Federal budget’s lack of Métis-specific funding concerns Métis leaders

Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) President David Chartrand says he’s “appalled” by the absence of distinct funding for Métis in the 2026 federal budget released Thursday.

The word “Métis” appears once in the budget document, when funding to implement An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families is mentioned. The MMF says the federal government has claimed it doesn’t yet have a mechanism to fund Métis under that legislation.

“I can’t believe we’re not in there after all the hard work we’ve been doing since Trudeau’s era, ensuring that the progress and developments of the investments of our tax dollars that is being returned to us, showing that it’s changing [Métis] peoples’ lives for the better,” said Chartrand in an interview with CBC Indigenous. 

Chartrand said he is in talks with Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty and other members of the federal government to make adjustments that would include specific Métis distinction-based language and investments. 

“If it’s not distinction based, you can’t measure it,” said Chartrand.

“It’s too buried in the word Indigenous and shuffles into different files and departments. There’s no real statistical way of measuring it.”

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In a statement, the Métis National Council (MNC) said it was disappointed by the lack of Métis-specific funding.

The statement said MNC had asked in its pre-budget submission for renewal of the Canada-Métis Nation Housing Sub-Accord, restoring Métis led urban and youth programming, addressing the urgent needs in health infrastructure, and expanding Métis-specific education and workforce development opportunities. 

“Despite the government’s stated commitments to Indigenous Peoples and to economic reconciliation, Métis governments are being treated as an afterthought rather than partners in Canada’s future,” MNC President Victoria Pruden said in the statement. 

Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak praised the budget’s promise of stable funding for First Nations, including $32 billion over 10 years for First Nations housing and infrastructure, plus $18 billion for First Nations child and family services education and health. 

“I lift up the prime minister and [Indigenous Services Canada] Minister [Mandy] Gull Masty and the finance minister for finally seeing that it’s important that we have a stable and predictable 10-year funding,” said Woodhouse Nepinak in an interview with CBC Indigenous. 

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) said in a statement it welcomes the budget’s promise of $575 million over five years to create an Inuit-specific replacement for the Inuit Child First Initiative, Pirutsiagutiit. It will be operated by Inuit instead of Indigenous Services Canada.

“This program has the potential to change the lives of Inuit children and we look forward to sustained collaboration to ensure it delivers on its promise,” said ITK President Natan Obed in the statement. 

The statement added ITK was “disappointed” by the lack of specific references to Inuit in other areas, like no mention of reform of Nutrition North Canada to address food insecurity, no mention of how the government’s 10-year goal to end homelessness will happen in Inuit Nunangat, and no mention of housing and infrastructure for Inuit.