Federal Budget’s Vision of Canada Strong can’t see Heritage Places
On November 4th, the new federal government tabled its first budget in the House of Commons. Positioned as a plan to transform the economy, the Budget proposed over $1 trillion in spending over the next five years. Despite its rhetoric around cultural heritage, Budget 2025 turns a blind eye to heritage places and their fundamental connection to a strong and distinct Canada.
“The government is committed to protecting what makes Canada unique and brings Canadians together—through continued investments in our official languages, our public institutions, and our natural and cultural heritage.” Budget 2025: Canada Strong, p.167
The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, which has been one of the only federal funding sources for capital projects in heritage buildings, has been reduced to funding only new equipment, not the buildings that house that equipment. With no new funding for the National Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places, the financial squeeze tightens for the heritage institutions that ground our communities.
The Budget earmarks significant investments in housing ($25 billion), all focused on new construction. There is no provision for rehabilitating existing underused buildings as a faster, less expensive route to increased accommodation for Canadians. Even the relief from the GST for first time home buyers only applies to the purchase of new homes. Similarly, the response to the climate crisis fails to account for the significant carbon savings available through re-use of existing buildings.
It remains unknown what impact 15% cuts in the government departments that support heritage programs and activities – Parks Canada, the Department of Canadian Heritage and (for federal heritage) Public Services and Procurement Canada – will have.
The section of the Budget entitled “3.3 Protecting Canadian Culture, Values, and Identity” provides funding for Canada Day celebrations and renews the Canada Strong Pass. Historic sites and heritage places are not mentioned even once in the more than 400-page budget document.
The one glimmer of hope in the budget is the investment in youth employment and skills training. With a total proposed investment of $307.9 million, heritage organizations and young people studying in heritage trades may be able to access some relief. We won’t know until more details of the programs are available.
Along with other national heritage organizations, the National Trust submitted a brief to the Minister of Finance about what we believed should be in this budget. Our modest requests for critical funding for programs to support historic places and museums and to advance an Indigenous cultural heritage rights framework were ignored.
What you can do
Write to your Member of Parliament, Prime Minister Mark Carney (pm@pm.gc.ca), Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Steven Guilbeault (hon.steven.guilbeault@pch.gc.ca), and Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson (minister-ministre@infc.gc.ca). Tell them that you care about the historic places in your community, the skilled green jobs they create, and the importance of using our existing building stock to respond to the housing crisis.
What the National Trust is doing
Like you, we are sharing our dismay with the Prime Minister and ministers. We are also going to Parliament Hill on December 9th to meet with MPs and Senators from all parties, to talk about the value of heritage places and the ways that the federal government can support communities in every riding across Canada to profit from their unique histories and heritage.
Heritage is the backbone of our identity. Government must act now—preserve it, fund it, and secure our future.
