Archived - Budget 2019 Highlights: Indigenous and Northern investments
Archived information
This Web page has been archived on the Web. Archived information is provided for reference, research or record keeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please contact us to request a format other than those available.
Budget 2019 represents the next step in the ongoing path towards reconciliation and a better future for Indigenous peoples, Northerners and all Canadians. It builds on significant investments for Indigenous peoples of $16.8 billion provided in the last 3 budgets. The 2019 funding takes further steps towards reconciliation, which include investments in priority areas identified by First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation partners.
The government is investing $4.5 billion over the next 5 years in new funding towards Indigenous peoples. This investment represents the largest single line item in this year's budget and confirms its commitment towards Indigenous peoples.
On this page
Renewing the relationship
- Advancing reconciliation by settling specific claims: $40 million over 5 years plus $3.1 billion over 3 years for the replenishment of the Specific Claims Settlement Funds
- Moving forward on loan forgiveness and reimbursement for comprehensive claims negotiations: $1.4 billion over 7 years
- Enhancing Indigenous consultation and capacity support: $3 million over 2 years
- Honouring missing residential school children: $33.8 million over 3 years
- Supporting Indigenous youth and reconciliation: $15.2 million over 3 years
- Establishing a National Council for Reconciliation: $126.5 million in fiscal year 2020 to 2021
- Continuing work on the Matrimonial Real Property Implementation Support program: $3 million in fiscal year 2020 to 2021
- Engaging Indigenous communities in major resource projects: $12.8 million in fiscal year 2019 to 2020
- Recognizing Métis veterans: $30 million in fiscal year 2019 to 2020
- Recognizing and commemorating a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: $10 million over 2 years
- Supporting renewed legal relationships with Indigenous peoples: $10 million over 5 years
- Supporting the construction of an Indigenous Legal Lodge at the University of Victoria: $9.1 million over 3 years
- Supporting Indigenous languages: $333.7 million over 5 years, with $115.7 million ongoing
Improving services for Indigenous peoples
- Continuing implementation of Jordan's Principle: $1.2 billion over 3 years
- Supporting Inuit children: $220 million over 5 years
- Supporting Indigenous post-secondary education: $824 million over 10 years, starting in fiscal year 2019 to 2020, and $61.8 million ongoing, including:
- $327.5 million over 5 years enhance the Post-Secondary Student Support Program
- $125.5 million over 10 years and $21.8 million per year ongoing for an Inuit-led post-secondary education strategy
- $362 million over 10 years and $40 million per year ongoing support a Métis Nation-led post-secondary education strategy
- $9 million over 3 years, starting in fiscal year 2019 to 2020, Indspire for additional bursaries and scholarships for First Nations, Inuit and Métis students
- Eliminating boil water advisories on reserve: $739 million over 5 years and $184.9 million ongoing. Remains on track
- Ensuring better disaster management preparation and response: $48 million over 5 years
- Improving emergency response on reserve, including Indigenous Fire Marshall's Office: $259 million over 5 years, with $49.4 million per year ongoing
- Providing core governance support for First Nations: $48 million over 2 years
- Helping provide better information for better services by permanently funding the Surveys on Indigenous Peoples and the First Nations Regional Health Survey: $78.9 million over 7 years, with $13.7 million per year ongoing
- Improving assisted living and long-term care: $43.5 million over 2 years
- Supporting the National Inuit Suicide Prevention Strategy: $50 million over 10 years, with $5 million per year ongoing
- Improving on-reserve income assistance with case management and pre-employment support: $39 million in fiscal year 2020 to 2021
- Ensuring there are safe and accessible spaces for urban Indigenous peoples by supporting capital infrastructure investments in Friendship Centres and other urban Indigenous service provider facilities: $60 million over 5 years
- Supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs through the Indigenous Growth Fund and the expansion of the Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program: $17 million over 3 years
- Supporting Indigenous business development with $129 million over 5 years, including:
- the Community Opportunity Readiness program: $78.9 million over 5 years, with $15.8 million ongoing
- enhancing the funding of the Métis Capital Corporations support the start-up and expansion of Métis small and medium-sized enterprises: $50 million over 5 years
- Supporting Futurpreneur Canada, a targeted support for Indigenous entrepreneurs: $3 million over 5 years
- Supporting a new fiscal relationship with 10-year grants: starting April 1, 2020, funding for core programs and services provided through the 10-year grants will be escalated to address key cost drivers including inflation and population growth
- Creating more tax agreements with Indigenous governments: the government confirmed its continued willingness to negotiate agreements with interested Indigenous governments to enable the implementation of First Nations Goods and Services Tax within their settlement lands or reserves, and with interested self-governing Indigenous governments enable them to implement a personal income tax within their settlement lands
- Transferring more from the Gas Tax Fund: a one-time transfer of $2.2 billion through the federal Gas Tax Fund to address short-term priorities in municipalities and First Nations communities
Investing in the North
- Cleaning up federal contaminated sites: $87 million over 4 years
- Creating more connectivity and more affordable electricity: $18 million over 3 years support the Government of Northwest Territories with its proposed Taltson hydroelectricity expansion project
- Continuing clean-up with the Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program: $49.9 million over 15 years ($2.2 billion on a cash basis), starting in fiscal year 2020 to 2021
- Ensuring strong Arctic and Northern communities with $40 million over 5 years, including:
- $26 million over 5 years, starting in fiscal year 2019 to 2020, for the construction of a new campus science building for Yukon College
- $13 million over 5 years, starting in fiscal year 2019 to 2020, for the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning in the Northwest Territories
- $1 million over 2 years, starting in fiscal year 2019 to 2020, establish a task force study post-secondary education in Canada's Arctic and northern regions