Liberal budget includes billions in new spending for aboriginal people

Billions in new spending will be directed towardaboriginal programming, including funding to address issuesincluding education, reserve water and child and family services,the Liberal government signalled in its budget released Tuesday.

The commitments are considered one of the central themes of thegovernment's first financial road map, with $8.4 billion earmarkedover the next five years.

The spending also represents a significant increase over theinvestments that would have been made under the Kelowna Accord,Finance Minister Bill Morneau told a news conference before thebudget was tabled in the House of Commons.

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The greatest portion of the money goes toward First Nationseducation $2.6-billion over the next five years for primary andsecondary schooling on reserves though the government extended itswindow from the four-year period outlined in its campaign platform.

The funding also significantly ramps up in later years, with $801million set to flow in the last year of the five-year period, whichfalls outside the Liberal mandate.

Morneaudefended the government's approach to addressing thesocio-economicconditions of indigenous peoples.

"One of the things I am most proud of in this budget is that wehave decided to make very significant investments for indigenouspeople in this country," he said.

The budget also includes nearly $2 billion for water andwastewater infrastructure over five years to end boil-water
advisories, which Prime Minister JustinTrudeauhas committed todoing within five years.

Specifically, the budget proposes $141.7 million be spent overfive years for the monitoring and testing of reserve drinking waterand $1.8 billion over the same time period for facility operationand maintenance.

'My feeling is, that bar falls far below what is required tomeet the order that is required by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.'- Cindy Blackstock, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society

CindyBlackstock, the president of the First Nations Child andFamily Caring Society, said she is disappointed by the government'spledge on child and family services.

Blackstock, a social worker who fought and won against thefederal government in a lengthy dispute over funding for on-reservechild welfare services, said she was looking for $200-million thisyear to close the gap.

"My feeling is, that bar falls far below what is required tomeet the order that is required by the Canadian Human Rights
Tribunal,"Blackstocksaid.

"It is $71 million in year one and then $99 million in year two.If you look at the overall figure it is over $600 million, but
that's back-ended."

Much of the funding falls after the next election,Blackstockadded, noting that puts the funding at risk and does not address thedepths of inequity faced by kids on reserve.

"I think people need to look closely at what they're actuallyspending and when," she said. "The biggest investments on theFirst Nations file are after the next election."

I think if the aboriginal community has better outcomes, theCanadian economy will have better outcomes.-Craig Alexander, vice-president of economic affairs,C.D.HoweInstitute

Craig Alexander, vice-president of economic affairs at the C.D.HoweInstitute, said he is encouraged to see that the government iskeen to invest in changing the outcomes of aboriginal peopleaneffort he views as an "economic imperative."

"I think if the aboriginal community has better outcomes, theCanadian economy will have better outcomes," he said.

Money is part of the solution but deep challenges remain,Alexander added.

"We need to understand that isn't a silver bullet," Alexandersaid. "There are some underlying barriers that actually need to beaddressed so that we get the positive outcomes."

The budget also contains additional commitments, such as $40million over two years for the inquiry on missing and murderedindigenous women.