The best start for Canadian children

Canada's Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen, believes every child deserves the best start in life, which is why the country's child benefit has increased again.

During 2021-2022, the maximum annual benefit will be $6833 CAD for a child under the age of 6 and $5765 CAD for a child between the ages of 6 and 17 — an increase of $350 CAD per child from 5 years ago.

The Canada Child Benefit (CCB) was first introduced by the government to level the playing field for every family to successfully raise children under 18. Since then, each year the CCB has provided almost $25 billion CAD of tax-free support to around 3.5 million families. The benefit has already helped almost 435,000 children cross the poverty line into the middle class and put more money in the pockets of 9 out of 10 Canadian families, compared to the previous Child Benefit package.

"Today we are celebrating five years of providing more support to parents through the Canada Child Benefit. I've heard from many parents how much it means to them to be able to count on this extra help each month, especially in our difficult times. The Government of Canada will continue to take action through initiatives such as the CCB that put families and children first," said Ahmed Hussen.

In addition, in 2021, CCB-eligible families will also receive additional temporary support of up to $1200 CAD per child under the age of 6 to partially cover costs that have increased significantly due to the pandemic.