Investments supporting the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework

The Arctic and Northern Policy Framework guides the Government of Canada's priorities, activities and investments in the Arctic to 2030 and beyond. It better aligns Canada's national and international policy objectives with the priorities of Northerners.

The Government of Canada and Indigenous, territorial and provincial partners continue to work together to implement the framework. These efforts are helping to close the gaps that the people of Arctic and the North experience, while creating a legacy of sustainable economic development.

Budget 2023 builds on the strong measures included in previous federal budgets to support framework implementation and strengthen Arctic and northern communities.

Budget 2023: Arctic and northern summary

Budget 2023 was released on March 28, 2023, and includes new spending commitments which will contribute to the implementation of framework goals and objectives. Many of these new investments align with the priorities which framework partners expressed at the 2022 Arctic and Northern Policy Framework Leadership Committee meeting, such as:

These initiatives contribute to the implementation of the vision, goals and objectives of the framework.

Support for Arctic and northern regions

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

  • $4 billion over 7 years, starting in 2024 to 2025, to implement a co-developed Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy

Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency

  • Renewal: Budget 2023 proposes to provide $44 million over 3 years, starting in 2024 to 2025, to CanNor’s flagship program Inclusive Diversification and Economic Advancement in the North
  • Budget 2023 proposes to provide $1.6 million over 2 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, for CanNor’s Northern Projects Management Office to increase capacity for federal participation in environmental assessments and consultation with Indigenous communities on major projects in the territories

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

  • New Funding: $6.9 billion over 12 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to meet federal obligations under the Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program to continue to support environmental remediation activities related to 8 large and complex abandoned mine sites in the Northwest Territories and Yukon
  • Renewal: $19.4 million over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, for the Northern Participant Funding Program to increase the participation of Indigenous Peoples and other Northerners in environmental and regulatory assessments of major projects
  • $6.9 million (less $1.7 million in funds sourced from existing departmental resources) over 5 years to begin five-year climate and marine science-based assessments in Canada's Arctic waters for 2022 to 2027, and to support the administration and management of the Western Arctic - Tariuq (Offshore) Accord

Indigenous Services Canada

  • $16.2 million over 3 years, beginning in 2023 to 2024, for interventions to reduce rates of tuberculosis in Inuit communities. This funding replaces Budget 2018 funding of $27.5 million over 5 years to eliminate tuberculosis in Inuit Nunangat

Regional Development Agencies

  • Budget 2023 proposes to provide $108 million over 3 years starting in 2023 to 2024, to the Regional Development Agencies under the Supporting the Growth of Canada’s Tourism Sector initiative. This funding will support communities, small businesses, and non-profit organizations in developing local projects and events
  • Renewal: Budget 2023 proposes to provide $50 million in 2023 to 2024 as one-year renewal funding for the Regional Development Agencies’ Regional Economic Growth through Innovation program. This will support economic development and diversification across the country
  • Budget 2023 proposes to provide $373.7 million over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, in additional funding to support new and enhanced federal initiatives under the Action Plan for Official Languages, 2023-2028. Funding for the Economic Development Initiative may be included in this item

Pan Canadian Initiatives with Relevance to the Arctic and North

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

  • $10 million in 2023 to 2024 to top up the Local Food Infrastructure Fund to strengthen food security in northern, rural, and Indigenous communities across Canada

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

  • Budget 2023 announces the government’s intention to support the reallocation of funding from the National Housing Co-Investment Fund’s repair stream to its new construction stream, as needed, to boost the construction of new affordable homes for the Canadians who need them most

Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA)

  • $1.8 billion over five years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to maintain and increase its level of service, improve screening wait times, and strengthen security measures at airports

Canadian Heritage

  • $679.2 million over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to support equal access to services of equal quality in education by working with provinces and territories to make high-quality minority-language education, opportunities for second-language learning, and bilingual government services more readily available across Canada

Canadian Infrastructure Bank

  • The Bank will invest at least $10 billion through its Clean Power priority area, and at least $10 billion through its Green Infrastructure priority area. This will allow the Canada Infrastructure Bank to invest at least $20 billion to support the building of major clean electricity and clean growth infrastructure projects. These investments will be sourced from existing resources
  • Budget 2023 announces that 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

Crown-Indigenous Relations

  • $11.4 million over 3 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to engage with Indigenous communities and to update the federal guidelines for federal officials to fulfil the Crown’s duty to consult Indigenous peoples and accommodate impacts on their rights. This will support the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and provide more clarity on how the government will proceed to ensure an effective and efficient whole-of-government approach to consultation and accommodation
  • $35.3 million over 3 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to 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
  • $20 million over 4 years, starting in 2022 to 2023, to support Indigenous-led projects for safer communities through the Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative
  • $2.6 million over 3 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to 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
  • $1.6 million over 2 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to support the Ministerial Special Representative appointed to provide advice and recommendations on the creation of an Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson
  • $2.5 million over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to facilitate and coordinate work on advancing the National Action Plan by establishing a standing Federal-Provincial-Territorial-Indigenous table on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People. This table will provide a specific forum to take action on areas of shared roles and responsibilities regarding Missing and Murdered Indigenous, Women, Girls, 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

Department of National Defence and Global Affairs Canada

  • $40.4 million over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, with $300,000 in remaining amortization and $7 million ongoing, to Global Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence to establish the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence in Montreal (CCASCOE). Given the pronounced effects of climate change on the Arctic and the High North, as a part of its wider mandate, the CCASCOE can work to enhance awareness in Canada and among international partners regarding the security implications of climate change in the region

Destination Canada

  • $50 million over 3 years (on a cash basis), starting in 2023 to 2024, to Destination Canada to attract major international conventions, conferences, and events to Canada

Employment and Social Development Canada

  • $45.9 million over 4 years, starting in 2024 to 2025, with $11.7 million ongoing, to Employment and Social Development Canada to expand the reach of Canada Student Loan Forgiveness to more rural and remote communities, including all communities with populations of 30,000 or fewer
    • Quebec, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories, which do not participate in the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program, can receive federal funding to provide their own comparable support
  • $813.6 million in 2023 to 2024 to enhance student financial assistance for the school year starting August 1, 2023. Includes 40% increase to Canada Student Grants over their 2019 to 2020 pre-pandemic amounts, raising the interest-free Canada Student Loan Limit to $300 per week of study and waiving credit screening requirements for mature students
    • Quebec, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, which do not participate in the program, can receive federal funding to provide their own comparable support
  • The federal government also committed to working with students in the year ahead to develop a long-term approach to student financial assistance, in time for Budget 2024

Environment and Climate Change Canada

  • Protecting Species at Risk: $184 million over 3 years, starting in 2023 to 2024 to continue monitoring, protecting, and promoting the recovery of species at risk to help restore their populations
    • Joint initiative with Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Natural Resources Canada
  • Protecting Freshwater
    • $650 million over 10 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to support monitoring, assessment and restoration in the Great Lakes, Lake Winnipeg, Lake of the Woods, St. Lawrence River, Fraser River, Saint John River, Mackenzie River, and Lake Simcoe
    • $22.6 million over 3 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to support better coordination of efforts to protect freshwater across Canada
    • $85.1 million, over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, with $400,000 in remaining amortization and $21 million ongoing thereafter to support the creation of the Canada Water Agency, to be headquartered in Winnipeg
  • $19 million over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, for Environment and Climate Change Canada to negotiate and implement rights-based agreements with Indigenous communities related to the environment

Finance Canada

  • To support and accelerate clean electricity investment in Canada, introduction of a 15% refundable Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit for eligible investments in:
    • non-emitting electricity generation systems:
      • wind
      • concentrated solar
      • solar photovoltaic
      • hydro (including large-scale)
      • wave
      • tidal
      • nuclear (including large-scale and small modular reactors)
    • abated natural gas-fired electricity generation
    • stationary electricity storage systems that do not use fossil fuels in operation, such as:
      • batteries
      • pumped hydroelectric storage
      • compressed air storage
    • equipment for the transmission of electricity between provinces and territories
  • Implement a refundable Clean Technology Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit equal to 30% of the cost of investments in new machinery and equipment used to manufacture or process key clean technologies and extract, process or recycle key critical minerals

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

  • $151.9 million over 3 years (on a cash basis), starting in 2023 to 2024 to continue to protect endangered whales and their habitats
    • Joint initiative with Parks Canada, Transport Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada
  • $135.5 million over 2 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, is proposed for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to continue to meet the requirements of the Fisheries Act, as updated in 2019, to protect fish and fish habitat
  • $119.6 million funding over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, (with $102 million in remaining amortization and $17.4 million ongoing) to reinforce the integrity of its helicopter fleet and ensure the Canadian Coast Guard has the necessary infrastructure and support to hire and train the staff to operate its future marine vessel fleet
  • $14.1 million in 2023 to 2024 for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Transport Canada to continue to develop and implement marine spatial plans to help guide activities affecting Canada’s marine waters
  • $5.0 million in 2023 to 2024 to renew the Fisheries and Aquaculture Clean Technology Adoption Program

Health Canada

  • $13 billion over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024 ($4.4 billion ongoing), to implement the Canadian Dental Care Plan. The plan will provide dental coverage for uninsured Canadians with annual family income of less than $90,000, with no co-pays for those with family incomes under $70,000
  • $250 million over 3 years, starting in 2025 to 2026 ($75 million ongoing), to establish an Oral Health Access Fund. The fund will complement the Canadian Dental Care Plan by investing in targeted measures to address oral health gaps among vulnerable populations and reduce barriers to accessing care, including in rural and remote communities
  • $359.2 million over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024 ($5.7 million ongoing and $1.3 million in remaining amortization) to support a renewed Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy, which would guide the government’s work to save lives and protect the health and safety of Canadians

Indigenous Services Canada

  • $30 million 5 five years, starting in 2023 to 2024, 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
  • $76.3 million in 2023 to 2024 to support the administrative capacity of First Nations governments and tribal councils delivering critical programs and services to their members
  • $5 million in 2023 to 2024 to support the co-development of an Economic Reconciliation Framework with Indigenous partners that will increase economic opportunities for Indigenous Peoples, communities, and businesses
  • $810.6 million over 5 years, beginning in 2023 to 2024, to support medical travel and to maintain medically necessary services through the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program, including mental health services, dental and vision care, and medications
    • includes $458.6 million over 1 year for Non-Insured Health Benefits for First Nations and Inuit to address program integrity pressures for 2023 to 2024, as well as $10 million for new coverage of Glucose Monitoring Devices
  • $171 million in 2022 to 2023 to ensure First Nations children continue to receive the support they need through Jordan’s Principle

Justice Canada

  • $95.8 million over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024 ($20.4 million ongoing) to 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
  • $83.9 million over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024 ($18.7 million ongoing), for the independent Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission

Natural Resources Canada

  • $3 billion over 13 years, starting in 2023 to 2024 to:
    • recapitalize funding for the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program to support critical regional priorities and Indigenous-led projects
    • renew the Smart Grid program to continue to support electricity grid innovation
    • create new investments in science-based activities to help capitalize on Canada’s offshore wind potential, particularly off the coasts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador
  • $368.4 million over 3 years, starting in 2023 to 2024 (with $3.1 million in remaining amortization), to renew and update forest sector support, including for research and development, Indigenous and international leadership, and data. Of this amount, $30.1 million would be sourced from existing departmental resources
  • $8.7 million in 2023 to 2024 to support deeper engagements with Indigenous partners, including Indigenous rights-holders, towards the development of the National Benefits-Sharing Framework. NRCan will also explore additional federal supports to increase access to capital for Indigenous groups to invest in major resource projects

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

  • $108.6 million over 3 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to help more Canadian businesses access the expertise and research and development facilities they need by expanding the College and Community Innovation Program

Public Health Agency of Canada

  • $158.4 million over 3 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to support the 988 Suicide Prevention Line

Public Safety Canada

  • $31.7 million over 3 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, (with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) to work with the Department of Finance Canada to stand-up a low-cost flood insurance program, aimed at protecting households at high risk of flooding and without access to adequate insurance. This would include offering reinsurance through a federal Crown corporation and a separate insurance subsidy program
    • this is the first step in the federal government’s intention to launch, in partnership with provinces and territories, a new approach to address gaps in natural disaster protection and help Canadians access affordable insurance
  • $15.3 million over 3 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to create a publicly accessible online portal where Canadians can access information on their exposure to flooding
  • $48.1 million over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, and $3.1 million ongoing to Public Safety Canada to identify high-risk flood areas and implement a modernized Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements program, which would incentivize mitigation efforts

Statistics Canada

  • $23.1 million over 2 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to collect data on oral health and access to dental care in Canada, which will inform the rollout of the Canadian Dental Care Plan

Transport Canada

  • $165.4 million over 7 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to establish a Green Shipping Corridor Program to reduce the impact of marine shipping on surrounding communities and ecosystems. The program will help spur the launch of the next generation of clean ships, invest in shore power technology, and prioritize low-emission and low-noise vessels at ports
  • $5.2 million over 5 years, starting in 2023 to 2024, to collect and analyze air sector performance data

Women and Gender Equality Canada

  • $160 million over three years, starting in 2023 to 2024, for the Women’s Program to provide funding to organizations in Canada that serve women. The government is committed to maintaining historic funding levels for Canadian women's organizations and equity-deserving groups, with a particular focus on Indigenous women, women with disabilities, members of the 2SLGBTQI+ communities, and newcomer, Black, racialized, and migrant women

Budget 2022: Arctic and northern summary

Budget 2022, titled A Plan to Grow our Economy and Make Life More Affordable and released on April 7, 2022, is a plan to create jobs and prosperity and to build a stronger economic future for all Canadians, including northerners, following 2 years of stimulus measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Budget 2022 includes new spending commitments which will contribute to the implementation of framework goals and objectives. Many of these new investments align with the priorities which framework partners expressed at the 2021 Arctic and Northern Policy Framework Leadership Committee meeting, including investments in housing, supports for mental health and wellness, measures relating to climate change impacts and adaptation, and distinctions-based measures to express self-determination.

These initiatives, along with the federal investments outlined below, are contributing to the implementation of the vision, goals and objectives of the framework.

Support for Arctic and northern regions

Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency

  • $15 million over 5 years, starting in 2022-2023, to support Indigenous economic development in the North

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

  • $300 million over 5 years, starting in 2022-2023, to co-develop and launch an Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

  • $150 million over 2 years, starting in 2022-2023, to support affordable housing and related infrastructure in the North, including:
    • $60 million to the Government of Nunavut
    • $60 million to the Government of the Northwest Territories
    • $30 million to the Government of Yukon
  • Up to $40 million over 8 years, starting in 2022-2023, to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to support northern regulatory processes as part of the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy
  • $14.5 million over 5 years, starting in 2022-2023, with $8.4 million in remaining amortization and $2.5 million ongoing, to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and to Polar Knowledge Canada, to support the completion and operations of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station
  • $2 million over 2 years, starting in 2022-2023, to support the implementation of a Collaborative Process Protocol Agreement respecting the historical impacts of the operation of Giant Mine on the Yellowknives Dene First Nation
  • $25.8 million to the Government of Yukon and Government of the Northwest Territories to fulfill Canada's commitment under the 1993 Western Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Accord, and $2.5 million to support the Inuvialuit Corporation's participation in the implementation of the new Western Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Accord
  • $32.2 million over 2 years, starting in 2022-2023, from the Low Carbon Economy Fund (managed by Environment and Climate Change Canada) to support the Atlin Hydro Expansion project in British Columbia to provide clean electricity to the Yukon and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
  • $4 billion over 7 years, starting in 2022-2023, to Indigenous Services Canada and Crown‑Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to accelerate work in closing Indigenous housing gaps, including:
    • $845 million over 7 years to support housing in Inuit communities
    • $565 million over 5 years to support housing in First Nations Self-Governing and Modern Treaty Holders communities
    • $190 million over 7 years for housing in Métis communities
  • $29.6 million over 3 years, starting in 2022-2023, to support the co-development of an Indigenous Climate Leadership Agenda to support self-determined action in addressing Indigenous peoples' climate priorities and the phased implementation of distinctions-based climate strategy

Indigenous Services Canada

  • $4 billion over 7 years, starting in 2022-2023, to Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to accelerate work in closing Indigenous housing gaps, including:
    • $2.4 billion over 5 years to support First Nations housing on reserve
  • $227.6 million over 2 years, starting in 2022-2023, to maintain trauma-informed, culturally-appropriate, Indigenous-led services to improve mental wellness, and to support efforts initiated through Budget 2021 to co-develop distinctions-based mental health and wellness strategies

Pan Canadian Initiatives with Relevance to the Arctic and North

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

  • Over the next year, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food will work with the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous partners, and stakeholders to develop a National School Food Policy and to explore how more Canadian children can receive nutritious food at school

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

  • $4 billion over 5 years, starting in 2022-2023, to launch the Housing Accelerator Fund. The Fund will be designed to be flexible to the needs and realities of cities and communities.

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

  • $209.8 million over 5 years, starting in 2022-2023, to increase the support provided to communities to document, locate, and memorialize burial sites at former residential schools: to support the operations of and a new building for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and to ensure the complete disclosure of federal documents related to residential schools
  • $183.1 million over 5 years, starting in 2022-2023, to Environment and Climate Change Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Health Canada, Transport Canada, Crown‑Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Statistics Canada, and the National Research Council to reduce plastic waste and increase plastic circularity by developing and implementing regulatory measures and conducting scientific research to inform policy-making. This includes funding to support the monitoring of plastic contaminants in the North

Employment and Social Development Canada

  • $26.2 million over 4 years, starting in 2023-2024, and $7 million ongoing to increase the maximum amount of forgivable Canada Student Loans by 50%. This will mean up to $30,000 in loan forgiveness for nurses and up to $60,000 in loan forgiveness for doctors working in underserved rural or remote communities, including northern communities

National Defence

  • $6.1 billion over 5 years, starting in 2022-2023, with $1.3 billion in remaining amortization, and $1.4 billion ongoing to National Defence to meet Canada's defence priorities, including continental defences, commitments to our allies, and for investments in equipment and technology to immediately increase the capabilities of the Armed Forces
  • $9.5 million over 5 years to align National Defence's operations and engagement with Indigenous Peoples with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act

Indigenous Services Canada

  • $87.3 million over 3 years, starting in 2022-2023, to enable Indigenous communities to continue to work with the federal government and provinces/territories to support implementation of Indigenous child welfare laws
  • $190.5 million in 2022-2023 towards the Indigenous Community Support Fund to help Indigenous communities and organizations mitigate the ongoing impacts of COVID‑19
  • $150 million over 5 years, starting in 2022-2023, to the Lands and Economic Development Services Program and Community Opportunity Readiness Program, to advance shovel-ready economic opportunities in Indigenous Communities
  • $35 million over 5 years, starting in 2022-2023, to increase economic capacity supports, including specialized training opportunities delivered by Indigenous-led organizations

Justice Canada

  • $10.4 million over 2 years, starting in 2022-2023, to support the appointment of a Special Interlocutor who will work collaboratively with Indigenous Peoples and make recommendations for changes to strengthen federal laws and practices to protect and preserve unmarked burial sites
  • $65.8 million over 5 years, starting in 2022-2023 and $11 million ongoing to Justice Canada and Natural Resources Canada to accelerate work to meet legislated requirements of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, including the development of an action plan with Indigenous partners

Natural Resources Canada

  • Up to $1.5 billion over 7 years, starting in 2023-2024, for infrastructure investments that would support the development of the critical minerals supply chains, with a focus on priority deposits
  • $103.4 million over 5 years, starting in 2022-2023, to develop a National Benefit-Sharing Framework, and the expansion of the Indigenous Partnership Office and the Indigenous Natural Resource Partnerships program. $25 million of this will be dedicated to early engagement and Indigenous communities' capacity building to support their participation in the critical minerals strategy

Public Safety Canada

  • $5.1 million over 5 years, starting in 2022-2023, to Public Safety Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to support community-led responses to unmarked burial sites

Parks Canada

  • $25 million over 3 years, starting in 2022-2023, to support the commemoration and memorialization of former residential school sites

Women and Gender Equality Canada

  • $539.3 million over 5 years, starting in 2022-2023, to enable provinces and territories to supplement and enhance services and supports within their jurisdictions to prevent gender-based violence and support survivors

Budget 2021: Arctic and northern summary

Building on Budget 2019 investments outlined below, Budget 2021, titled A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth and Resilience, released on April 19, 2021, had a strong emphasis on continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recovery.

Budget 2021 includes, in Chapter 6: Strengthening the Cities and Communities We Call Home, a specific section on rural and northern communities. It highlights a series of investments in Canada's Arctic and northern communities. Other new funding initiatives are impacting the North and Arctic in areas such as early learning and child care, health, housing and transportation infrastructure, Arctic research and defence, and climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.

These initiatives, along with the other federal investments outlined below, are contributing to the implementation of the vision, goals and objectives of the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework.

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

  • $163.4 million over 3 years to expand the Nutrition North Canada Program to address food insecurity
  • $40.4 million over 3 years to support feasibility and planning of hydroelectricity and grid interconnection projects in the North. Projects could include:
    • Atlin Hydro Expansion Project in Yukon
    • Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link project in Nunavut
  • $25 million to the Government of Yukon to support its climate change priorities
  • $25 million to the Government of Northwest Territories to address housing priorities
  • $25 million to the Government of Nunavut to support the Territory's short-term housing and infrastructure needs
  • $8 million to the Government of Northwest Territories to support the transformation of Aurora College to a polytechnic university
  • $21.6 million towards the implementation of the Blue Economy Strategy in the Eastern and Western Arctic by supporting the collection and inclusion of Indigenous knowledge

Department of National Defence

  • $88.8 million over 5 years, with $48.7 million in remaining amortization, and $0.6 million ongoing to sustain existing continental and Arctic defence capability
  • $163.4 million over 5 years, with $111.1 million in remaining amortization, to support NORAD modernization

Finance Canada

  • Expansion of access to the travel component of the Northern Residents Deduction to allow northerners without employer-provided travel benefits to claim up to $1,200 in eligible travel expenses.

Fisheries and Oceans

  • $2 million to support the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary Chapter in the Arctic and the Indigenous Community Boat Volunteer Pilot Program, which helps Indigenous coast communities in the Arctic purchase boats and water safety equipment

Health Canada

  • $54 million over 2 years to renew the Territorial Health Investment Fund to support the territories in overcoming the challenges of delivering health care services in the North. Of this amount, $27 million would be allocated to Nunavut, $12.8 million would be allocated to Yukon, and $14.2 million would be allocated to the Northwest Territories

Infrastructure Canada

  • $1.375 billion over 12 years to top up the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund. Of the total funding envelope, $138 million (10%) would be dedicated to Indigenous-related projects
  • $11.7 million over 5 years to support the Standards Council of Canada in updating standards and guidance in priority areas such as flood mapping and building in the North

Natural Resources Canada

  • $28.7 million over 5 years, with $0.6 million in remaining amortization, to Natural Resources Canada to support increased mapping of areas in northern Canada at risk wildfires. Funding will also enhance capacity of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre
  • $25.4 million over 3 years, with $5.7 million in remaining amortization, to Natural Resources Canada to support pan-Arctic scientific research through the Polar Continental Shelf program. This will also support employment and training opportunities for Indigenous people and Northerners
  • $80.2 million over 11 years, with $14.9 million in remaining amortization and $6.2 million per year ongoing, to replace and expand critical but aging ground-based infrastructure, including 1 based in Inuvik, NT, to receive satellite data

Parks Canada

  • $15 million over 3 years to accelerate archeological and conservation work of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, which are co-managed with Inuit
  • $976.8 million over 5 years, with $80.0 million in remaining amortization, to help Canada reach its 25% by 2025 target to protect the health of our oceans, commercial fishing stocks and Canadians' quality of life, especially in coastal communities
  • $2.3 billion over 5 years, with $100.5 million in remaining amortization, to Environment and Climate Change Canada, Parks Canada Agency, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. This includes $386 million to be sourced from existing departmental resources over 5 years. Funds are to be used, including in partnership with Indigenous peoples, to achieve Canada's 25% protected area by 2025 target, create thousands of jobs in nature conservation and management, accelerate new provincial and territorial protected areas, support Indigenous Guardians and take action to prevent the imminent disappearance of priority species at imminent risk,
  • $61 million over 3 years to Parks Canada Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada to continue to implement federal commitments under the Wood Buffalo National Park World Heritage Site Action Plan on water levels and wildlife health

Transport Canada

  • $1.9 billion over 4 years to recapitalize the National Trade Corridors Fund. Of this total, 15% ($285 million) will be dedicated to building and improving transportation networks in Canada's North

Budget 2019: Arctic and northern summary

Budget 2019 announced more than $700 million over 10 years in new and focused funding to ensure that Arctic and northern communities can continue to grow and prosper. This includes:

Budget 2019 also specifically highlighted the co-development of the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework. It noted that the framework is both intended to identify shared priorities, goals, and objectives in Canada's Arctic and North through 2030, and designed to be more comprehensive in scope than previous strategies, incorporating both a domestic and international understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges that exist for these regions.

Support for Canada's Arctic and northern regions

  • $40 million over 5 years to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to support options for post-secondary education in the North:
    • $1 million to establish a Task Force to study post-secondary education in the Arctic and North
    • $26 million for a new campus science building in support of Yukon College's transition to Yukon University
    • $13 million for the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning
  • $18 million over 3 years to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada for the proposed Taltson Hydro Expansion, which is a key territorial property in the Northwest Territories
  • $34 million over 5 years, and $6.7 million ongoing, to Global Affairs Canada to enhance Canada's global Arctic leadership
  • $400 million over 8 years to Transport Canada to enhance the National Trade Corridors Fund Arctic and northern allotment
  • $90 million over 5 years to Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency to support the Northern Isolated Community Initiatives Fund, National Food Policy, and Inclusive Diversification and Economic Advancement in the North
  • $21.8 million over 5 years to Environment and Climate Change Canada for the Eureka Weather Station on Ellesmere Island
  • $50 million over 10 years, with $5 million ongoing, to Indigenous Services Canada to support Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami's National Inuit Suicide Prevention Strategy
  • $17.9 million over 5 years to Natural Resources Canada to support the Polar Continental Shelf Program and Canada's submission on the outer limits of the continental shelf in both the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans
  • $14 million over 5 years to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada for the Canadian Space Agency's Remote Health Partnerships initiative

Additional investments that will benefit the North

  • A commitment to Indigenous Services Canada to support the construction and ongoing operation of an addictions treatment facility in Nunavut. Budget 2019 specified that this investment would be accompanied by contributions from the Government and Nunavut and Inuit partners. On August 13, 2021, the Minister of Northern Affairs, Dan Vandal, alongside the Government of Nunavut's Minister of Health, Lorne Kusugak, and the President of Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Aluki Kotierk, announced $41.7 million in funding for the construction of the Nunavut Recovery Centre
  • $5 million over 2 years to the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency as part of a Federal Strategy on Jobs and Tourism
  • $58.5 million over 2 years to the regional development agencies, including $5 million to the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, for the creation of a Canadian Experiences Fund to support Canadian businesses and organizations seeking to create, improve or expand tourism-related infrastructure or new tourism products and experiences
  • $49.9 million over 15 years to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to create the Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program
  • Up to $1.7 billion over 13 years to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to establish the Universal Broadband Fund to support universal high-speed internet in rural, remote and northern communities
  • A commitment to Parks Canada to explore both the creation of a marine conservation area in the High Arctic Basin and the development of a conservation economy in the region with the Government of Nunavut and Qikiqtani Inuit Association

Support for Inuit priorities

  • $125.5 million over 10 years to Indigenous Services Canada for an Inuit-led Inuit Post-Secondary Education Strategy
  • $220 million over 5 years to Indigenous Services Canada to provide health and social services to Inuit children
  • $333.7 million over 5 years to Canadian Heritage to preserve, promote and revitalize Indigenous languages, including Inuktitut and Inuvialuktun

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