Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada's 2025-26 Departmental Plan: At a glance
A departmental plan describes a department's priorities, plans and associated costs for the upcoming 3 fiscal years.
Key priorities
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada's (CIRNAC) top priorities for 2025-26 are as follows:
- Acknowledge and redress past harms
- Affirm and respect Indigenous rights, and support self-determination
- Lead the Government of Canada's work in the North and Arctic
Highlights
In 2025-26, total planned spending (including internal services) for CIRNAC is $13,040,301,182 and total planned full-time equivalent staff (including internal services) is 1,862. For complete information on CIRNAC's total planned spending and human resources, read the Planned spending and human resources section of the full plan.
The following provides a summary of the department's planned achievements for 2025-26 according to its approved Departmental Results Framework. A Departmental Results Framework consists of a department's core responsibilities, the results it plans to achieve, and the performance indicators that measure progress toward these results.
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Core responsibility 1: Crown-Indigenous Relations
- Planned spending: $11,587,930,891
- Planned human resources: 949
- Departmental results:
- Past injustices are recognized and resolved
- Indigenous Peoples advance their institutional structures and governance
- Indigenous Peoples determine their political, economic, social and cultural development
- Indigenous Peoples strengthen their socio-economic conditions and well-being
To support results under Crown-Indigenous Relations, CIRNAC will:
- advance and implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action that are under CIRNAC's responsibility, and support the coordination of Calls to Action across the federal government.
- accelerate specific claims resolution, as well as the resolution of litigation and the negotiation of settlement agreements.
- collaborate with Indigenous partners through the permanent bilateral mechanisms.
- collaborate with Indigenous women's and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations, and support initiatives included in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan.
- support family members and survivors of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people in their healing journey.
- support the Department of Justice in implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan.
- support the timely processing of additions to reserve requests and continue working on redesigning the Additions to Reserve Policy.
- continue collaborating with First Nations partners to develop a modern solution for land registration and support the development of the First Nations Land Governance Registry.
- enhance the First Nations Fiscal Management Act regime to ensure the regime continues to meet the needs of First Nations governments in collaboration with the 4 First Nations fiscal institutions.
- increase the number of Treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements that realize self-determination and advance reconciliation, as well as support their management and implementation.
- support Indigenous groups' capacity to participate in recognition of rights and self-determination discussion tables, and long-term planning and investment cycles.
- continue to develop the commitments outlined in Canada's Collaborative Modern Treaty Implementation Policy, including holding an Intergovernmental Leaders' Forum.
- implement the requirements of the Cabinet Directive on the Federal Approach to Modern Treaty Implementation.
- Implement the requirement of the Cabinet Directive of the Inuit Nunangat Policy.
- work with self-governing Indigenous governments to implement their education sectoral agreements, and continue to advance collaborative work to define the gap in other critical areas, such as infrastructure, land and resources, and Indigenous languages programming.
- work with Indigenous partners to address pressing housing needs and improve the quality of housing within Modern Treaty, self-governing, Inuit and Métis communities.
More information about Crown-Indigenous Relations can be found in the full departmental plan.
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Core responsibility 2: Northern Affairs
- Planned spending: $1,308,752,728
- Planned human resources: 383
- Departmental results:
- Northerners and Indigenous Peoples advance their political, economic and social governance development.
- Northern and Indigenous communities are resilient to changing environmental conditions.
- Northern lands, waters, and natural resources are sustainably managed.
To support results under Northern Affairs, CIRNAC will:
- advance the Nunavut lands and resources devolution.
- continue discussions with partners to define additional regional governance approaches for Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy Framework (ANPF).
- assess and advance solutions to respond to Canada's critical housing needs in the North.
- support food security in isolated and northern communities.
- continue to invest in northern post-secondary education.
- help northern and Indigenous communities transition from diesel to clean, renewable and reliable energy.
- advance the development of an Indigenous Climate Leadership Agenda.
- support climate change adaptation projects and climate monitoring projects.
- continue to engage Northerners and scientists in research and monitoring related to long-range contaminants in the North.
- continue to manage its portfolio of approximately 150 northern contaminated sites.
- promote the northern and Arctic resources economy while protecting the environment through impact assessment, land use planning and conservation initiatives.
- advance the northern regulatory processes of the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy.
- work with partners to conduct marine research, harvest studies, and environmental monitoring.
More information about Northern Affairs can be found in the full departmental plan.