QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Indigenous Services
Auditor General's Report
May 7, 2026
Minister, the latest Auditor General report on your department confirms what many Canadians have come to expect from the Liberal government: that the announcement is the policy. The report found that although the federal government has provided more than $6.5 billion in long‑term funding to First Nations since 2016, your government failed to properly implement, monitor or assess whether these investments improved outcomes in Indigenous communities. It also found that key commitments related to accountability and governance reform remain unfinished.
Minister, how can your government claim meaningful progress while the AG report confirms your department falls short in transforming the fiscal relationship with First Nations?
Thank you. I believe at that time, in 2016, there was a push regarding the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. It was decided upon and rejected by Indigenous People in this country because of the manner in which it was determined, developed and essentially brought down without their inclusion.
During 2016-26, a lot of work was done in this space. We’ve worked closely with our partners to ensure that we’re trying to achieve the outcomes they set. One of the things I have been tasked with as minister is ensuring we are able to work with communities to define outcomes.
While I welcome the work the Auditor General has done, I think we have to be more substantive in analyzing the impact of outcomes through language that is reflective of the decisions and direction First Nations seek to set for themselves.
This is part of the reconciliation work we have to do. It’s not only about measuring things through standard accounting practice, which sometimes does not take into consideration important factors, such as previous harm or trauma caused by racial and discriminatory legislation and loss of culture, language and identity because of previous practices. I believe these are things First Nations communities want us to measure as part of the work we’re doing.
I will always be here to ensure it is clearly understood by community that accountability and transparency are important to me. We must ensure we build capacity in this space to also deliver the mechanism —
Thank you, minister.
Minister, the Auditor General also found the government failed to establish a proper mutual accountability framework with First Nations and did not consistently monitor whether funding recipients remained eligible. Will the government commit to implementing clear performance measures and transparent reporting so both Parliament and Indigenous communities can properly assess results?
Thank you. Yes, communities should be able to have every tool available to them to ensure they’re reporting to their members the decisions they take and the fiscal impacts those decisions have to improve the quality of life in the community and the services they offer their members.
I will always be in a space to build that capacity with them through mechanisms delivered not only through consultation but progressively looking at other terms of measurement in this space that fall outside of standard accounting guidelines, because this is important.
I said previously we have to measure the impact government policies have had on the loss of culture, language and identity in many different spaces. That is an outcome they seek to ensure they are monitoring, and they are looking to achieve enhanced outcomes.
