Government Commitments

Government Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation

Budget 2023: Advancing Reconciliation

April 9, 2023

Budget 2023 commits $4,096M to Indigenous Nations as follows:

Budget Item (Millions)2022-232023-242024-252025-262027-282028-29Total
Self-Determination and prosperity for Indigenous People011122211010$173
Investing in Indigenous Communities
Indigenous Health Priorities$0$534$76$76$70$70$827M
MMIWG National Action Plan$2$21$31$28$21$21$125M
Supporting First Nations children171$0$0$0$0$0$171M
Gottfriedson Band Class Settlement Agreement$2,800$0$0$0$0$0$2,800M
TOTAL$2,973$556$107$104$91$91$4,096

Take away the one-time funding amounts listed below, then Budget 2023 invests a total of $591M for the 2023-24 Budget year to Indigenous peoples.

  • $2,800 to settle a class-action lawsuit
  • $171M for Jordan’s principle in Child Welfare and Health that addresses jurisdictional issues between the federal and provincial governments in delivering services to indigenous children and youth
  • $534M for NHIB Benefits and medical travel + TB funding for Inuit Nunangat

It is somewhat ironic that $100% of the $176.3M identified below and allocated for “Self-Determination and Prosperity for Indigenous People” is being given to government agencies and not directly to Indigenous organizations themselves.

BUDGET DETAILS

Investing in Indigenous Communities

Indigenous Health Priorities
AmountDurationDescription
$810.6M5 yearsTo support medical travel and to maintain medically necessary services through the NonInsured Health Benefits Program, including mental health services, dental and vision care, and medications.
$16.2M3 years$16.2 million over three years, beginning in 2023-24, for interventions to reduce rates of tuberculosis in Inuit communities.
MMIWG National Action Plan
AmountDurationDescription
$20M4 yearsTo support Indigenous-led projects for safer communities through the Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative.
95.8M + $20.4M ongoing5 yearsTo help Indigenous families access information about their missing and murdered loved ones, and to enhance victim services to support their healing journeys. This funding would renew existing programming and expand it to include support for families of 2SLGBTQI+ Indigenous victims who are men.
$2.6M3 yearsTo support the National Family and Survivors Circle in keeping families and survivors at the centre of the implementation of the National Action Plan and the Federal Pathway.
$2.2M5 yearsTo establish an oversight mechanism to monitor and report on the progress of implementation.
$1.6M2 yearsTo support the Ministerial Special Representative appointed to provide advice and recommendations on the creation of an Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson.
$2.5M5 yearsTo facilitate and coordinate work on advancing the National Action Plan by establishing a standing Federal-Provincial-Territorial-Indigenous table on MMIWG and 2SLGBTQI+ People. This table will provide a specific forum to take action on areas of shared roles and responsibilities regarding MMIWG and 2SLGBTQI+ People, including prioritizing discussion on how to launch a “Red Dress Alert” to notify the public when an Indigenous woman or two-spirit person goes missing.
Supporting First Nations Children
AmountDurationDescription
$171M1 YearTo Indigenous Services Canada to ensure First Nations children continue to receive the support they need through Jordan’s Principle.
$444.2M3 years2022 Fall Economic Statement Budget 2023 also provides $444.2 million over three years, starting in 2022-23, to support Peguis First Nation in Manitoba and Louis Bull Tribe First Nation in Alberta to exercise jurisdiction over their child welfare systems and make decisions about what is best for their children and families.

Self Determination and Prosperity for indigenous Peoples includes:

AmountDurationDescription
$76.3M1 yearTo Indigenous Services Canada to continue to support the administrative capacity of First Nations governments and tribal councils delivering critical programs and services to their members.
Increasing Participation in Northern Environmental Decision-Making
$19.4M5 yearsTo Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada for the Northern Participant Funding Program to increase the participation of Indigenous Peoples and other Northerners in environmental and regulatory assessments of major projects.
$1.6M2 yearsto the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
for the Northern Projects Management Office to increase capacity for federal participation in environmental assessments and consultation with Indigenous communities on major projects in the territories.
Creating Prosperity with Indigenous People
$5M1 yearTo Indigenous Services Canada to support the co-development of an Economic Reconciliation Framework with Indigenous partners that will increase economic opportunities for Indigenous Peoples, communities,
Supporting Indigenous Economic Participation in Major Projects
$8.7M1 yearTo Natural Resources Canada to support deeper engagements with Indigenous partners, including Indigenous rights-holders, towards the development of the National Benefits-Sharing Framework.
The Canada Infrastructure Bank will provide loans to Indigenous communities to support them in purchasing equity stakes in infrastructure projects in which the Bank is also investing. These loans will be sourced from the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s existing funding envelope.
Advancing Economic Reconciliation by Unlocking the Potential of First Nations Lands
$30M5 yearsTo Indigenous Services Canada to enhance the Reserve Land and Environment Management Program, ensuring First Nations can develop capacity to exercise increased responsibility over their lands, resources, and environment.
$35.3M3 yearsTo Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Natural Resources Canada to co-develop, with the Lands Advisory Board, a new First Nations-led National Land Registry that
will provide communities in First Nation Land Management with more opportunities to realize the economic benefits arising from local control over their lands.
Through Budget 2023, the government reaffirms its commitment to negotiate a renewed operating funding formula with the Lands Advisory Board to ensure the continued growth and success of First Nation Land Management.