Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for the invitation to speak here today about the 2026-27 main estimates for the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada portfolio.
I am happy to be here to provide an overview and to cover the progress we've been making in building complete, connected and resilient communities. That is our mission.
I'm joined today, as the chair mentioned, by Paul Halucha, our deputy minister, and Michelle Baron, our assistant deputy minister and CFO.
I'll dive right in to talking about HICC, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, its partners and how we work closely together to invest in the critical infrastructure that makes a real difference in communities big and small. Together, we take action to build stronger communities, with good neighbourhoods and the homes that people can afford.
For the 2026‑27 main estimates, HICC is seeking just over $17 billion in funding, representing a net increase of $9,076 compared to the previous year’s main estimates. This increase for 2026‑27 is primarily influenced by the continued delivery of the investing in Canada infrastructure program and the Canada public transit fund. These two programs are providing long-term, stable federal investments that build connected communities, support economic growth and create good jobs.
While the Canada public transit fund, CPTF, and the investing in Canada infrastructure program, ICIP, continue to advance, it's also important that we look ahead and highlight the progress we are making to support community infrastructure, invest in major projects and improve housing affordability. Through the new $51-billion build communities strong fund, the department is making generational investments that will modernize Canada's infrastructure and will unlock housing supply and support economic growth. This includes funding for housing-enabling infrastructure, health infrastructure and infrastructure at colleges and universities.
We are moving quickly. In March, we announced the Canada-Ontario partnership to build, which will reduce development charges and increase housing affordability. Just last week, I announced a comprehensive agreement to deliver approximately—