Budget 2026 Leaves Women Behind 

Canada’s 2026 Budget promises to put people at the heart of its priorities, but it fails to address urgent needs for women’s safety and economic security. 

Anishinaabe Territory/Ottawa, November 6, 2026 – The National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL) is deeply disappointed that Budget 2026 fails to address any of the key recommendations it put forward in its pre-budget submission. These included providing stable, long-term operational funding to national women’s rights organizations, addressing discriminatory Employment Insurance (EI) rules that penalize women who take parental leave, and increasing the Canada Disability Benefit to ensure that people with disabilities can live above the poverty line. 

These are urgent issues that directly affect women’s equality, economic security and access to justice. The government’s failure to act on these recommendations is particularly concerning given that its own gender-based analysis (GBA+) identifies 72 budget measures that will primarily benefit men, compared to only 19 that will primarily benefit women.  

At the same time, NAWL welcomes several important investments in Budget 2026, including more than $50 billion over 10 years to advance reconciliation and provide Indigenous Peoples with predictable, long-term funding for core programs; $60 million over four years, starting in 2027–28, and $15 million in ongoing funding to renew the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan; and $136.3 million over four years to advance the ongoing implementation of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy. 

Recognition, but no stable funding commitment for national women’s rights organizations 

NAWL appreciates the government’s recognition of the essential role national women’s rights organizations (NWROs) play in Canada’s policy and democratic infrastructure, and its commitment to exploring how best to preserve their expertise, networks and institutional knowledge. 

However, it is disappointing that the government did not commit to providing core funding to support leading NWROs in protecting women’s rights, addressing the epidemic of gender-based violence (GBV), and advancing women’s economic security and prosperity. Under this new budget, national women’s rights organizations continue to lack the stable operational support that the federal government provides to other national organizations, including more than 60 national sport organizations whose funding was recently doubled. 

Addressing the epidemic of gender-based violence 

Budget 2026 extends the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (NAP) through its full 10-year mandate, committing $607.4 million over four years, starting in 2027–28. This investment is essential to closing service gaps for survivors, particularly in rural, remote and Northern communities. 

However, this falls short of what is needed to fully fund the continuation of the NAP. NAWL called for $200 million annually over the next five years, starting in 2027–28, to ensure that services and supports for survivors can be sustained and strengthened. 

NAWL is also disappointed that the Budget does not renew funding for a comprehensive federal GBV strategy to coordinate and strengthen action at the national level. In its pre-budget submission, NAWL called for ongoing funding of $44 million annually to support this work. 

EI reform for apprentices (more than 80% men), but not for new mothers or to address other gender discrimination in the Employment Insurance Act 

Budget 2026 does not address the urgent need to ensure that people who lose their jobs during parental leave, or shortly after returning to work, remain eligible for regular EI benefits. 

In September, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled in Chalifour-Racine v. Canada that the current rules violate women’s equality rights under the Charter, giving Parliament one year to bring them into compliance. In the Court’s words, “the price the legislation exacts for granting maternity and parental benefits is the loss of job loss benefits, and this price is disproportionately paid by women.” 

The solution is straightforward: repeal the 50-week cap on combining regular and special benefits, and extend the benefit period to 104 weeks for parents receiving maternity and parental benefits. 

NAWL urges the government to include these amendments in the Budget Implementation Act. NAWL will also soon release a report documenting other forms of gender discrimination in the EI program, which must be addressed urgently. 

Failing to lift people with disabilities out of poverty 

NAWL is alarmed that Budget 2026 does not increase the income thresholds for the Canada Disability Benefit or shift the eligibility assessment from family income to individual income. As currently designed, the benefit cannot lift people with disabilities out of poverty, disproportionately affecting disabled women, who already face significant economic barriers. 

The benefit amount must increase, and eligibility must be based on individual rather than family income to ensure that people with disabilities can access the financial support they need. NAWL also joins DAWN Canada in calling for a refundable Disability Tax Credit (just as Budget 2026 makes the Canada Caregiver Credit refundable).