Canada's 2026 budget puts $4 billion into culture, museums and journalism
Canada's 2026 federal budget sets aside $4 billion in cash over five years for national museums and art galleries, journalism measures, free access to certain cultural sites for people under 25, and a new national digital library, according to The Globe and Mail.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne tabled the budget. The Globe reported that it positions culture as part of defending national sovereignty, meaning the country's ability to govern itself.
The budget proposes $46.3 million over five years, starting in 2026-27, and $11.5 million a year ongoing for national museums. It also includes free admission to national museums, according to the federal budget document and the Department of Finance. Library and Archives Canada would create a free national digital collection of Canadian books.
For local festivals and events, the budget provides $325 million to mark Canada's 160th anniversary in 2027.
On journalism, the budget expands a tax credit that offsets newsroom wage costs for qualifying private audio and audiovisual news organizations. Separately, it provides $134 million over four years, starting in 2027-28, and $41 million ongoing to support local journalism, according to the Department of Finance.
The budget also follows a change in policy on streaming services. In May, the broadcast regulator, the CRTC, announced a plan to require foreign streamers to fund Canadian content through a 15-per-cent levy under the Online Streaming Act, the law that governs these services. In June, Ottawa cancelled that plan and said it would instead give $600 million to Canadian content creators. The Canadian Media Producers Association, an industry group, said the $600 million will come in the current fiscal year.
