Between December 2024 and March 2025, more than 2,000 Canadian youth shared their priorities and preferences for the federal government from all provinces and territories, through the CIVIX Student Budget Consultation.

Regarding main priorities, youth in Canada wanted the next budget to focus on the cost of living, housing and healthcare.

Regarding the most important steps the federal government could take to support young Canadians, the top federal priorities that would best support Canadian youth were decreasing the cost of living and everyday essentials, increasing housing affordability and improving access to mental health support.

If they were given the opportunity to speak to the finance minister, the most common messages shared by students were around lower taxes and affordable housing. For those youth who participated in March 2025 and onward, they want the federal government to focus on a lower cost of living, and improving relations with the United States.

You can view a preliminary results report here. 

We want to thank the dedicated educators from more than 600 schools who registered to participate in this program. We look forward to running the Student Budget Consultation program again during the next year school, in advance of Budget 2026. 

About the Student Budget Consultation

The Student Budget Consultation provides youth with an opportunity to learn about budgeting and public finance, and share their priorities for the upcoming budget. 

The 2025 Student Budget Consultation was organized by CIVIX.

The 2025 Student Budget Consultation survey was designed in collaboration with Abacus Data.

About CIVIX

CIVIX is a registered charity dedicated to strengthening democracy through civic education. CIVIX provides experiential learning opportunities to help young Canadians practice the habits of active and informed citizenship, and connect with their democratic institutions.