Canadians will see some new laws and measures kick in this April
Some new laws and measures are set to take effect in Canada next month.
From laws that could impact your access to health care to new measures that aim to help affordability in Canada, you may want to stay up to date on any policies that could affect you in April.
Here are the new laws and rules you can expect in Canada in April 2026.
Update to Canada’s free health-care plans
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Canadians who are paying out of pocket for certain necessary medical services could get some relief starting next month.
Last year, former Minister of Health Mark Holland outlined the new Canada Health Act (CHA) Services Policy. It directs Canadians’ provincial or territorial health-care plans to cover services considered medically necessary, whether provided by a physician or a physician-equivalent, like a nurse practitioner.
Holland said health-care delivery in the country has had to evolve to meet Canadians’ needs. This includes nurse practitioners now diagnosing, referring, and treating patients, which are tasks historically handled by a primary care physician.
So, starting on April 1, any medically necessary physician-equivalent service provided by regulated health professionals like nurse practitioners should be covered by provincial and territorial health-care plans.
Any charges to Canadians for these services that occur on or after that date will be considered extra-billing and user charges under the CHA.
“This means every dollar wrongfully taken out of the pockets of Canadians will be deducted from the [provincial and territorial] health transfers,” Holland explained. “[Provinces and territories] will be eligible for reimbursement once patient charges and the circumstances which led to them are eliminated.”
To learn more, read Daily Hive’s article from last year.
Canada Groceries and Essential Benefit payments go out
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In January, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a top-up to the GST credit, rebranding it as the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit.
The legislation, which aims to offset soaring grocery costs for over 12 million low- and modest-income Canadians, received royal assent on Feb. 12. This means Canadians will be getting the scheduled grocery rebate soon.
According to Canada’s Department of Finance, the new benefit will be indexed to inflation and builds on the existing GST Credit, providing $11.7 billion in additional support over six years.
Altogether, the federal government says this will provide up to an additional $402 to a single individual without children, $527 to a couple, and $805 to a couple with two children.
Eligible Canadians should receive a deposit for the new rebate on April 2, in line with the original GST credit payment dates.
For more details on how much you could receive, check out Daily Hive’s latest post.
More details on Ottawa offering tens of thousands of foreign workers permanent residence
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Canada has reportedly begun the rollout of a measure offering 33,000 foreign workers permanent residence over 2026 and 2027.
In an exclusive interview with the Toronto Star, Minister of Immigration Lena Metlege Diab revealed that the federal government had soft-launched a program offering 33,000 skilled temporary foreign workers permanent residence. The plan was first announced in November in Budget 2025.
She did not disclose how many foreign workers have been offered permanent residency, but stated that Ottawa would share more details in April.
Daily Hive followed up with the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) about this soft-launch.
Check out our article for more details on the one-time measure.