canada ranks first globally for year-over-year growth of women in AI (67 per cent growth in 2022-23 alone), first in the G7 for year-over-year growth of AI talent, and since 2019, has ranked first in the G7 for the number of AI-related papers published per capita.
  • The number of AI patents filed by Canadian investors increased by 57 per cent in 2022-23 compared to the previous year – nearly three times the G7 average of just 23 per cent over the same period.
  • In 2022, the Canadian AI sector attracted over $8.6 billion in venture capital, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of all venture capital activity in Canada.
  • Canada ranks third in the G7 in total funding per capita raised for AI companies, with more than 670 Canadian AI start-ups and 30 Canadian generative AI companies receiving at least one investment deal valued at more than $1 million USD since 2019.
• In recent days, the Prime Minister announced Budget 2024 would also:
  • Restore generational fairness for renters, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, by taking new action to protect renters’ rights and unlock pathways for them to become homeowners. Learn more.
  • Save more young families money and help more moms return to their careers by building more affordable child care spaces and training more early childhood educators across Canada. Learn more.
  • Create a National School Food Program to provide meals to about 400,000 kids every year and help ensure every child has the best start in life, no matter their circumstances. Learn more.
  • Launch a new $6 billion Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund to accelerate the construction or upgrade of essential infrastructure across the country and get more homes built for Canadians. Learn more.
  • Top-up the Apartment Construction Loan Program with $15 billion, make new reforms so it is easier to access, and launch Canada Builds to call on all provinces and territories to join a Team Canada effort to build more homes, faster. Learn more.
  • Support renters by launching a new $1.5 billion Canada Rental Protection Fund to preserve more rental homes and make sure they stay affordable. Learn more.
  • Change the way we build homes in Canada by announcing over $600 million to make it easier and cheaper to build more homes, faster, including through a new Homebuilding Technology and Innovation Fund and a new Housing Design Catalogue. Learn more.

Associated Links

• Responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI)
• Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program

Changing how we build homes in Canada

April 5, 2024
Calgary, Alberta

Everyone deserves to succeed. But today, for too many Canadians, especially Millennials and Gen Z, your hard work isn’t paying off like it did for previous generations. Your paycheque doesn’t go as far as costs go up, and saving enough seems harder and harder. It doesn’t have to be this way. Every generation should get a fair chance to get ahead.

One of the biggest pressures on people right now is housing. Young Canadians are renting more than ever and being priced out of their communities. Families are finding it difficult to get a good place to settle down. Seniors are being forced to downsize. The cost to build homes is too high, and the time it takes to finish projects is too long. We’ve already taken bold action to build more homes, faster, improve access to housing, and make homes more affordable – and we know there is more to be done.

We need to build more homes in Canada, and we need to do so like never before. As a country, we have to build homes smarter, faster, and at prices Canadians can afford. That means investing in ideas and technology like prefabricated housing factories, mass timber production, panelization, 3D printing, and pre-approved home design catalogues.

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced an over $600 million package to make it easier and cheaper to build more homes, faster.

These measures, from the upcoming Budget 2024, include:

• Launching a new $50 million Homebuilding Technology and Innovation Fund that will seek to leverage an additional $150 million from the private sector and other orders of government to support the scale-up, commercialization, and adoption of innovative housing technologies and materials, including for modular and prefabricated homes. The Fund will be led by Next Generation Manufacturing Canada, one of Canada’s Global Innovation Clusters.
• Delivering $50 million to modernize and expedite home building through the regional development agencies. This builds on the success of dozens of existing innovative projects already funded and underway in communities across the country, including those modernizing building practices through modular housing, mass timber construction, robotics, 3D printing, and automation.
• Delivering $500 million to support rental housing. With low-cost financing through the Apartment Construction Loan Program, this will support new rental housing projects using innovative construction techniques from prefabricated and modular housing manufacturers as well as other homebuilders.
• Launching a modernized Housing Design Catalogue to standardize up to 50 efficient, cost-effective, and liveable home blueprints. With $11.6 million in Budget 2024, this will include frames for modular homes, row housing, and fourplexes – that housing manufacturers, provinces, territories, and municipalities will be able to use to simplify and accelerate their housing approvals and construction timelines.

These measures will support made-in-Canada ideas and technologies and help grow the home building sector. They will use innovation to make it easier to build at the scale and pace we need to overcome the housing shortage. These measures, however, are just a launchpad to more ambitious solutions. We will further engage the housing, construction, and building materials sectors, along with labour unions, experts, and other partners, to develop a Canadian industrial policy for homebuilding – so that we can restore fairness for every generation.

This is about transforming how we build homes in Canada, and it is just one of the things we are doing in Budget 2024 to build more homes, faster. This week, we announced a $15 billion top-up to the Apartment Construction Loan Program, a new $6 billion Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund, a new $1.5 billion Canada Rental Protection Fund, and a $400 million top-up to the Housing Accelerator Fund. That’s hundreds of thousands of new homes fast-tracked. Alongside these measures, we’re getting healthy food on kids’ plates, investing in health care, making life more affordable, and creating good jobs to make sure every generation can get ahead.

Quotes

“We’re changing the way we build homes in Canada. In Budget 2024, we’re supporting a new approach to construction, with a focus on innovation and technology. This will make it easier and more cost-effective to build more homes, faster. You should be able to live in the community you love, at a price you can afford.”

— The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

“After the Second World War, Canada built new homes at a pace and scale never seen before. This happened with the help of a housing design catalogue which included cost-effective, simple-to-build designs that meant people could quickly move into a new home. Our new Housing Design Catalogue will make it possible to build more homes faster, and our new support for innovative construction methods means we can even further accelerate timelines so more Canadians can move into new homes even faster.”

— The Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

“We need to build more homes in this country, and in order to meet the moment, we need to change how we build them. These investments will help us take the new technologies and building techniques that exist today and deploy them on a scale that Canada has never seen before. This is an important step toward creating homes at prices Canadians can afford.”

— The Hon. Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada’s Budget 2024 will be tabled in the House of Commons by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.
• In recent days, the Prime Minister announced Budget 2024 would also:
  • Restore generational fairness for renters, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, by taking new action to protect renters’ rights and unlock pathways for them to become homeowners. Learn more.
  • Save more young families money and help more moms return to their careers by building more affordable child care spaces and training more early childhood educators across Canada. Learn more.
  • Create a National School Food Program to provide meals to about 400,000 kids every year and help ensure every child has the best start in life, no matter their circumstances. Learn more.
  • Launch a new $6 billion Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund to accelerate the construction or upgrade of essential infrastructure across the country and get more homes built for Canadians. Learn more.
  • Top-up the Apartment Construction Loan Program with $15 billion, make new reforms so it is easier to access, and launch Canada Builds to call on all provinces and territories to join a Team Canada effort to build more homes, faster. Learn more.
  • Support renters by launching a new $1.5 billion Canada Rental Protection Fund to preserve more rental homes and make sure they stay affordable. Learn more.
• The federal government is already helping homebuilders use new, innovative ways to build more homes, faster through the following investments:
  • Over $600 million through the Affordable Housing Innovation Fund to support innovative solutions for the next generation of housing in Canada.
  • $300 million through the Housing Supply Challenge to develop solutions to remove barriers that hinder housing supply.
  • $191.8 million over seven years and $7.1 million per year ongoing to conduct research and development on innovative construction materials and to revitalize national housing and building standards to encourage low-carbon construction solutions.
  • $38 million through the Green Construction through Wood program to encourage the use of innovative wood-based building technologies in construction projects.
  • $13.5 million per year to make the National Building Codes free to access and to modernize codes, including by reducing barriers to internal trade and aligning building codes across the country.
• Canada’s economic plan is to build more homes faster and to make housing more affordable. This plan also includes:
  • The Apartment Construction Loan Program, a $40 billion initiative that will be topped up with an additional $15 billion in Budget 2024 to boost the construction of new rental homes by providing low-cost financing to homebuilders. Since 2017, the Apartment Construction Loan Program has committed over $18 billion in loans to support the creation of more than 48,000 new rental homes. With our recently announced measures, the Apartment Construction Loan Program is now on track to help build over 131,000 new rental homes across Canada by 2031-32.
  • The Affordable Housing Fund, a $14+ billion initiative that supports the creation of new market and below-market rental housing and the repair and renewal of existing housing. It is designed to attract partnerships and investments to develop projects that meet a broad spectrum of housing needs, from shelters to affordable homeownership. As of December 31, 2023, the Fund has committed $8+ billion to repair or renew over 150,000 homes and support the construction of more than 32,000 new homes.
  • The Housing Accelerator Fund, a $4 billion initiative that will be topped up with an additional $400 million in Budget 2024 to encourage municipalities to incentivize building by making transformative changes, such as removing prohibitive zoning barriers. To date, the federal government has signed 179 Housing Accelerator Fund agreements which, combined, will fast-track an estimated total of over 750,000 housing units across the country over the next decade.
  • The Rapid Housing Initiative, a $4 billion fund that is fast-tracking the construction of 15,500 new affordable homes for people experiencing homelessness or in severe housing need by 2026. The Rapid Housing Initiative also supports the acquisition of existing buildings for the purpose of rehabilitation or conversion to permanent affordable housing units, focusing on the housing needs of the most vulnerable, including people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, women fleeing domestic violence, seniors, Indigenous Peoples, and persons with disabilities.
  • The Federal Community Housing Initiative, a $600+ million initiative that provides funding to federally administered community housing providers to stabilize their operations, subsidize rents for tenants in need, and maintain the current federally administered community housing stock, which includes 55,000 households.
• Progress on these and other programs and initiatives under Canada’s National Housing Strategy are updated quarterly at www.placetocallhome.ca. The Housing Funding Initiatives Map shows affordable housing projects that have been developed.
• Since 2015, the federal government has helped almost two million Canadians find a place to call home.

Statement by the Prime Minister on World Health Day

April 7, 2024
Ottawa, Ontario

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on World Health Day:

“Today, we celebrate World Health Day. We mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization and we renew our commitment to ensuring access to high-quality and inclusive health care for all Canadians.

“Canada’s universal public health system is a pillar of our national identity. For decades, it has provided Canadians the assurance they can get the care they need, whenever and wherever they need it. But this system has been under enormous strain in recent years. Hospitals are operating at full capacity, patients are unable to get a family doctor, and health care workers are overworked. That is unacceptable, and it’s why we’re making transformative investments to improve health care.

“We’ve committed close to $200 billion over the next decade to help provinces and territories support the health care needs of Canadians. We have reached bilateral agreements with all provinces and territories, squarely focused on making health care work better. This funding will help deliver improved access to family doctors, reduced wait times, more health care workers, stronger mental health care services, and targeted health services in Northern and Indigenous communities. And through our Aging with Dignity agreements, we’re improving home, community, and long-term care for seniors.

“In December of last year, we announced the Canadian Dental Care Plan – a transformative investment for families across the country to get the dental care they need. The plan removes financial barriers to dental health care for millions of uninsured Canadians. More than a million seniors are eligible to start getting dental health benefits as early as May of this year.

“Last February, we also took another major step by introducing the Pharmacare Act and paving the way toward national universal pharmacare in Canada. The Bill outlines our commitment to work with provinces and territories to ensure that Canadians have the coverage they need for their medications. For millions of Canadians, this means better access to contraceptives and control over their reproductive health, lower risks of complications from diabetes, and quality care, without worrying about the cost.

“For millions of people around the world, health care is increasingly threatened by conflict, diseases, food insecurity, and climate change. This year’s World Health Day theme – ‘My health, my right’ – reminds us that health care is essential. That’s why Canada is a leader in addressing health disparities and improving access to essential, life-saving care for people around the world. Under our 10-Year Commitment to Global Health and Rights, Canada has been increasing international assistance for global health to an average of $1.4 billion each year, including approximately $700 million to advance comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights. This funding helps deliver crucial health services to millions of people in countries around the world who would otherwise not have this access to care.

“When we invest in our health care systems, we invest in our people, in our communities, and in our future. On World Health Day, let us recommit to building a country – and a world – where everyone has access to safe and high-quality health care.”

Statement by the Prime Minister on the 30th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda

April 7, 2024
Ottawa, Ontario

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement marking 30 years since the beginning of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda:

“Today, we remember one of the most tragic losses of human life in history. Thirty years ago, the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda senselessly took the lives of over a million innocent people in just 100 days.

“On this sombre occasion, we stand with the people of Rwanda to honour the victims and the survivors of this genocide. Our thoughts go to their families, their loved ones, and all survivors who continue to live with the trauma.

“To those survivors who have chosen to make Canada their home, we stand with you always, especially throughout this painful period of commemoration.

“In the decades since this tragedy, the people of Rwanda have shown incredible courage and taken important steps to foster reconciliation and rebuild their country. Canada is a proud partner in this ongoing process. We reaffirm our support to Rwanda as it advances its development.

“Today, we also pay tribute to the United Nations peacekeeping force, which included a small number of Canadians and was led by Major-General Roméo Dallaire, facing extremely challenging circumstances to help those seeking refuge. Their service, which saved many innocent lives, will always be remembered.

“What happened in Rwanda in 1994 is a painful reminder of how hateful ideologies can lead to extremist violence. As we mark Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month this April, I invite Canadians to join in commemorating the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and all victims of genocide around the world. By confronting these painful truths and standing up against hate, we can ensure such atrocities are never repeated. Together, let us reflect on how we can foster a better, more inclusive, and more peaceful world for future generations.”

Statement by the Prime Minister on the passing of the Honourable Iona Campagnolo

April 5, 2024
Ottawa, Ontario

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the passing of the Honourable Iona Campagnolo:

“Today, I join Canadians in mourning the passing of Iona Campagnolo, a respected politician, former Cabinet minister, and former Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.

“Mrs. Campagnolo started her career in broadcasting in Prince Rupert. A believer in the importance of public service, she later became a member of her local school board and city council, then was elected as a Member of Parliament in 1974. She served under my father, Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, as Minister of State for Fitness and Amateur Sport, and was a strong voice for women’s rights both in Canada and around the world. She was also the first woman to serve as President of the Liberal Party of Canada.

“Mrs. Campagnolo’s contributions to Canada extended well beyond her political life. She returned to broadcasting, where she covered human rights stories and served in leadership roles in non-governmental organizations, including the North-South Institute, the Southern Africa Education Trust, and the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development.

“Mrs. Campagnolo never stopped serving British Columbians. She was elected Chancellor of the University of Northern British Columbia in 1992 and appointed as the 27th Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia in 2001. As the first woman to hold this title, she championed many causes, from climate action to gender equality to reconciliation.

“For her decades of tireless service, Mrs. Campagnolo received numerous awards and accolades, including honorary degrees, Indigenous honours, and the Order of British Columbia. She was also named a Member and then an Officer of the Order of Canada, a testament to her extraordinary career.

“Mrs. Campagnolo was a proud British Columbian and a role model for women in politics. Her relentless dedication, optimism, and commitment to equality will leave a lasting mark on Canada.

“On behalf of Canadians, I offer my deepest condolences to Mrs. Campagnolo’s loved ones and all British Columbians. Canada has lost a trailblazer. Her passion to create a better Canada – and world – will continue to inspire us for generations.”