Indigenous and Northern Affairs

The committee was studying the Auditor General’s follow-up report on programs for First Nations, examining progress on recommendations from six audits since 2015. Appearing were Gina Wilson, Deputy Minister of Indigenous Services; Candice St-Aubin, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister; Auditor General Karen Hogan; and Principal Glenn Wheeler.

Minister Mandy Gull-Masty accepted the Auditor General’s findings as a measure and guideline, acknowledging that progress must go faster and be clearer. She announced an action plan to be presented in spring 2026, shaped by community feedback. She highlighted work on health services, including hiring over 100 frontline nurses and expanding eligible service providers, and noted that eight bilateral emergency management agreements and seven wildfire agreements are in place. She committed to introducing clean drinking water legislation in spring 2026. On Bill S-2, she said she wants to create space for First Nations to define membership and citizenship for themselves, moving beyond the Indian Act.

Deputy Minister Gina Wilson noted that ISC has reorganized its sectors and operations to provide a one-window service and that staffing has been reduced from 8,619 to 8,076 full-time equivalents due to prudent decisions. She pointed to significant results in many areas that she said were not well reflected in the audit report.

Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Candice St-Aubin did not provide substantive testimony beyond offering a technical follow-up on urban Indigenous supports.

Auditor General Karen Hogan stated that ISC had made unsatisfactory progress on more than half of the 34 recommendations examined, despite program spending nearly doubling over five years. She identified four systemic barriers: lack of sustained management attention, lack of clarity around service levels, insufficient support for First Nations capacity, and a passive, siloed approach. She expressed particular concern that nine long-term drinking water advisories have remained in effect for a decade or longer and that fewer emergency service agreements were in place than in 2022. She called for a different approach and mindset, emphasizing that the department must meet communities where they are rather than waiting for them to apply to fragmented programs.

Principal Glenn Wheeler added that the funding formula for water systems was not updated to account for the age of treatment plants, and that operator turnover in communities contributes to ongoing advisories. He noted that while the department moved from funding 80% to 100% of water treatment plant costs, the formula itself was not revised.