2026-27 Horizontal initiative: Implementing the Federal Framework to Address the Legacy of Residential Schools

General information
Strategic Outcomes and Funding
- Planning highlights
- Planning information
Evaluations
Legacy Data

General information

Name of horizontal initiative: Implementing the Federal Framework to Address the Legacy of Residential Schools

Lead department: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC)

Federal partner departments: Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), Library and Archives Canada (LAC), Canadian Heritage (PCH), Parks Canada Agency (PC), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and the Department of Justice (JUS)

Start date of the horizontal initiative: 2022

End date of the horizontal initiative: 2027

Description of the horizontal initiative: In 2006, in response to decades of litigation and action by survivors seeking justice for their experiences at residential schools, the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) was approved with the aim of bringing a fair and lasting resolution to the legacy of residential schools. Created under the IRSSA, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was mandated to document the history of residential schools. In its final report and 94 Calls to Action (CTA), the TRC outlined the far-reaching impacts of the residential schools system and identified the significant work remaining to address its ongoing legacy. Since 2015, with Canada's legal obligations under the IRSSA nearing completion, the Government of Canada has made implementation of the TRC's CTAs a central pillar of its reconciliation agenda, committing to fully implement the CTAs in partnership with Indigenous communities, governments, provinces, territories, and other partners.

In 2019, implementation of CTAs 72 and 73 (National Residential School Memorial Register and National Online Cemetery Register), was led by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) in partnership with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR). In 2021, CIRNAC also launched the "Residential Schools Missing Children – Community Support Funding" initiative for the implementation of CTAs 74-76. This initiative provided funding to Indigenous communities to undertake community-led initiatives to locate, document, and memorialize burial sites associated with former residential schools, and honour families' wishes to bring children's remains home.

In August 2021, following the location of probable unmarked burial sites associated with former residential schools in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, the Government of Canada announced additional investments to support Indigenous community-led work. This includes:

work surrounding burial sites
commemoration activities
the construction of a national residential schools monument to honour survivors and children who did not return home
the provision of essential mental health services
cultural and emotional services to support healing from intergenerational trauma
the rehabilitation of existing residential school buildings on and off-reserve

The destructive legacy created by residential schools is complex. Addressing the intergenerational impacts requires whole-of-government, coordinated action across federal departments and agencies, as well as co-operative relationships with Indigenous communities and across all levels of government. To this end, Budget 2022 announced additional investments to support the implementation of the Federal Framework to Address the Legacy of Residential Schools, which includes initiatives to address the ongoing impacts of the residential schools system and commemorate its history and legacy.

This horizontal initiative has been anchored around 4 themes with the lead departments and agencies, as follows: (1) addressing missing children and burial information (CIRNAC with linkages to the work of the Special Interlocutor, as set out below); (2) commemoration and education (PC and PCH); (3) supporting communities and survivors (ISC); and (4) sustained, streamlined support for reconciliation initiatives (CIRNAC, LAC, and RCMP).

Total federal funding allocated (from start to end date) (dollars):
Federal organizations	Total federal funding allocated (start to end date)
CIRNAC	$508,545,528
ISC	$640,141,590
LAC	$25,000,000
PCH	$38,117,808
PC	$25,000,000
RCMP	$5,089,545

Strategic Outcomes and Funding

Planning highlights

CIRNAC: The department will continue to provide funding to communities for initiatives to locate, identify, and memorialize burial sites, and to repatriate children's remains through the Residential Schools Missing Children – Community Support Fund. CIRNAC will also develop a whole-of-government approach to the identification, management, and disclosure of Indian Residential-Schools related documents to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. In addition, CIRNAC will develop options to address missing children and burial information associated with non-residential school federal institutions. Other tasks associated with this initiative include:

coordinating and implementing the Federal Framework as a horizontal initiative, including reporting
fulfilling corporate and strategic policy, planning, and reporting requirements
managing data collection and consolidation
preserving corporate and institutional policy knowledge
monitoring performance indicators
addressing unforeseen issues and course corrections that arise during the life of these initiatives
developing communication strategies
supporting information requests from other federal departments

PCH: In 2026–27, the department will launch the design selection process for the Indian Residential Schools National Monument (First Nations, Métis and Inuit), following an approach co-developed with professional advisors from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's Indigenous Task Force and endorsed by the Survivor-led Steering Committee in the fall of 2025.

RCMP: The National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains is a national centre that assists law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, and chief coroners with missing persons and unidentified remains investigations across Canada. It uses national databases, DNA analysis, and public engagement to help bring answers to families and communities—Indigenous and non‑Indigenous alike.

In 2026–27, the RCMP will continue to support investigations by developing, procuring, and deploying digital tools for missing persons and unidentified remains within communities, including Indigenous communities. It will also share information and best practices across provinces and territories to help connect cases that cross jurisdictions, including those involving Indigenous communities. In addition, the RCMP will continue to provide specialized services such as comparative analyses and support through the national DNA program. This work will continue to advance reconciliation by strengthening respectful and culturally informed policing by the RCMP.

Planning information

Horizontal initiative overview

Name of horizontal initiative: Implementing the Federal Framework to Address the Legacy of Residential Schools

Total federal funding allocated: $1,236,278,838

Planned spending to date: $825,532,879

Actual spending to date: $787,112,858

2026-27 planned spending: $69,423,829

Horizontal initiative shared outcome	Performance indicator	Target	Date to achieve target
Progress is made in addressing the legacy of residential schools and reconciling with survivors and their families	Percentage of Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action under federal or shared jurisdiction related to the legacy of residential schools that are completed^{Table note a}	66%	March 31, 2027
Table note 1 This indicator pertains to Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action (CTAs) related to the residential schools legacy activities captured in this horizontal framework, where the word "completed" means that the mechanisms or structures required from federal government to address the recommendation have been put in place. It is however recognized that ongoing efforts will be needed by federal government and its partners to maintain these mechanisms and structures towards full implementation, so they may continue being accessed by Indigenous survivors, their families and/or communities. Return to table note a referrer

Shared Outcomes

Name of theme	Theme A Addressing missing children and burial information	Theme B Commemoration and education	Theme C Supporting communities and survivors	Theme D Sustained and streamlined support for reconciliation initiatives	Internal services
Theme outcomes	Residential school Survivors, families and communities have access to information on the death and burial locations of their relatives	Indigenous peoples' heritage in Canada is protected for future generations Canadians have access to Indigenous commemorations that contribute to reconciliation	Indigenous Peoples are mentally well	Residential school Survivors and communities have access to complete archival records on the history of residential schools Access to LAC's collection is increased Improved relationships with and outcomes for Indigenous people	Not applicable
CIRNAC	$429.2 million over 6 years (2022 to 2028, top-up) $1.2 million over 4 years (2022 to 2026, new initiative)	Not applicable	Not applicable	$71 million over 5 years (2022 to 2027, top-up) $1.5 million for 2022–23 (new initiative)	$5.6 million
ISC	Not applicable	Not applicable	$224.3 million over 2 years (2022–23 & 2023–24) $412.5 million over 2 years (2024–25 & 2025–26)	Not applicable	$3.3 million (2022–23 & 2023–24) $4.6 million (2024–25 & 2025–26)
LAC	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	$25 million over 3 years ($22.5 million excluding SSC and PSPC)	Included in the amount identified under Theme D
PC	Not applicable	$25 million over 3 years (2022 to 2025, top-up)	Not applicable	Not applicable	$1.7 million
RCMP	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	$5.1 million over 5 years (2022 to 2027, top-up)	Included in the amount in Theme D
PCH	Not applicable	$18.2 million over 3 years starting in 2021–22 ($8.5 million ongoing) and $9.6 million top-up $20 million (new initiative)	Not applicable	Not applicable	$1 million

Theme horizontal initiative activities

Total spending, all themes (dollars)
Themes	Total federal funding allocated	2026–27 total federal planned spending
Theme A: Addressing missing children and burial information	$430,364,198	$61,346,945
Theme B: Commemoration and education	$63,117,808	$3,262,482
Theme C: Supporting communities and survivors	$640,141,590	$0
Theme D: Sustained and streamlined support for reconciliation initiatives	$102,655,242	$4,814,402
Total, all themes	$1,236,278,838	$69,423,829

Theme A details: Addressing missing children and burial information
Theme outcome	Theme performance indicators	Theme targets	Date to achieve theme target
Residential school survivors, families and communities have access to information on the death and burial locations of their relatives	Percentage of former residential schools for which investigation work has been conducted^{Table note a}	86%	March 31, 2027
	Percentage of residential school survivors and families that have received requested materials from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) archives	To be determined^{Table note b}	To be determined^{Table note b}
Table note 1 This indicator pertains to residential schools included in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement and the Newfoundland and Labrador Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Return to table note a referrer Table note 2 The document collection held by the NCTR is projected to expand significantly over the next few years. A target for responding to requests from survivors and families will be set once the NCTR has more precise knowledge of the volume of documents potentially targeted by these requests. Return to table note b referrer

Theme B details: Commemoration and education
Theme outcome	Theme performance indicators	Theme targets	Date to achieve theme target
Indigenous Peoples' heritage in Canada is protected for future generations	Percentage of new and revised designations of national historic sites, persons and events related to Indigenous history^{Table note a}	Completed – Not applicable	Completed – Not applicable
Canadians have access to Indigenous commemorations that contribute to reconciliation	Percentage of respondents that report a positive outcome for commemoration activities related to residential schools and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation^{Table note b}	Completed – Not applicable	Completed – Not applicable
Table note 1 The funding ended in 2024–25. The target of 12% was exceeded and the result was 13%. Return to table note a referrer Table note 2 The funding ended in 2023–24. The target of 75% was exceeded and the result was 92%. Return to table note b referrer

Theme C details: Supporting Communities and Survivors
Theme outcome	Theme performance indicators	Theme targets	Date to achieve theme target
Indigenous Peoples are mentally well	Percentage of First Nations adults on reserve who reported "excellent" or "very good" mental health	55%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of Inuit adults living within Inuit Nunangat who reported "excellent" or "very good" mental health	50%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of Métis adults who reported "excellent" or "very good" mental health	58%	March 31, 2028
	Percentage of First Nations off-reserve who reported "excellent" or "very good" mental health	55%	March 31, 2028

Theme D details: Sustained and Streamlined Support for Reconciliation Initiatives
Theme outcome	Theme performance indicators	Theme targets	Date to achieve theme target
Residential school survivors and communities have access to complete archival records on the history of residential schools	Percentage of federal departments and agencies that have completed a scoping of their Indian residential schools-related records	To be determined^{Table note a}	To be determined^{Table note a}
Access to Library and Archives Canada's collection is increased	Number of pages related to Indian day schools digitized	6 million pages	March 31, 2027
Improved relationships with and outcomes for Indigenous people	Percentage of surveyed Canadians who self-identify as Indigenous and agree with the statement "I feel safer because of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police"	50%	March 31, 2029
Table note 1 Further progress cannot be confirmed until funding decisions are resolved. Return to table note a referrer

Evaluations

Fiscal year of planned completion of next evaluation: No evaluation is currently planned.

Legacy Data

Date of last renewal of the horizontal initiative: Not applicable

Total federal funding allocated at the last renewal, and source of funding (dollars): Not applicable

Additional federal funding received after the last renewal (dollars): Not applicable

Total planned spending since last renewal: Not applicable

Total actual spending since last renewal: Not applicable

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Date modified:: 2026-03-13