Budget offers $4B in cultural funding for museums, ice rinks, CBC

OTTAWA — The Liberal government says it is providing “unprecedented” support in the new federal budget for culture and recreation through $4 billion in funding over five years.

“Culture is foundational to a strong, proud and sovereign Canada,” says the budget document tabled Thursday.

The measures include a total of $783.1 million on a cash basis over five years for Canadian museums.

The budget says the money will go to support Canada’s national museums, the National Battlefields Commission, the National Arts Centre and Library and Archives Canada. It is to “help repair and renew aging facilities, protect national collections, and sustain the exhibitions, performances, and services that connect Canadians to our history and culture.”

The budget is also making admission to Canada’s national museums free for those under 25. It will provide $46.3 million over five years, and $11.5 million ongoing, to national museums and the National Battlefields Commission.

The National Gallery of Canada will get $60 million over four years on a cash basis for travelling exhibitions and improving digital access to its collections. The budget said this will help “Canadians across the country, including those in rural, northern, and remote communities, engage with Canadian and Indigenous art.”

The document also outlines $1.5 billion over nine years to construct and rehabilitate community recreational facilities and ice rinks across the country. The budget says the money “will help extend the life of aging facilities.”

The budget promises $300 million in new funding for CBC/Radio-Canada, which it says will allow the public broadcaster “to strengthen its capacity to meet the evolving needs of Canadians across the country.”

The funding effectively extends a $150 million increase included in last year’s federal budget.

The government is also renewing the Canada Strong Pass, which offers discounts on Via Rail travel and admission to museums and national parks, for another summer.

Other measures include $32.2 million over four years for a free national digital collection of books by Canadian authors.

“Launching with at least 200 titles in 2027-28, the collection will grow to more than 2,000 titles, with capacity for up to 2 million loans annually by 2031-32,” the budget document says.

The government also plans to consult on a new tax credit for artists. It says the tax credit, combined with the basic personal amount, will “provide tax recognition on up to $45,000 of annual qualifying net business income derived from original and creative artistic works.”

But the budget only includes one year of a promised $600 million in annual funding for Canadian content. The money was meant to replace financial contributions from streamers previously mandated by the CRTC.

The Canadian Media Producers Association said the funding would “serve as an essential bridge while the government works to deliver new policy directions for the Online Streaming Act.”

In June, the government said it would direct the CRTC to review its decision to require streamers to pay 15 per cent of their annual Canadian revenues to funds devoted to producing Canadian content. The government said it would instead provide funding directly to Canadian content producers and give the CRTC a new policy direction on how to implement the Online Streaming Act.

“In particular, we welcome the expedited timeline that will see these funds distributed within the current fiscal year. This will enable a number of ‘shovel-ready projects’ to go to camera in the coming months and for great Canadian stories to reach audiences across the country and around the world,” Reynolds Mastin, president of the media producers association, said in a statement.

The Association québécoise de la production médiatique said in a press release that it was happy the government followed through on its commitment, but that it had concerns about the lack of details about how the money would be distributed.

The budget will also provide $225 million in new funding next year for Canada’s 160^th anniversary, with the money going to a variety of uses, including Heritage Minutes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2026.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press