Campaign 2000 responds to federal Canada Child Benefit increase: More action needed to end child poverty

TORONTO – Campaign 2000 welcomes the annual inflation adjustment to the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), announced by the federal government for the 2026–27 benefit year. Beginning this month, eligible families can receive up to $8,157 per child under age six and up to $6,883 per child aged six to 17, an increase of up to $160 and $135 per child, respectively, over last year’s maximum amounts.

Indexing the CCB to inflation is essential. It helps ensure that the benefit does not lose value as families face the rising  costs of groceries, rent, clothing, child care and other necessities. But today’s announcement maintains the status quo; it does not provide the scale of new investment needed to reverse the rise in child poverty or reach children and families living in the deepest poverty.

Campaign 2000’s 2025 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada shows that child poverty rose for the third  consecutive year. Using Canada’s official poverty line, 802,000 children (10.7%) live in poverty. Using a broader income measure with tax filing data, nearly 1.4 million children are living in poverty. Families with children in poverty are, on  average, more than $15,000 below the poverty line.

The report also finds that the CCB remains a critical poverty-reduction tool, and prevented more than 580,000 children  from falling into poverty in 2023. However, its impact has weakened over time as inflation, high housing costs, food insecurity and inadequate income supports push families further behind.

 “The Canada Child Benefit matters, and indexing it to inflation is necessary,” said Leila Sarangi, National Director of  Campaign 2000: End Child and Family Poverty. “But a modest annual adjustment will not reach families who are  thousands of dollars below the poverty line. Child poverty has more than doubled since 2020 on Canada’s official measure, and too many children are being left in deep poverty. The federal government must strengthen the CCB with a  targeted End Child Poverty Supplement so the children facing the greatest barriers get the income support they need now.”

Children and families experiencing the highest rates of poverty include lone-parent families, particularly those led by women; families that include people with disabilities; First Nations, Inuit and Métis children; racialized children; newcomer children; children in care; and families facing barriers to decent work, affordable housing and public services. These inequities are not inevitable; they are the result of policy choices and can be changed through sustained public investment. 

Campaign 2000 is calling on the federal government to restore and strengthen the poverty-reduction power of the CCB by introducing an End Child Poverty Supplement targeted to families in deep poverty. This supplement would build on the existing CCB platform and direct additional income support to the children and families who need it most.

“Canada has the tools to end child poverty,” added Sarangi. “The evidence is clear: income transfers work when they are  adequate, accessible and designed to reach those most excluded. Indexation protects the benefit from erosion, but  ending child poverty requires a bolder commitment.”

Read Press Release & 2025 National Report Card

Media contact:
Leila Sarangi, National Director of Campaign 2000: End Child and Family Poverty
Email: [email protected]
Phone Number : 647.393.1097