QUESTION PERIOD — Indigenous Services
Support for Indigenous Communities
October 28, 2025
Minister, the Auditor General’s latest report found that Indigenous Services Canada failed to implement more than half of the recommendations to improve programs and services for Indigenous Peoples made over the past decade. Despite an 84% increase in funding, from $13 billion in 2019-20 to nearly $24 billion in 2023-24, progress was deemed unsatisfactory on 18 of 34 recommendations.
How does your government explain such a staggering disconnect between record-level spending and so few tangible results?
I will respectfully say there is a component of your question that I cannot find myself in agreement with. Ensuring that we respond to and provide funding to address years of critical underfunding for First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities is not something that we should identify as requiring justification. For me, it’s ensuring that we’re working with communities where they are.
There are some communities that were extremely high capacity. They were able to succeed in what they identified. These are some of the outcomes in the report. There are some communities that need additional support and capacity to meet those targets in the report. There are some communities, unfortunately, still struggling with trying to move forward. I have to support this spectrum of communities and meet them where they are. If that means that I’m not able to meet the timeline of the Auditor General, I will accept that outcome. But I will first and foremost protect the integrity of those communities to ensure that what we have identified as targets are met in the space where they are. I will do everything I can to support them with that progress.
I’m also looking at taxpayers and the fact that billions of dollars more have been spent without meaningful accountability for failure. Minister, after six separate Auditor General reports, what concrete steps will your government take to ensure that Indigenous Services Canada finally implements the Auditor General’s recommendations? When can Parliament expect measurable results instead of yet another follow-up audit saying the same thing? This is now six Auditors General later.
Thank you. As I tell my colleagues in the House and the people I work with, Indigenous issues are non‑partisan. They are issues that we as a country must respond to and work with. There is a history and legacy in this country that has been extremely harmful. We are not going to force a perceived proper outcome on First Nations. I say this with all due respect for the Auditor General; I know that she is sharing a reflection and an opinion. As a minister, I will continue to respond to communities and support them where they are.
