Indigenous leaders say federal budget falls short on health care, education

Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak speaks at the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Annual General Assembly in Winnipeg, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

OTTAWA — Some Indigenous leaders say Tuesday’s federal budget lacks the investments in health and education their communities desperately need.

The budget froze annual base funding for Indigenous health and social services and for treaty work, which Ottawa says amounts to a two per cent cut at a time when most federal agencies face a 15 per cent cut.

National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak of the Assembly of First Nations says the freeze will have serious impacts on communities with high birthrates and the budget offers no plan to close the education gap that holds back economic growth in Indigenous communities.

The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami is praising the budget’s promises of investments in the Arctic, and particularly its support for an Inuit university.

But the group says it’s troubled by the fact a budget document that frames Arctic policy in terms of security and national sovereignty did not mention the Inuit, and is “disturbed” it did not renew funding to eliminate tuberculosis in the North.

The Manitoba Métis Federation praised the budget for sticking with past housing and child welfare pledges, with the Métis National Council expected to comment this afternoon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press