Free museums for under-25s, $783 million for museum repairs and a tax break for artists: what Canadians can count on from Budget 2026

These measures don’t all arrive at once, and the most generous-sounding one, a tax break for creators, is still just a concept that hasn’t even been designed yet. Knowing what’s real now, what’s coming and what’s still a proposal can keep families and self-employed creators from budgeting around money that isn’t there.

Which museums will be free for Canadians under 25 — and when?

The federal government is setting aside $46.3 million over five years, starting in 2026-27, plus $11.5 million a year after that, which will let national museums and the National Battlefields Commission waive admission for children and youth under 25, according to Budget 2026.

The budget doesn’t explicitly name any individual institutions, but Canadian Heritage, the federal department that oversees arts and culture, does list 10 national museums. Seven are in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, including the Canadian Museum of History, the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canadian War Museum and the National Gallery of Canada. The others are the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg and the Plains of Abraham Museum in Quebec City.

For families, the savings add up. Outside the Canada Strong Pass period, the Canadian Museum of History charges $18 for children aged 3 to 12, $20 for students aged 13 to 17, while young adults aged 18 to 24 pay the full $25 adult rate unless they have a student card. Under the new measure, everyone under 25 would get in free — parents and other adults 25 and over would still have to pay.

There are two caveats, though. First, the budget doesn’t give a start date. Second, “national” is the key word: provincial and municipal institutions, such as the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), set their own prices. Some, including the ROM, offered discounts during the summer Strong Pass, but that’s a separate program.

The free admission is part of a larger museum package. The budget also proposes $783.1 million over five years to help national museums and other federal heritage institutions repair aging facilities, protect their collections and keep exhibitions running. A separate $60 million over four years, starting in 2027-28, would let the National Gallery of Canada expand travelling exhibitions and online access to its collection, including for people in rural, northern and remote communities who may not be able to visit the institution on site.

What else is free — or about to be?

Budget 2026 proposes $76 million in 2027-28 to bring back the Canada Strong Pass for one more summer and it will expand discounted access to Indigenous-led museums and cultural centres.

The pass launched in summer 2025 and returned this year from June 19 to Sept. 7. The 2026 version offered free admission to Parks Canada sites, free national museum entry for kids 17 and under and 50% off for 18- to 24-year-olds, according to Canadian Heritage. VIA Rail, the national passenger rail service, let children ride free with an adult and gave young adults a 25% discount.