Canada rolls out $30 billion homelessness plan, starting with Winnipeg
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Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a $30 billion national housing and homelessness initiative, with $1 billion for Manitoba, and said the plan depends on coordination across government, business, and philanthropy.
Prime Minister Mark Carney used a budget presentation in Winnipeg to unveil a $30-billion coordinated national plan aimed at ending homelessness in Canada within ten years. The first tranche will provide Manitoba with $1 billion to construct more than 2,000 supportive and transitional homes and to establish a new Winnipeg Centre for Mental Health and Addictions, part of a large-scale federal push to restore order to a problem that has become impossible to ignore.
Speaking at the construction site of a First Nations-led affordable-housing project, Carney said the effort will require “ambition, execution and partnership amongst all levels of government, with contributions from philanthropy and business.” He emphasized that the plan combines new budget spending with the renewal of existing programs, presenting the initiative as a practical, disciplined response rather than another round of empty promises.
Manitoba’s NDP Premier Wab Kinew praised the announcement, describing it as a significant deal for the province and noting the impact of homelessness on children he meets in schools. His comments highlighted just how badly the system has failed families, schools and communities that have been forced to cope with the consequences.
The Liberal government, which campaigned on “Canada’s most ambitious housing plan since the Second World War,” aims to double the pace of housing construction to nearly 500,000 new homes a year. A newly created federal agency, Build Canada Homes, will assume some responsibilities previously held by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), a shift that reflects the government’s belief that stronger central coordination is needed.
CMHC data released earlier this year showed housing starts flattening in September and projected a decline to 223,400 starts in 2027, down from 241,400 in 2026 and 259,028 in 2025. The budget also earmarks $45 billion over ten years for a range of housing policies, including mental-health and addiction support, as Ottawa tries to correct years of drift and underperformance.
Federal Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson acknowledged past challenges in Vancouver, attributing earlier shortfalls to a lack of coordination among federal, provincial and municipal governments, and stressed that coordinated action is essential for the new target. In other words, if governments actually work together and stop obstructing progress, the plan may have a chance to succeed.