Miles Morrisseau
ICT
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered the first budget of his mandate since being elected in April. The budget continues the Canadian government’s response to the dramatically changed economic relationship with the United States. The ongoing uncertainty caused by the tariff war with the Trump administration has forced Canada to look inward for economic prosperity and growth.
The budget was presented by Finance Minister Francois Phillipe Champagne and said the moment calls for bold action and investment “to secure Canada’s future.”
“We are making generational investments to meet the moment and ensure our country doesn’t just weather this moment but thrives in it,” Champagne stated. “This is our moment to build Canada Strong.”
This is also the first budget with Mandy Gull-Masty, Cree, as the minister of Indigenous Services Canada. She is the first First Nations person to lead that historic department once known as Indian affairs. Her department, along with Crown-Indigenous Relations, will have their budgets slashed by $2.3 billion.
The budget includes investments in clean drinking water and housing in Indigenous communities.
The government committed to ending all long-term drinking water advisories on First Nations and ensuring reliable access to clean drinking water. The budget proposes to provide $2.3 billion over three years, starting in 2026-2027, to renew the First Nations Water and Wastewater Enhanced Program. This funding will maintain progress on approximately 800 active projects, including those focused on ending remaining water advisories and preventing new ones by upgrading at-risk systems.
Housing is another area of investment with the budget recognizing that the need for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis housing is acute. The $2.8 billion is being confirmed for urban, rural, and northern Indigenous housing.
Gull-Masty has been tasked with coordinating a cross-government Indigenous housing strategy following engagement with First Nations on reserve, Inuit treaty organizations, Métis governments, and modern treaty holders and self-governing Indigenous governments.
The budget plan has committed to protecting the sovereignty of Canada by investing in major projects, such as pipelines and mining for critical minerals.
When presenting the budget in the house, Champagne referenced Indigenous teachings and working with Indigenous people when pushing projects forward.
“To do so in a way that protects our future, our nature, and our core values, building in true partnership with Indigenous Peoples, whose stewardship and knowledge of the land continue to guide us today. Because we do not just build for ourselves. We build for those who will follow,” Champagne said. “I am often reminded of the Seven Generation Principle, rooted in Indigenous teachings — a reminder that every decision we take today must consider its impacts on future generations.”
The budget also has a plan to improve health care access and services in northern Canada with various departments working in collaboration.
The budget plan states that the government intends to have the ministers of health, national defense, Indigenous services, northern affairs, and Arctic affairs comprehensively assess the health care and health infrastructure needed in the North. The goal would be to find innovative ways to increase health care accessibility for northern communities so it reduces the cost of medical travel for northern and Indigenous peoples in the Arctic.
The government has tasked a special representative to conduct an external review of Nutrition North Canada, a program to enhance food security.
“The government will take this review seriously,” states the budget plan. “And remains committed to co-developing with Inuit and Northern Indigenous leaders, evidence-based food security approaches that better meet the high cost of living and affordability challenges faced by many Inuit and Northerners.”
The Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Métis National Council individually submitted budget requests to the federal government ahead of the Nov. 4 budget totaling $443 billion combined over at least the next decade. Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami has requested $75.1 billion over 35 years, including $30 billion over 10 years to cover urgent infrastructure needs.
However, ITK President Natan Obed said he was told to not get “our hopes too high.”
“We have been told very clearly by officials within departments and within central agencies that this is a really difficult time fiscally for the country, and that there isn’t enough money to go around,” Obed said.
The Manitoba Metis Federation supports the new budget with the new housing spending, investment in northern Manitoba as well as the overall intent to secure Canada’s sovereignty with threats from south of the border.
“It’s clear we are facing challenges from the United States and its leadership which presents Canada with both threats and opportunities,” said David Chartrand, president of the federation. “We must all work together to secure our country, our economy, and our way of life for future generations – the economic vision of Budget 2025 is our path forward.”
In order for the budget to be approved it must be passed by the majority of the members in the House of Commons.
Since Carney’s government is a minority the budget required support from the opposition parties — the Conservatives, the Bloc Quebecois, the New Democratic Party and the Green Party. If the budget does not receive majority support that is considered a vote of non-confidence and the government would be brought down sending Canadians back to the polls yet again.
The Conservatives and the Greens have announced that they will not support the budget. Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has come out against the budget as well.
“I hardly see how after having met with our caucus tonight we could vote in favour of this budget, this is a red conservative budget which Mr. Harper might have signed,” Blanchet told reporters after the budget was delivered referencing former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The Liberals needed three votes at the beginning of the day, but by day’s end that number dropped to two when Nova Scotia Member of Parliament Chris d’Entremont resigned from the Conservative caucus and joined the Liberals. They will likely get the other votes from the New Democratic Party but that is not final.
The vote is expected in the next couple of weeks.