Reconciliation

“We need to get to a place where Indigenous Peoples in Canada are in control of their own destiny, making their own decisions about their future.”

It is unacceptable that any person living in Canada should be unable to safely drink the water that comes out of their taps. No person should be forced to live in overcrowded and unsafe homes, and no young person should have to move far from home to get a good education. Yet, all over Canada, these are exactly the challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples. 

Indigenous Peoples, non-Indigenous Canadians and the Government agree that this must change. 

Together we are working hard to improve the quality of life for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, as we forge a new relationship—one based on recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership. Budgets 2016 and 2017 began this important work, with investments of more than $11.8 billion to help address areas of critical need in Indigenous communities, such as housing, child and family services, education, health care and access to clean drinking water.

These budgets also included investments to lay the groundwork for a renewed relationship based on recognition and implementation of Indigenous rights. Specifically, Budget 2017 included support for:

• New permanent bilateral processes with First Nations, Inuit and the Metis Nation to identify each community’s distinct priorities and how we will work together to develop solutions.
• The launch of a Working Group of Ministers to conduct a review of federal laws, policies and operational practices to ensure that Canada is meeting its constitutional obligations with respect to Aboriginal and treaty rights, adhering to international human rights standards, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and supporting the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.

To achieve truly transformational change, however, further investments are needed—to support capacity-building in Indigenous communities, to advance self-determination and self-government, and to build a better future for Indigenous Peoples and for all Canadians.

Budget 2018 takes further steps to improve the quality of life of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and supports a new approach to recognizing and implementing Indigenous rigshts. The Government proposes to invest an additional $5 billion over five years to ensure that Indigenous children and families have an equal chance to succeed in life, to build the capacity of Indigenous governments, and to accelerate self-determination and self-government agreements with Indigenous Peoples based on the recognition and implementation of rights.

Helping Indigenous Peoples succeed is not only the right thing to do, but a smart investment. The Centre for the Study of Living Standards estimates that if we close the education and labour market gaps for Indigenous Peoples in Canada by 2031, Canada’s gross domestic product could gain $36 billion that year.

The Government of Canada recognizes that a distinctions-based approach is needed to ensure that the unique rights, priorities and circumstances of First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation are acknowledged, affirmed and implemented.

To meet this need, Budget 2018 includes distinctions-based investments in priority areas identified by First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation partners. The forthcoming Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework, currently being co-developed with Indigenous partners, will also be supported by dedicated funding to meet the unique needs of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation children and families.

Chapter 3: Advancing Canada’s Gender Equality Goals

Key Chapter 3 initiatives that advance objectives of Canada’s new Gender Results Framework:

• Keeping Indigenous children and families together.
• Making progress to close gaps in Indigenous health outcomes.
• Promoting equal access to training and jobs for Indigenous women.

Achieving Better Results for Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous Peoples in Canada are more likely than other Canadians to live in poverty and fall behind on measures of quality of life. The investments in Budget 2018 continue our focus on closing the gap between the living conditions of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Ensuring That Indigenous Children Are Safe and Supported Within Their Communities

For all families and communities, there is no greater priority than ensuring the safety, security and well-being of their children. Indigenous children under the age of 14 make up 7.7 per cent of all children in Canada, but they represent more than half of all children in foster care. This means that Indigenous children have a much higher chance of being separated from their families, communities and cultures. This needs to change.

The Government is committed to fully implementing the orders of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. To address the funding pressures facing child and family service agencies, while also increasing prevention resources for communities so that children are safe and families can stay together, Budget 2018 proposes to provide more than $1.4 billion in new funding over six years, starting in 2017–18, for First Nations Child and Family Services.  

The Government will continue to work with First Nations, Inuit and the Metis Nation, as well as other partners, to advance the reforms to child and family services that are needed and develop Indigenous-led solutions that put the well-being of children first.

Clean and Safe Drinking Water on Reserve

The Government is firm on its commitment: all long-term drinking water advisories on public water systems on reserve will be lifted by March 2021.

Budget 2016 proposed a significant investment of $1.8 billion over five years to support water and wastewater infrastructure in First Nations communities. With the help of these investments, 349 water-related projects in 275 communities have been supported so far. The work done in partnership between First Nations and the Government is delivering tangible results for communities. As of February 12, 2018, 52 long-term drinking water advisories on public water systems have been lifted. For example:

• The Pic Mobert First Nation in Ontario worked with Indigenous Services Canada to build a new water treatment plant that allowed the community to lift a long-term drinking water advisory affecting 295 residents.
• The Kahkewistahaw First Nation in Saskatchewan completed upgrades and repairs to its water treatment plant, allowing it to provide clean drinking water to its residents for the first time in more than two years.

Budget 2018 builds on prior investments and reaffirms the Government’s commitment by proposing to provide an additional $172.6 million over three years, beginning in 2018–19, to improve access to clean and safe drinking water on reserve.

This funding will support initiatives to accelerate the pace of construction and renovation of affected water systems, which will result in 25 additional projects being completed by 2020 rather than 2021.

New investments will also support repairs to high-risk water systems to prevent additional long-term drinking water advisories. In addition, these new investments will assist efforts to recruit, train and retain water operators, and establish innovative First Nations-led service delivery models.

Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program

Indigenous Peoples are less likely to be employed than non-Indigenous Canadians, and those who do work typically earn less. To help close the employment and earning gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, Budget 2018 proposes to invest $2 billion over five years, and $408.2 million per year ongoing, to support the creation of a new Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program, which will replace the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy. This includes incremental investments of $447 million over five years, and $99.4 million per year ongoing, and a stronger focus on training for higher-quality, better-paying jobs rather than rapid re-employment. This additional funding will assist approximately 15,000 more clients gain greater skills and find jobs that will support their long-term career success.

The Government has consulted with, and heard from, Indigenous partners on the importance of a distinctions-based approach that recognizes the unique needs of First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation. To that end, the new program will provide:

• $1.1 billion over five years, and $235.7 million per year ongoing, for a First Nations stream.
• $325 million over five years, and $67 million per year ongoing, for a Métis Nation stream.
• $161.2 million over five years, and $32.6 million per year ongoing, for an Inuit stream.
• $213.4 million over five years, and $45.2 million per year ongoing, for an urban/non-affiliated stream.

These investments will support Indigenous Peoples in developing employment skills and pursuing training for high-quality jobs.

Support for Distinctions-Based Housing Strategies

Safe, adequate and affordable housing gives people a sense of security and helps build strong communities. But for too many Indigenous Peoples, this remains out of reach. Nearly one in five Indigenous people live in housing that is in need of major repairs, and one in five also live in housing that is overcrowded. Access to adequate and affordable housing is a particular challenge for Indigenous women. In 2011, 27 per cent of Indigenous women lived in core housing need compared to 13 per cent of Indigenous men.^[1] Lack of adequate housing can compound barriers to security, employment and overall well-being, which tend to disproportionately affect Indigenous women.

Indigenous leaders have told the Government that when it comes to housing in First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation communities, the best approach is one that respects the distinct needs of each Indigenous group. The Government agrees. As announced in Canada’s first-ever National Housing Strategy, the Government and Indigenous partners are working together to improve housing conditions over the long term and to ensure that Indigenous Peoples have greater control over housing in their communities.

Through investments made in Budget 2017 and Budget 2018, the Government proposes dedicated funding to support the successful implementation of each of the distinctions-based housing strategies, including:

• An additional $600 million over three years to support housing on reserve as part of a 10-year First Nations Housing Strategy that is being developed with First Nations.
• $400 million over 10 years to support an Inuit-led housing plan in the Inuit regions of Nunavik, Nunatsiavut and Inuvialuit. This is in addition to the $240 million over 10 years announced in Budget 2017 to support housing in Nunavut, where additional funding was provided for Inuit housing.
• $500 million over 10 years to support the Métis Nation’s housing strategy.

Indigenous Health: Keeping Families Healthy in Their Communities

There are significant gaps in health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Infant mortality rates of First Nations and Inuit children are up to three times higher, diabetes rates are up to four times higher, and suicide rates among First Nations youth are between five and seven times higher. This gap in health outcomes can be narrowed, and providing access to quality health care close to home is an essential part of that change.

To keep Indigenous families healthy, Budget 2018 proposes to invest $1.5 billion over five years, starting in 2018–19, and $149 million per year ongoing, as follows:

• $498 million, with $97.6 million per year ongoing, to sustain access to critical medical care and services, including 24/7 nursing services in 79 remote and isolated First Nations communities.
• $200 million, with $40 million per year ongoing, to enhance the delivery of culturally appropriate addictions treatment and prevention services in First Nations communities with high needs.
• $235 million to work with First Nations partners to transform First Nations health systems by expanding successful models of self-determination so that health programs and services are developed, delivered and controlled by and for First Nations. This investment will also support access to quality and First Nations-controlled health care in remote and isolated James Bay communities as part of the Weeneebayko Area Health Integration Framework Agreement.
• $490 million over two years to preserve access to medically necessary health benefits and services through the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program.
• $109 million over 10 years, with $6 million per year ongoing, to respond to high rates of tuberculosis in Inuit communities, and develop a better understanding of the unique health needs of Inuit peoples through the co-creation of a distinct Inuit Health Survey.
• $6 million over five years to support the Métis Nation in gathering health data and developing a health strategy.

Supporting Inuit Priorities

The Government of Canada is committed to a renewed Inuit-Crown relationship. The Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee is an important vehicle where the Government of Canada and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami are working together to advance shared priorities. Through Budget 2018, the Government is providing $509.5 million over 10 years to make progress in the areas identified through the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee such as health and wellness, skills and training, and housing, including:

• $27.5 million over five years to eliminate tuberculosis in Inuit Nunangat. Among Inuit, the reported rate of active tuberculosis in 2015 was over 270 times higher than the rate among the Canadian-born, non-Indigenous population. Through Budget 2018, the Government will support Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s Inuit-specific approach to tuberculosis elimination, which includes enhanced community-wide prevention, detection, screening, treatment, communications and awareness, and addressing social determinants of health.
• $82 million over 10 years, with $6 million per year ongoing, for the co-creation of a permanent Inuit Health Survey. Funding will build capacity in Inuit communities to develop and collect survey information and support Inuit self-determination in setting the research agenda in their regions and communities.
• $400 million over 10 years for housing in the Inuit regions of Nunavik, Nunatsiavut and Inuvialuit to help address significant overcrowding and repair needs in Inuit communities.

Budget 2018 proposes to invest $161.2 million over five years in the Inuit stream of the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program, which supports employment services, skills development and job training.

In addition, the Government proposes to amend the Nunavut Act to resolve the legal gap for the Government of Nunavut to manage wildlife pertaining to Indigenous harvesting for game food.

Supporting Métis Nation Priorities

The Government of Canada is deeply committed to renewing the relationship with the Métis Nation based on recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership. Reflecting commitments in the Canada–Métis Nation Accord—which outlines ways in which Canada and the Métis National Council will work together to set priorities and develop policy in areas of shared interest—Budget 2018 proposes to invest $516 million over 10 years, including $500 million over 10 years to support a Métis Nation housing strategy, $10 million in 2018–19 to support Métis Nation post-secondary education, and $6 million over five years to support the Métis Nation in gathering health data and developing a health strategy. Furthermore, as announced elsewhere in this chapter, Budget 2018 also proposes to invest $325 million in the Métis Nation stream of the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program, which supports employment services, skills development and job training.

These investments in Métis Nation priorities reflect the Government’s commitment to apply a greater distinctions-based lens to Indigenous funding decisions and support the Métis Nation’s vision of self-determination.

Increased Health Supports for Survivors of Indian Residential Schools and Their Families

The Indian Residential School Settlement was intended to redress harm caused to students of residential schools and their families. Implementation began in September 2007 and is expected to wind down over the next few years.

For many survivors of residential schools and their families, the healing process has been long and very difficult. In light of this, the Settlement Agreement committed to providing survivors and their families with mental health and emotional support services to help them as they heal. Through Budget 2018, the Government proposes to provide $248.6 million over three years, starting in 2018–19, for services, including mental health and emotional supports to survivors and their families for the duration of the Indian Residential School Settlement.

Supporting the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund is part of Gord Downie’s legacy and embodies his commitment, and that of his family, to improving the lives of Indigenous Peoples. Developed in collaboration with the Wenjack family, the goal of the Fund is to continue the conversation that began with Chanie Wenjack’s residential school story. In particular, the Fund supports activities to promote reconciliation, build awareness, and educate Canadians about residential schools and the legacy that this experience still has for many Indigenous Peoples today.

The Fund supports tangible projects that encourage cross-cultural dialogue and awareness among Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and that create places and spaces dedicated to reconciliation. The Fund also partners with educators and Indigenous communities to develop curricula for Canadian schools that accurately describe Indigenous history. 

To support these reconciliation initiatives across Canada, Budget 2018 proposes to provide $5 million in 2018–19 to support the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund.

Creating a More Responsive Income Assistance Program That Addresses the Needs of First Nations Communities

Since its inception in 1964, the on-reserve Income Assistance program has remained largely unchanged. The Government proposes to invest $8.5 million over two years to work with First Nations to understand how to make the program more responsive to the needs of individuals and families on reserve and to identify the supports required to help individuals better transition from income assistance to employment and education.

While this work is being done, the Government proposes to provide $78.4 million over two years for case management services to help individuals transition from income assistance to employment and education.

Supporting Indigenous History and Heritage

The Government has committed to implementing the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Call to Action 79 calls for historical commemoration activities, and recognition and acknowledgement of the contributions that Indigenous Peoples have made to Canada’s history. In response to this call, Budget 2018 proposes to provide $23.9 million over five years, starting in 2018–19, to Parks Canada to integrate Indigenous views, history and heritage into the national parks, marine conservation areas and historic sites managed by that agency.

Indigenous Sport

Indigenous youth are far more likely than their non-Indigenous peers to be in care, not to complete high school, to be unemployed and to suffer from poor health.

Community-led sport can be a powerful tool to support Indigenous youth. It promotes social inclusion, builds self-esteem, strengthens Indigenous identity, instills a sense of pride and reduces the risks of suicide. Indigenous boys are more likely than Indigenous girls to participate in sport, with adolescence being a pivotal time for predicting whether or not girls will participate in sports as they grow older. Girls who play sports at a young age are more likely to be physically active as adults. Through Budget 2018, the Government proposes to invest $47.5 million over five years, and $9.5 million per year ongoing, to expand the use of sport for social development in more than 300 Indigenous communities. This initiative will help to scale up a highly successful model developed by Right To Play that has led nearly 90 per cent of participants to have a more positive attitude toward school and a greater sense of identity. As this initiative is implemented, the Government will look for opportunities to profile excellence among Indigenous youth in sport.

Supporting the Expansion of the First Nations Land Management Act and the Successful Participation of First Nations Under the Act

The First Nations Land Management Act and associated Land Management Regime empower First Nations to exercise their jurisdiction by opting out of antiquated Indian Act provisions related to land management and replacing them with their own laws. This way, communities can manage their reserve land, resources and environment according to their cultural values and priorities. They also allow communities to process lands transactions more quickly and present a more attractive climate for investors, which helps create jobs and spur economic development.

To support the expansion of the First Nations Land Management Act and the successful participation of First Nations under the Act, Budget 2018 proposes to invest $143.5 million over five years, beginning in 2018–19, and $19 million per year ongoing. This funding will allow an additional 50 First Nations to enter into the Land Management Regime, while providing pre readiness support and capacity development to ensure their successful participation.

Renewing the Matrimonial Real Property Implementation Support Program

The Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act was established in 2013 to provide protection for individuals living on reserve in cases where a relationship ends and property division is required. The law also includes special powers to deal with cases of family violence, such as granting emergency protection orders prohibiting a spouse or common-law partner from accessing the family home.

To support implementation of the law, the Matrimonial Real Property Implementation Support Program was created. The Program supports First Nations in developing their own community-specific matrimonial real property laws, and provides targeted training and awareness activities to law enforcement officers and members of the judiciary.

Through Budget 2018, the Government proposes to provide $5.5 million over two years to continue the activities of the Matrimonial Real Property Implementation Support Program. In addition, this funding will support new and more targeted training and awareness activities, such as the development of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, to respond to gaps in the administration of justice.

Rights and Self-Determination

The Government of Canada is committed to building a renewed relationship with Indigenous Peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership. To that end, the Government launched a major review and reform of its laws, policies and operational practices to help ensure that the Crown is:

• Meeting its constitutional obligations with respect to Aboriginal and treaty rights.
• Adhering to international human rights standards, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
• Supporting the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.

To further this commitment, the Prime Minister recently announced a national engagement process to create a Recognition and Implementation of Rights Framework. It is the Government’s intention that, with this Framework, Indigenous rights will be recognized from the outset, and the focus of the Government’s work with First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation will be on how those rights are implemented and exercised moving forward.

Supporting the Recognition and Implementation of Rights and Self-Determination

While Canada has advanced a number of modern treaties and agreements since the 1970s, the pace of progress in many cases has been slow and uneven. Negotiations can take a decade or more, and Indigenous communities are forced to take on debt in order to participate.

Budget 2018 outlines new steps the Government will take to increase the number of modern treaties and self-determination agreements in a manner that reflects a recognition of rights approach. These changes, along with the new approach brought forward through the Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination negotiation process, will shorten the time it takes to reach new treaties and agreements, at a lower cost to all parties.

As part of this new approach, the Government of Canada will be moving away from the use of loans to fund Indigenous participation in the negotiation of modern treaties. Starting in 2018–19, Indigenous participation in modern treaty negotiations will be funded through non-repayable contributions.

The Government will engage with affected Indigenous groups on how best to address past and present negotiation loans, including forgiveness of loans.

Through Budget 2018, the Government also proposes to invest $51.4 million over the next two years to continue its support for federal and Indigenous participation in the Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination discussion tables.

Helping Indigenous Nations Reconstitute

The Government has committed to a forward-looking and transformative agenda to renew relationships with Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous groups are seeking to rebuild their nations in a manner that responds to their priorities and the unique needs of their communities—a message they have shared with the Working Group of Ministers on the Review of Laws and Policies related to Indigenous Peoples. This was also a key recommendation of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, and is an objective outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. As stated by the Prime Minister at the United Nations General Assembly, the Government supports this vital work.

Through Budget 2018, the Government proposes to provide $101.5 million over five years, starting in 2018–19, to support capacity development for Indigenous Peoples. Funding would be made available to Indigenous groups to support activities that would facilitate their own path to reconstituting their nations.

Permanent Bilateral Mechanisms

In December 2016, the Prime Minister announced that the Government would establish Permanent Bilateral Mechanisms with First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation to identify each community’s distinct priorities and help the Government and Indigenous Peoples work together to develop solutions. While Budget 2017 provided interim funding to support these Permanent Bilateral Mechanisms, Budget 2018 proposes to invest $74.9 million over five years, with $15.5 million per year ongoing, to provide ongoing support to these policy co-development forums.

New Fiscal Relationship: Strengthening First Nations Institutions and Community Capacity

The Government recognizes that in order to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and facilitate greater self-determination—including self-government—a new fiscal relationship is needed.

The Government and the Assembly of First Nations have worked together to articulate a vision for a new fiscal relationship for First Nations communities. To better support First Nations communities, to support strong Indigenous institutions and to advance the new fiscal relationship with First Nations, Budget 2018 proposes to invest $188.6 million over five years, starting in 2018–19, in the following ways:

• $127.4 million over two years to directly support First Nations communities in building internal fiscal and administrative capacity. This includes $87.7 million over two years to ensure that communities under default management are able to move forward on projects that form part of their management action plans, and to support pilot projects in order to strengthen governance and community planning capacity in First Nations.
• $50 million over five years, and $11 million per year ongoing, to strengthen the First Nations Financial Management Board, the First Nations Finance Authority and the First Nations Tax Commission.
• $2.5 million over three years to support the First Nations Information Governance Centre’s design of a national data governance strategy and coordination of efforts to establish regional data governance centres.
• $8.7 million over two years to continue and broaden work with First Nations leadership, technical experts, researchers and community representatives on the new fiscal relationship.

The Government, with First Nations partners, will also undertake a comprehensive and collaborative review of current federal government programs and funding that support First Nations governance. The purpose of the review will be to ensure that these programs provide communities with sufficient resources to hire and retain the appropriate financial and administrative staff to support good governance, plan for the future and advance their vision of self-determination.

New Fiscal Relationship: Collaborating With Self-Governing Indigenous Governments

Through Budget 2018, the Government proposes to provide $189.2 million in 2018–19 to begin the implementation of new fiscal policy reforms that have been co-developed with self-governing Indigenous Peoples in Canada. This funding will support key priorities, including the closing of socio-economic gaps, infrastructure, data collection and governance.

Strengthening Indigenous Data and Research Capability

Strong governance and good decision-making rely on timely access to high-quality, relevant data. The importance of Indigenous-led statistical capacity to serve this need is underscored by the First Nations principles of Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (OCAP®). To continue to support the development and management of Indigenous data, and to further develop data governance and information management capacity among Indigenous governments, communities and organizations, Budget 2018 proposes to provide $3.8 million over five years, starting in 2018–19, and $0.4 million per year ongoing, to Statistics Canada to create the Indigenous Statistical Capacity Development Initiative.

This initiative will enable the Government to undertake engagement and outreach with Indigenous Peoples and organizations to better understand their statistical, data governance and information management needs, and to provide technical support services such as statistical training, courses and tools grounded in the needs of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. It will help Indigenous leadership, communities and governments build their own data and research capacities, and provide greater support to Indigenous institutions and organizations.

In addition, Budget 2018 proposes to provide the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council with $3.8 million in 2018–19 to develop a strategic plan that identifies new ways of doing research with Indigenous communities, including strategies to grow the capacity of Indigenous communities to conduct research and partner with the broader research community.

¹A household is in core housing need if its housing is in need of major repairs, is overcrowded or if shelter costs exceed 30 per cent of the household's pre-tax income.