Indigenous and Northern Affairs

This House of Commons committee meeting of Indigenous and Northern Affairs on November 17, 2025, studied Budget 2025 and its implications for Indigenous peoples, with appearances from Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Rebecca Alty, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs Rebecca Chartrand, and Minister of Indigenous Services Mandy Gull-Masty, alongside deputy ministers Valerie Gideon and Michelle Kovacevic.

Minister Alty highlighted Budget 2025's generational investments in Indigenous housing, infrastructure, and economic tools, including $2.8 billion for urban, rural, and northern Indigenous housing, a bonding and surety pilot program to help smaller First Nations contractors access bonding, and legislative changes to the First Nations Fiscal Management Act allowing the First Nations Finance Authority to lend to special purpose vehicles for multi-nation projects. She also noted the federal initiative on consultation to fund co-developed protocols and resource centres for major projects, and confirmed the government appealed the Cowichan decision, emphasizing a preference for out-of-court settlements like the Haida agreement that protect both Aboriginal title and fee simple property. She committed to meeting with the Long Point and Wolf Lake First Nations regarding additions to reserve, and noted that 56 of 128 specific claims have been completed under an expedited resolution strategy, with 72 remaining.

Minister Chartrand focused on the north, emphasizing Budget 2025's renewed Arctic agenda with a $1-billion Arctic infrastructure fund, support for the creation of an Inuit Nunangat university, and investments in major projects like Grays Bay and Churchill Plus. She defended the Giant Mine remediation project, stating it is on time and on budget with independent oversight, and noted that 2,349 employees are working on the project, 26% of whom are northern, 13% Indigenous, and 17% women. She confirmed that all three parties have agreed on the Nunavut land use plan, with implementation awaiting post-election follow-through, and that the $1-billion Arctic infrastructure fund will have an application process for a portion of the funding, though she could not specify how much would go to Nunavut.

Minister Gull-Masty outlined Indigenous Services Canada's priorities, including $2.3 billion over three years for the First Nations water and wastewater program supporting 800 projects, $2.8 billion for Indigenous housing, and over $3 billion for Indigenous infrastructure, while noting that 149 long-term drinking water advisories have been lifted, affecting 95% of communities. She addressed Jordan's principle, acknowledging challenges with the operational bulletin and committing to a strategy to address the backlog, with $1.9 billion in main estimates for the program. On Bill S-2, she stressed the need for additional consultation with communities on the second-generation cut-off, arguing a one-size-fits-all approach would be harmful. She defended the department's growth from 4,200 to over 8,000 employees as necessary to meet the needs of a fast-growing and historically underfunded population, and argued that the 2% efficiency exercise is not a $2.3-billion cut but an internal review of operations and programs at end of life, with figures around $490 million. She disagreed with the characterization that outcomes are worsening, pointing to successes like lifting boil water advisories and building new clinics and schools.

Deputy Minister Gideon provided technical details on specific claims, noting the rolling envelope structure allows flexibility based on negotiations, and confirmed work is ongoing with the Assembly of First Nations on operating budget needs for regional offices, including translation services for the Quebec-Labrador region. Associate Deputy Minister Kovacevic clarified that the $1.9 billion for Jordan's principle in main estimates is based on historical expenditures and need, and that approximately $800 million is earmarked for mental health in existing funding.

The committee also debated procedural matters, including ensuring that MP Idlout would have speaking time in both hours of the meeting, which was agreed to by members.