The 2026 Federal Budget comes at a time of heightened economic uncertainty. Canada is facing significant disruption from U.S. tariffs and ongoing threats of further trade action. Canada’s response must ensure that the costs of this uncertainty are not borne disproportionately by people who can least afford them. The federal government’s investments in workers, businesses, and economic resilience must be matched by strong protections for people living on low incomes and those most vulnerable to job loss, rising costs, and gaps in income supports.
A strong social safety net is essential to helping people weather economic shocks while also supporting a resilient economy. Budget 2026 should prioritize measures that strengthen access to disability benefits and income supports, protect low-wage and precarious workers, and ensure that people are not pushed deeper into poverty as economic conditions change.
ISAC’s recommendations focus on practical and urgent reforms that would make federal income supports more accessible, adequate, and responsive to the needs of people living on low incomes.
ISAC’s Federal Budget 2026 Recommendations:
- Make the Disability Tax Credit an effective, accessible, and accountable gateway to federal disability supports for all who need them
- Make the Canada Revenue Agency work for low-income people
- Wind Down CERB and CRB Debt Recovery Against Low-Income and Exploited People
- Make Employment Insurance (EI) accessible, adequate, and fair for all workers, including those in precarious, part-time, low-wage, and migrant work
- Make substantial investments to ensure income security and to advance self-determination of Indigenous Peoples
Read our full submission to the Department of Finance by clicking here.