Indigenous leaders are looking for long-term funding to close infrastructure gaps in the upcoming federal budget, despite predictions of funding cuts.
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN), Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and Métis National Council individually submitted budget requests to the federal government ahead of the Nov. 4 budget totalling $443 billion combined over at least the next decade. ITK has requested $75.1 billion over 35 years, including $30 billion over 10 years to cover urgent infrastructure needs.
But 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.
While Obed said he appreciates the “large ambitions” to close the infrastructure gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities by 2030, one of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s signature pledges on reconciliation, he said the organization doesn’t see any evidence funds will exist to make that a reality.
Publication Date
October 23, 2025
