Question Period Note: Budget 2025

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• Federal Budget 2025 is an investment budget that builds Canada strong with Indigenous partners.

• We are making generational investments in clean water, housing, northern health, and community infrastructure.

• These investments recognize that Indigenous Services Canada and Indigenous partners deliver important services that will make life more affordable and ensure that First Nations, Inuit, and Métis are able to live well.

• First Nations Water and Wastewater: $2.3B over 3 years, starting in 2026-27, to renew the First Nations Water and Wastewater Enhanced Program. This funding will maintain progress on approximately 800 active projects, including those focused on ending remaining water advisories and preventing new ones by upgrading at-risk systems.

• Infrastructure Investments: The Government of Canada intents to explore the creation of a bonding and surety backstop pilot project for First Nations contractors on reserve to enable on-reserve construction companies to bid for infrastructure projects, as well as a standalone pilot scheme to monetize federal transfers to support financing for First Nations infrastructure on reserve.

• Indigenous Housing Strategy: ISC will coordinate a cross-government Indigenous Housing Strategy following engagement with First Nations on reserve, Inuit Treaty Organizations, Métis governments, and Modern Treaty holders and Self-Governing Indigenous Governments.

• Strategic Partnership Initiative: The Government of Canada is providing $40 million over two years, starting in 2025-26, to ISC through the Strategic Partnerships Initiative to support Indigenous capacity building and consultation on nation-building projects prior to designation under the Act.

• National School Food Program: Budget 2025 proposes to introduce legislation and provide $216.6 million per year, starting in 2029-30, to Employment and Social Development Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, to make the National School Food Program permanent.

• Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, including Canada Summer Jobs (FNIYES): Budget 2025 proposes to provide $307.9 million over two years, starting in 2026-27, for the horizontal Youth Employment and Skills Strategy to provide employment, training, and wraparound supports (e.g., mentorship, transportation, mental health counselling) to around 20,000 youth facing employment barriers annually. $20.1 million of this is offset by funding already provisioned in the fiscal framework.

• Northern Health Services Assessment: To improve health care access and services, Budget 2025 announces the government’s intention for the Minister of Health and the Minister of National Defence, in collaboration with the Minister of Indigenous Services and the Minister of Northern Affairs and Arctic Affairs, to undertake a comprehensive assessment of health care and health infrastructure needs in the North, with the goal of identifying innovative ways to increase access to health care in northern communities and reduce medical travel costs through engagement with Northen and Arctic Indigenous Peoples

• Program Review: The government remains committed to reconciliation. Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Indigenous Services Canada deliver important programs that are legally or constitutionally required, including child and family services, primary health care, and essential community infrastructure. The government will review how these organizations can deliver these programs more efficiently, with a two per cent savings target.

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