Actions and Commitments

Call to Action # 14: Language and Culture (13-17)

Federal Budgets 2016-2021

April 19, 2021

Budget 2016 – 17

  • Language and Culture: $55M per year for 5 years
  • Aboriginal Languages Initiative: $5M for 2016 – 2017

Budget 2017 – 18

  • Aboriginal Languages Initiative: $23M per year for 3 years
  • Library and Archives Canada: $14.9M over 3 years to digitize
  • National Research Council: $6M to preserve oral histories

Budget 2019 – 20

Support Implementation of Bill C-91: $333.7 over 5 years

Federal Budget 2019 to support implementation of Bill C-91

2019-202020-212021-222022-232023-24
$15M$44$72$87$116M
4.4%13.2%21.6%26.1%34.8%

Budget to support implementation is heavily back-ended to after the next election

Budget 2021

Budget 2021 proposes investments in three areas:

  • $275 million over five years, beginning in 2021-22, and $2 million ongoing to Canadian Heritage, to support the efforts of Indigenous peoples in the reclamation, revitalization, and strengthening of Indigenous languages as a foundation for culture, identity, and belonging. This funding will support various initiatives such as languages and culture camps, mentor-apprentice programs and the development of Indigenous languages resources and documentation
  • $14.9 million over four years, beginning in 2021-22, to support the preservation of Indigenous heritage through Library and Archives Canada. This will ensure that Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, and all people in Canada have meaningful access to their cultures and languages.
  • $108.8 million over two years, beginning in 2021-22, to reestablish and revitalize Indigenous cultural spaces. Having a dedicated, permanent space to share culture is a key component of building strong Indigenous identities. Establishing cultural spaces that are inclusive of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people will help ensure they have a seat at the decision-making table. This proposal responds to the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which calls for all Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people to be provided with safe, no barrier, permanent, and meaningful access to their cultures and language.