Hey, Carney intends to end homelessness! A Worthwhile Canadian Initiative in our budget

Timothy Schmalz' Homeless Jesus statue 

About 40 years ago, the New Republic had a World's Most Boring Headline contest and the headline that won was "Worthwhile Canadian Initiative".

Hard to beat that, really.
So yes, I know, stories about today's Canadian Budget can look pretty dull.
But while most of the coverage is about what our taxes will be, it's more important to look at what the government will do with that money. 

And setting a goal to end homelessness in ten years is outstanding - life-changing, humane, and easily monitored to make sure Carney is succeeding. 

On CBC's At Issue, the panel talked about trade negotiations and the budget, mentioning the homelessness initiative. Althea Raj speculated that Carney's interest in homelessness may have been sparked by seeing the tents along Wellington Street as he drives to work.

Yes, but so what if it was? Have we reached such a point of blasé indifference that the sight of people huddled in doorways and tents lining the fences near so many Canadian city streets shouldn't affect us anymore? 

If Houston and Denver can do it, so can Canada.

 

Whoa...did not see this coming... It's ambitious - but it's a good ambition! www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

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— The Werewolf (@thewerewolf.bsky.social) November 5, 2026 at 8:39 PM

Alright alright alright, now we're talking!

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— John Muller (@mrjohnmuller.bsky.social) November 5, 2026 at 3:55 PM

Budget 2026’s major housing and homelessness investments give Canada an opportunity to move more people into affordable, safe, and stable homes. Municipalities are ready to deliver. Full reaction to follow. #CDNMuni #cdnpoli #Budget2026 @timtierney.ca

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— FCM (@fcm.ca) November 5, 2026 at 3:25 PM

Here is the CBC At Issue discussion:

TLDW (Too Long; Didn't Watch) General concensus that Canada should hold off on making any kind of trade deal with Trump until we evaluate what the impact of the Mid-Terms will be, and whether Congress will be able to regain control of trade. General approval of the budget goals, particularly reconciliation initiatives, ending homelessness, and increasing competition in data services.

Some other comments about the budget:

Mark Carney: "The debt-to-GDP ratio... I don't know what the leader of the opposition's inability to actually read the budget -- the debt-to-GDP ratio is down by 3 percentage points."

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— Scott Robertson (@sarobertson.bsky.social) November 5, 2026 at 6:04 PM

APTN’s Fraser Needham shares the details on the federal budget released by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government earlier today, including the billions that will be going towards Indigenous priorities.

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— APTN News (@aptnnews.bsky.social) November 5, 2026 at 6:30 PM

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— The Globe and Mail (@theglobeandmail.com) November 5, 2026 at 7:29 PM

🇨🇦 Carney's new budget includes $300M more for CBC/Radio-Canada over two years, $11.2B for homelessness, expanded grocery benefits and major cultural investments. Local journalism and Canadian storytelling are getting new support. Will these commitments deliver lasting results?

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— Save the CBC 🇨🇦✌️ (@savethecbc.bsky.social) November 5, 2026 at 3:30 PM

I thought this was a very interesting summary graph:

Budget 2026 in one graph

- Trevor Tombe

Read on Substack

Pierre Poilievre says Conservatives will vote against the budget. Thanks to the Liberals' majority, Andrew Scheer won't have to humiliate himself hiding behind the curtains this year

- Scott Robertson

Read on Substack

I guess Trump crashed and burned just in time. It seemed like some pundits are delighted to return to bashing the Liberals over the deficit... which is, due to oil revenues, actually in better shape this year than it was projected to be. Oh.

Tasha Kheiriddin: The federal government's sea of red ink can no longer be ignored nationalpost.com/opinion/tash...

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— National Post (@nationalpost.bsky.social) November 3, 2026 at 9:00 PM

A striking feature of recent budgets: the sharp and growing divergence between the budget deficit and the government's "financial requirement," which includes off-budget activities. Until recently there was little difference between the two. Now the gap is enormous. https://t.co/edCERyGMb7

— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 (@acoyne) November 6, 2026

Yet somehow the budget was also too "corporate" for some others

The feds have produced a big business budget masquerading as the answer to cost of living @davidmaccdn.bsky.social #cdnpoli #cdnecon www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

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— CCPA — Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (@policyalternatives.ca) November 5, 2026 at 4:54 PM

I'm also seeing comments about whether Canada can now trust the States again - get a quick trade deal, buy their stuff again, go back to visiting, and all that. 

Not!

Journalist George Froehlich writes

Premiers Cheer, Ottawa Shrugs What happened: Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the U.S. midterm results give Canada “a little more leverage.” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe calls them a chance to reset the relationship and restore free trade. But Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is downplaying expectations, saying Ottawa will see over the coming weeks whether anything changes at the negotiating table.
My take: The premiers can celebrate. Ottawa can’t afford to. Trump still holds the tariff pen for two more years, and nothing angers him more than a gloating trading partner. LeBlanc’s caution isn’t weakness - it’s smart negotiating. The leverage is real. The trick is using it without saying so.

So, the fling is over and our ex thinks they can just come home and take up where they left off? Sorry, but we changed the locks and put your stuff out on the front porch. We may eventually be cordial again if a lot of conditions are met, but don’t count on it. You betrayed us and there is no real coming back from that.

- Joanne Pettis 🇨🇦

Read on Substack

Only if they get rid of the Electoral College too

- Cathie from Canada

Read on Substack

This is a story from Apple News but I hadn't seen it anywhere else

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