Carney announces long-awaited automatic tax filing, makes school meal program permanent
The Liberal government will introduce a long-awaited automatic tax filing system for low-income Canadians and make the national school meal program permanent ahead of the federal budget, which the Prime Minister is promising will lay the groundwork to support the country’s most vulnerable citizens.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the measures Friday at a news conference in his home of Nepean, Ontario, where he also promised to extend the Canada Strong Pass through the holiday season and into the summer of 2026.
“In the budget, we have to make responsible and practical choices and, yes, difficult decisions,” Carney said.
“We will make practical decisions so we can protect the programs and initiatives that support the most vulnerable in our society. … We will create programs that will help you move forward.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking in Ottawa on Friday, announced three new measures that will be included in the federal budget to be tabled next month, including a permanent school meal program, automatic federal benefits and a renewal of the Canada Strong Pass.
The Liberal government of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first announced the automated tax filing system in the 2020 Throne Speech, before formally committing to implementing the program in the 2023 budget.
By law, people who owe taxes are required to file a return with the CRA each year, but many low-income Canadians – especially those living on government assistance – don’t expect to owe anything to the federal government, so they rarely file.
Carney said Canadians who fail to file returns when they earn less than the basic individual amount mean that Canadians “who need benefits most often do not receive benefits.”
Those benefits include the GST/HST tax credit, Canada Child Benefit, Canada Worker Benefit, Canadian Disability Benefit and Disability Tax Credit.
Carney said a single parent with two young children who earns $15,000 from a part-time job could be eligible for up to $25,000 in federal and provincial benefits.
A sustainable national school feeding program
Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that the system of automatic benefit filing will start Enrollment began in 2027 for about one million people with “simpler tax situations,” rising to 2.5 million in 2028 before being hit. 5.5 million low-income Canadians by 2029.
In the spring of 2024, the Liberal government announced it would provide $1 billion over five years to fund a national school food program, which will provide meals to more than 400,000 children per year.
Carney said Friday that since the program began, it has provided meals to 400,000 children annually, saving parents with two children about $800 a year.
“This is Canada. No child should have to go to school hungry or sit in class all day wondering where their next meal will come from,” he said. “All our children should be focused on learning.”
The Prime Minister said his government would “move forward with funding and legislation” to make the National School Meals Program permanent.
“The new Government of Canada will continue to work with provinces, territories and Indigenous partners to expand school meal programs across Canada, so even more children can benefit,” he said.
A PMO press release said the program will receive permanent annual funding of $216.6 million starting in 2029-30.
Carney also announced that the Canada Strong Pass will be extended from December 12 to January 15 to cover the upcoming holiday season and again for the summer of 2026.
The pass was created for the summer of 2025 to boost domestic tourism, making travel to Canada’s historic sites and parks free and making rail travel less expensive for young people. The pass expired on 2 September.
The pass provides all visitors free admission to national historic sites, national parks and national marine conservation areas administered by Parks Canada and a 25 per cent discount on camping fees.
This pass gives children 17 and under free admission to the National Museums and the grounds of the Abraham Museum – adults aged 18 to 24 get a 50 percent discount. The pass gives children free admission to select provincial and territorial museums and galleries, as well as a 50 per cent discount for those aged 18 to 24.
Children 17 and under also travel free on Via Rail when accompanied by an adult. Young adults ages 18 to 24 receive a 25 percent discount on tickets.
The pass increased VIA Rail ridership by 13 percent last summer and the number of visitors to parks, museums and historic sites increased by an average of 15 percent last summer, the PMO said.
