VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 13, 2026 /CNW/ -- Advancing reconciliation requires supporting strong Indigenous communities and ensuring that Indigenous Peoples have the tools, resources, and services needed to determine their futures on their own terms.

Indigenous partners have long called for stable, predictable funding they can count on. Budget 2026 responds with historic, long-term investments that will help communities plan with greater certainty, maintain essential services and build for future generations.

Today, the Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, the Honourable Mandy Gull-Masty, together with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Wade Grant, hosted an event at Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art in Vancouver to highlight key investments from Budget 2026: Masters of our destiny, which proposes more than $50 billion over 10 years to advance reconciliation and ensure Indigenous Peoples have long-term predictable funding in core programs.

This includes $32 billion over 10 years for First Nations housing and infrastructure and more than $18 billion over 6 years to support Indigenous education and skills training, health and community safety, children and families, and emergency management.

Across the country, the Government of Canada is working with Indigenous governments and organisations to strengthen local economies, build housing and infrastructure, improve educational and health outcomes, support children and families, and deliver services that reflect communities' needs. 

Budget 2026 provides greater certainty for First Nations housing and infrastructure:

• $18.5 billion over 10 years to improve First Nations infrastructure on reserve with the launch of a new First Nations On-Reserve Infrastructure Program. This funding will support the construction and maintenance of a broad range of assets, from roads and bridges to schools and health facilities, while extending investments in water and wastewater infrastructure for six years beyond funding announced in June 2026. The new program will consider opportunities to consolidate existing First Nations on reserve infrastructure programs and provide greater flexibility to plan the timing and sequencing of investments across assets according to specific circumstances rather than typical annual funding allocations.
• $11 billion over 10 years to improve First Nations housing. This funding will help communities manage and preserve 119,000 existing housing units through regular maintenance and repairs, construct more than 6,900 new homes, and renovate more than 10,900 existing homes over the next decade.
• An additional $1.7 billion over five years to accelerate housing construction in First Nations communities on reserve. This funding will enable faster delivery of shovel-ready housing projects while freeing up core funding to plan, deliver, and maintain housing over the next 10 years.
• An additional $13 billion over ten years, on a cash basis, starting in 2028-29, to boost the capital of Build Canada Homes and supercharge non-market housing across this country. At least 10% of Build Canada Homes' expanded envelope will be dedicated to Indigenous housing projects using a distinctions-based formula.
• $451.8 million over four years and $48 million ongoing (including new and existing funding) to launch a new Partnerships for Indigenous Workforce Readiness Fund, which could align Indigenous workforce investments with national economic priorities.

Budget 2026 also transforms financing:

• $657.5 million over 10 years to explore new approaches that could transform how First Nations housing and infrastructure are supported in the future. This will be done via three initiatives:
  • $500 million over 10 years for a Monetisation Pilot to test a First Nations-led model for financing infrastructure projects.
  • $150 million over five years for the Yänonhchia' Revolving Housing Finance Fund, a First Nation-led initiative that works with Indigenous Financial Institutions to provide First Nations individuals with housing loans, helping them on the path to home ownership.
  • $7.5 million over five years for a Surety-Bonding Pilot to test a model for helping First Nations contractors overcome barriers to bidding on large construction contracts.
• $78.5 million over four years and $20.6 million ongoing to Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to support the funding renewal for the First Nations Financial Management Board, the First Nations Tax Commission, and the First Nations Infrastructure Institute.

These proposed initiatives will contribute to economic growth and growth in Indigenous communities. Concretely, in British Columbia through Indigenous loan guarantees and new opportunities for equity ownership, more Indigenous communities are becoming partners and owners in the projects shaping Canada's future.

That means lasting revenues for communities, new opportunities for local workers and businesses, and greater economic self-determination for generations to come. The $10 billion Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program supports making that possible by giving Indigenous communities access to more affordable financing to invest in major projects.

With three loan guarantees already issued, Budget 2026 announces the Tla'amin Nation Tree Farm project in British Columbia: Budget 2026 is supporting Tla'amin Nation in acquiring 100% ownership of Western Forest Products' Stillwater Forest Operation, a major forestry asset within its traditional territory, providing stable revenues and creating local economic opportunities.

Supporting Indigenous children and families

Canada is committed to removing systemic barriers that make it difficult for Indigenous children and youth to access the services and supports they need. Budget 2026 proposes to provide longer-term funding for Jordan's Principle and Pirutsiagutiit (the Inuit Child First Initiative) to help ensure First Nations and Inuit children can access government-funded services without delay, while supporting greater Indigenous control over child and family services within their communities:

• $6 billion over six years for Jordan's Principle. This funding will support continued access to health, social, and educational services for First Nations children and ongoing work to address barriers.
• $575 million over five years to renew the Inuit Child First Initiative and support the transition to the Pirutsiagutiit, co-developed with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the four Inuit Treaty Organizations, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Makivvik Corporation, and the Nunatsiavut Government, to help Inuit children access essential services and supports closer to home.
• $806.7 million over five years to renew funding for the implementation of An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families. This funding will help Indigenous communities provide culturally appropriate supports and services that better meet the needs of children, youth, and families.

Budget 2026 is investing in Northern, remote, and Indigenous communities:

• $610.3 million over four years, $118.1 million in 2031-32, and $117.1 million ongoing to expand and stabilize funding for Nutrition North Canada and associated initiatives.
• $1.6 billion over 10 years to improve energy reliability in the North. This includes $713.8 million for renewable energy and capacity-building projects that help Indigenous, rural, and remote communities transition from diesel and fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, and $929.1 million to replace and upgrade aging electricity infrastructure in northern communities.
• $3.1 billion over 5 years to support the construction and certain maintenance costs of the Mackenzie Valley Highway.
• $10.4 million over 4 years for the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning. Funding is proposed for CIRNAC to support the operations of the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, which offers post-secondary land-based learning and research programs to Indigenous students in the Northwest Territories.

A sustained, 10-year commitment focused on providing greater certainty, accelerating construction, and transforming the way projects are financed would help communities make strategic investments and progressively close housing and infrastructure gaps over time. Long-term funding for children and families is also essential to ensuring communities can provide consistent, reliable services and plan with confidence for the future. The initiatives outlined in Budget 2026 will ensure that communities have the resources they need to succeed in the long term, advance self-determination, and build stronger First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities across the country.

Quote: 

"Building a strong and united Canada also means continuing the important work of reconciliation. It means ensuring Indigenous communities have the same foundations that every community needs to thrive: safe housing, clean water, good schools, reliable infrastructure, stable and culturally responsive policing services, and the ability to shape their own future. Because being masters of our destiny must mean having the tools to shape a better future."

-    The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue 

"Indigenous communities have always had the leadership, knowledge and ambition to shape their own futures. Budget 2026 represents a historic commitment to supporting that work, with long-term investments that reflect the priorities communities have identified. From housing and essential infrastructure to services for children and families, these investments will provide greater certainty and help communities build for generations to come."

-    The Honourable Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada 

"Reconciliation is about working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples and supporting communities as they build the futures they envision. Budget 2026 provides long-term, predictable investments in Indigenous education, health, housing, essential services, and more. With this budget, we are supporting stronger communities and advancing Indigenous self-determination for generations to come."

– Wade Grant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Associated links:

• Budget 2026: Masters of our destiny
• Spring Economic Update 2026: Canada Strong For All

Quick Facts

Additional investments for Indigenous Peoples:

Budget 2026 measures in education

• $5.8 billion over five years for the Elementary and Secondary Education Program on reserve to support high-quality, culturally relevant education and improve long-term outcomes for First Nations students.
• $437.9 million over five years through the Post-Secondary Student Support Program to maintain access to post-secondary education and support the next generation of First Nations leaders, professionals, and skilled workers.

Budget 2026 measures in health and safety

• $2.9 billion over three years to support access to health products and services through the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program.
• $290.7 million over four years to help Indigenous communities access the public health services and support they need to live healthy lives.
• $865.6 million in 2026-27 for the Emergency Management Assistance Program to respond to emergencies that occurred on reserve and an additional $446.2 million ongoing to support future response and recovery from emergencies.
• $7.8 million in ongoing funding to support First Nations with wildfire protection where First Nations community boundaries are next to wildland.
• $7 million in ongoing funding for the First Nations Fire Protection Strategy, which supports fire safety priorities identified by First Nations communities.
• $633.7 million over four years and $250.9 million ongoing to support stable and effective Indigenous policing agreements and infrastructure.
• $140 million over four years to enable First Nations and Inuit communities to develop and implement approaches tailored to their priorities and circumstances to support community-led safety initiatives.
• $3.6 million in 2027-28 to renew the Red Dress Alert pilot, developed with Indigenous partners. This funding would also renew the government's capacity to coordinate federal efforts to address the ongoing issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Budget 2026 measures for fiscal and institutional capacity 

• Update the First Nations Personal Income Tax arrangements by proposing to increase the revenue sharing rate in conjunction with introducing a revenue sharing mechanism.
• Update the First Nations Goods and Services Tax arrangements by proposing a revised cost-sharing arrangement for the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit.
• Amendments to the First Nations Fiscal Management Act. In Budget 2026, the government proposes to amend the First Nations Fiscal Management Act to allow the First Nations Finance Authority to lend to Indigenous-owned Special Purpose Vehicles.

SOURCE Indigenous Services Canada