Coast Salish Territory, Vancouver, British Columbia – The First Nations Summit (FNS) leadership is encouraged by the significant indigenous investments outlined in the 2019 federal budget released yesterday.
The 2019 federal budget includes 24 measures for Indigenous peoples, totaling approximately $4.7 billion including;
- $1.371b for Redressing Past Wrongs and Advancing Self-Determination, including the forgiveness of treaty negotiation loan debt for past and present negotiations
- $103m for Strengthening Governance Tools
- $4.5b in additional investments to closing the socio-economic gaps faced by Indigenous peoples
- $1.432b in investments related to First Nations and Inuit Children including $1.212B to continue implementation of Jordan’s Principle
- $334m for Preserving, promoting and Revitalizing Indigenous Languages
- $1.285b for improvements related to healthy and safe Indigenous communities