Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada: 2022 to 2023 Departmental Results Report

Description

This core responsibility aims to support Indigenous organizations, individuals, communities and governments in achieving reconciliation and advancing self-determination through strengthening Crown-Indigenous relationships based on respect, cooperation, partnership, the affirmation and implementation of Indigenous rights, and the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Activities include negotiating and implementing treaties, self-government agreements and specific claims, consulting and engaging on issues of importance to Indigenous Peoples, providing legislative and institutional frameworks for First Nations' jurisdiction over local taxation, land and financial management and addressing historic grievances.

Results

The renewal of a nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown, and government-to-government relationship with Indigenous Peoples is critical to moving forward with reconciliation. CIRNAC continued to work with Indigenous partners to progressively build towards a better future through self-determination and to address past wrongs. In 2022–23, Crown-Indigenous Relations focused on 3 departmental results.

Departmental result 1: Indigenous Peoples determine their political, economic, social and cultural development

The Government of Canada remains committed to the renewed relationships with Indigenous Peoples based on the affirmation and implementation of their right to self-determination, including the right to self-government. The department's 2022–23 results are outlined below.

CIRNAC continued to make progress in its negotiations with Indigenous Peoples across the country. More specifically, the department and Indigenous partners established 2 new discussion tables, increasing the total number of tables to 188, to co-develop modern treaties, self-government agreements and other rights-based agreements. These discussions explored new ideas to reach agreements that recognize the rights of Indigenous partners, foster self-determination and advance reconciliation. Results in 2022–23 stemming from these discussions include the signature of 7 agreements, 9 preliminary-type agreements and the introduction of 1 transformative piece of enabling legislation.

The conclusion of agreements is a critical piece of Canada's commitment to support the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples. Here are a few examples:

• Canada signed updated self-government agreements with the Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA), Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) and Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO), which officially recognize the MNA, MN-S and MNO as Indigenous governments and commit Canada to negotiating self-government treaties.
• On April 6, 2022, Canada and Anishinabek Nation signed the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement, a historic agreement affirming Anishinabek control over governance and the law-making powers of the signatory First Nations in key areas. The Agreement came info effect on October 1, 2022.
• CIRNAC implemented 4 education sectoral agreements in British Columbia.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed with the Treaty Education Alliance, which is set to advance joint work with Canada towards better education outcomes for First Nation students.
• A framework agreement was signed with Wood Mountain Lakota First Nation, setting out a process for further collaborative dialogue between the parties.
• Canada and Fox Lake Cree Nation signed an MOU, which marks key steps towards reconciliation and a renewed nation-to-nation relationship.
• Canada and the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation signed a Rights Reconciliation Agreement on National Parks in 2022, which seeks to recognize and implement Wolastoqiyik treaty and aboriginal rights with respect to federal National Parks and historic sites in their traditional territory, the Wolastokuk.
• Since the enactment of Bill C-92, An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families, CIRNAC has collaborated with Indigenous Services Canada on its implementation. This collaboration led to the signature of 5 coordination agreements in 2022–23 that enable First Nations to exercise jurisdiction over child and family services.
• The department signed 2 Order in Councils to set aside lands for the exclusive use and benefit of the Crees of Mistissini and Chisasibi. In addition, the Ka:'yu:'k't'h' and Che:k'tles7et'h' First Nations Walters Cove Treaty Settlement Lands Addition was completed.

CIRNAC also collaborated with Indigenous partners to amend agreements in order to address priorities. Here are a few examples for 2022–23:

• The department co-developed amendments with shíshálh Nation to the Sechelt Indian Band Self-Government Act (now shíshálh Nation Self-Government Act). These amendments modernized this piece of historic legislation by aligning it with newer self government arrangements. This is the first time that Indigenous languages have been incorporated into active legislation.
• The amendment to the James Bay Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) was finalized to address eligibility under the Agreement. The amendment ensures that Cree beneficiaries and their dependents who are absent from JBNQA Territory (Territory) can access healthcare or educational services not offered in the Territory, or work for an organization with a mandate to promote the welfare of the Cree. This will ensure that there is no impact on beneficiaries or their dependents on their continued ability to exercise rights and receive benefits under the JBNQA.
• CIRNAC, in collaboration with Finance Canada, Justice Canada and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, negotiated with Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) and British Columbia an amendment to the TFN Treaty to implement Canada's revised tax exemption policy on Tsawwassen lands and for Tsawwassen members on other Indian Act reserves in Canada. This new federal tax policy allows a tax exemption to remain on both an Indigenous group's former reserves, if applicable, as well as for modern treaty beneficiaries on all other reserves in Canada. Similar amendments are underway with Maa-nulth First Nations, Nisga'a Nation and Tla'amin Nation.

In 2022–23, the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia and the First Nations Summit advanced the implementation of the co-developed Recognition and Reconciliation of Rights Policy for Treaty Negotiations in British Columbia. To support this work, CIRNAC worked in collaboration with the province of British Columbia and participating Indigenous Nations to begin addressing the Policy's Schedule A: Commitments to Further Work, with a focus on land-related issues, including the constitutional status of lands. CIRNAC also worked closely with the Province of British Columbia and the First Nations Summit on the first review of the Policy, aimed at examining successes and challenges in implementing the Policy at negotiations tables. This external review, which will be completed in 2023, will help identify opportunities to support the Policy's implementation going forward.

In support of Canada's commitment to self-determination enabling partners to make their own investment decisions, CIRNAC continued its review of the policies that guide the negotiation and implementation of treaties, self-government agreements and other rights-based agreements. The department worked directly with modern treaty and self-governing partners, and collaborated with other federal departments to negotiate and conclude financial transfers through 157 amendments to fiscal arrangements. These allow the transfer of programs and services to modern treaty and self-governing partners.

In addition, CIRNAC engaged with modern treaty and self-governing partners to negotiate and develop an allocation methodology to administer Canada's Budget 2022 Indigenous housing investments of $1,408,700 for modern treaty, Inuit and self-governing Indigenous governments.

The department also advanced shared priorities and interests with modern treaty and self-governing partners. Here are some key accomplishments:

• CIRNAC advanced work on Canada's Collaborative Self-Government Fiscal Policy Development Process, which looks to develop a transparent funding model which provides sufficient fiscal resources to Indigenous governments to fulfill their responsibilities. The policy also helps close socio-economic and well-being gaps. Current efforts are focused on land management, capital infrastructure and language revitalization.
• Canada also implemented a funding approach for the infrastructure lifecycle in fiscal arrangements with 24 self-governing Indigenous governments. These amendments have provided ongoing operations, maintenance and financial support for existing community infrastructure, and increased by 154% the total infrastructure funding provided to the 24 self-governing Indigenous governments.
• In February 2023, Canada adopted its Collaborative Modern Treaty Implementation Policy, which was co-developed with Indigenous modern treaty partners. The policy aims to support the full, effective, and timely implementation of the spirit and intent of modern treaties in Canada by increasing understanding and awareness of modern treaties within the federal public service and ensuring alignment with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In addition, CIRNAC and Indigenous modern treaty partners are working together to co-develop options for an independent oversight mechanism to hold the federal government accountable to Parliament on modern treaty implementation.
• CIRNAC, in collaboration with 5 modern treaty partners, negotiated and co-developed individual fiscal arrangements that provide institutional capacity for government and signatories.

As part of the 2015 Cabinet Directive on the Federal Approach to Modern Treaty Implementation requirements, CIRNAC successfully reviewed and provided advice and guidance on 116 Assessments of Modern Treaty Implications (AMTI) across the federal government. Furthermore, as a result of Canada's Collaborative Modern Treaty Implementation Policy, the department began work on improving the AMTI process, which included identifying whole-of-government issues in collaboration with Indigenous partners. Following the 2020 Evaluation of the Cabinet Directive on the Federal Approach to Modern Treaty Implementation, the Deputy Minister's Oversight Committee (DMOC) followed several recommendations to improve interdepartmental briefings and accountability. In the past year, 3 DMOC meetings were held, including 2 with modern treaty partners. Discussions that occurred at these meetings have enhanced relationships, increased awareness, and advanced common priorities.

To demonstrate its continued commitment to rebuilding and maintaining collaborative relationships with Indigenous Peoples and fulfill its duty to consult, in 2022–23, CIRNAC continued co-development on 9 consultation protocols, with 3 protocols expected to be finalized in 2023–24. Work also advanced on the implementation of 10 signed consultation protocols, which support 44 Indigenous communities and the Métis of Ontario and Alberta. In addition, another 5 resource centres provide support to 62 Indigenous communities and the Métis in Alberta and Saskatchewan, towards enhanced collaborative relationships.

CIRNAC also offered guidance, systems and tools to federal officials, through the Single Window process, in order to support Canada's whole-of-government approach to the duty to consult. In 2022–23, the client service approach processed 1,270 email requests for information, plus additional requests regarding training, knowledge acquisition, etc. Additionally, a total of 3,037 federal public officials participated in learning activities on consultation and accommodation to better understand their roles and responsibilities when consulting with Indigenous Peoples. Further, 84 webinars on the Aboriginal and Treaty Rights Information System (ATRIS) were provided to train individuals on using the system.

With regard to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, CIRNAC continued to support Justice Canada in its mandate to fully implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and work with Indigenous Peoples to accelerate the co-development of an action plan to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Declaration, to support Indigenous Peoples in determining their political, economic, social and cultural development.

During Phase 1 of the Action Plan co-development, Justice Canada, CIRNAC, Indigenous Services Canada, Natural Resources Canada and other government departments initiated discussions with First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners to solicit feedback, which informed the priorities and shaping of the Action Plan, as well as to identify potential measures for aligning federal laws with the Declaration. CIRNAC also developed and implemented an engagement strategy for modern treaty and self-government agreement holders. The draft Action Plan was published in March 2023. Phase 2 of the Action Plan began following the public release, and required intensive engagement and discussions with partners to close gaps, modify measures and raise the level of ambition for the final Action Plan, which was released in June 2023.

With regard to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), the MMIWG Secretariat published the 2022 Progress Report on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan based on various meetings and coordinated input from Indigenous families, survivors, partners, as well as provinces and territories. The report provides Indigenous, provincial and territorial views on progress as well as an overview of the federal government's programs and initiatives that are working to address priority areas identified by partners, in support of the renewal of the relationship with Indigenous Peoples.

Further, on June 3, 2022, the federal government, with the participation of 25 departments and agencies, published the 2021–22 Federal Pathway Annual Progress Report, a first of its kind. This report provides an overview of work completed to date to address the immediate and long-term needs of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people and ensure that they live free from violence. The report also discusses work related to accountability, relationship building, and data infrastructure. The release included an event with federal Cabinet Ministers and the Prime Minister of Canada to provide Indigenous partners, families and survivors with key information about progress made across the whole of government.

On January 10, 2023, CIRNAC coordinated the first ever national federal-provincial-territorial-Indigenous Roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. The meeting, which was attended by over 200 participants and moderated by 2 Indigenous women, focused on families and survivors, the urban environment, and other issues. Topics were introduced by Indigenous grassroots speakers and were followed by open dialogue which led to a summary report published in April 2023.

The Cultural Spaces in Indigenous Communities Program further supported the work on MMIWG and 2SLGBTQI+ people in 2022–23 by helping revitalize cultural spaces. Through Budget 2021, $108.8 million was invested over 2 years and, following an enthusiastic response to a call for proposals, the department secured additional funding. As a result, more than $112.1 million was delivered to 66 recipients across 11 provinces and territories in 2022–23.

At an international level, government officials from CIRNAC, Justice Canada, and Women and Gender Equality Canada, along with Indigenous women and government officials from the United States and Mexico continued to collaborate and exchange best practices with Indigenous leaders, through participation in the 4th annual convening of the Trilateral Working Group on Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls, hosted in Washington D.C. in July 2022.

With regard to permanent bilateral mechanisms (PBM), CIRNAC collaborated with representatives of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) and the 4 Inuit Nunangat Regions, as well as the Métis National Council and the 4 Governing Members to advance joint priorities in support of self-determination.

For the First Nations PBM, CIRNAC co-hosted a senior officials meeting in November 2022 with the AFN that included the participation of Indigenous Services Canada, Public Safety Canada, Justice Canada, and Heritage Canada to enable meaningful discussion on the following priority areas:

• implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• review of federal laws and policies
• implementation of Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action
• policing and community safety
• Indigenous languages
• new fiscal relationship
• closing gaps

This meeting achieved progress towards these priority areas, including developing a common understanding of outcomes and next steps, and positioning a future Leaders Meeting for success.

For the Inuit PBM, the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee (ICPC) convened 3 senior officials and 3 leaders meetings, including the meeting in April of 2022 with the Prime Minister. These meetings represent important steps towards advancing the shared goal of creating a more prosperous Inuit Nunangat through meaningful collaboration on shared priority areas and their associated work plans. Throughout 2022–23, new priority areas were endorsed including: sovereignty, defence and security, housing, international Inuit issues and monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL). The adoption of the MEL as a priority area is significant as it reflects a powerful and progressive model for conducting joint work and advancing reconciliation.

Further, the implementation plan for the Inuit Nunangat Housing Strategy and the Inuit-Crown principles of co-development were endorsed at the ICPC Leaders Meeting on December 1, 2022. These principles are premised on respect and support for Inuit rights to self-determination and are consistent with the Inuit Nunangat Policy, endorsed in April 2022 and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. They are intended to be applied to all ongoing and future co-development initiatives. CIRNAC has also been working with ITK and other government departments to support initiatives that accelerate the implementation of the Inuit Nunangat Policy. The Policy was presented at different forums and levels across the federal government to increase awareness and education on Inuit priorities. Additionally, CIRNAC established an Inuit Nunangat Policy Implementation Secretariat.

After being on hold for several years due to governance changes in the Métis National Council and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Métis PBM was reinitiated by the Government of Canada and the Métis Nation in 2022–23. At the Leaders Meeting in December 2022, representatives from the Métis National Council and the 4 Governing Members, as well as federal ministers from CIRNAC, Indigenous Services Canada, Justice Canada, Heritage Canada, and Natural Resources Canada had meaningful discussions and affirmed shared priority areas, including:

• developing a Métis claims process to address historic and ongoing commitments made to Métis Peoples
• implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• delivering the "2 Billion Trees" program to help advance Métis climate and stewardship leadership
• supporting Métis economic self-determination and the sustainability of Métis businesses by improving their access to capital
• health, education, and child and family services
• determining adequate costing for Métis language revitalization through a distinctions-based approach

The meeting was very productive and served as a prelude to the June 1, 2023 Prime Minister Summit with Métis Leadership.

As well, in 2022–23, CIRNAC continued to work with Indigenous partners to address the pressing housing needs of Indigenous people and to improve the quality of housing within their communities.

More specifically, the department met regularly with the Métis National Council, the 4 Governing Members and the Manitoba Métis Federation to address the housing needs of Métis communities. The implementation of the Métis Nation Housing Strategy focused on expanding the monitoring and progress reporting, which included:

• the co-development of a Métis housing report to communicate progress to Métis citizens and the Canadian public
• the implementation of a report on housing through the Canada-Métis Nation Accord and the permanent bilateral mechanism
• improvements to the alignment between the Métis Nation Housing Strategy, the National Housing Strategy, Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy, and provincial programs for Métis

The 2022–23 final reports received from CIRNAC funding recipients cumulatively state that from 2018–19 to 2022–23, 1,575 housing units were bought or built, assistance for down payment was provided to 1,537 households, 4,600 housing units were renovated, and rental support was provided to 9,528 households. CIRNAC also allocated Budget 2021 funding to Métis partners to address the infrastructure gap that perpetuates the economic and social inequities that exist between Métis and non-Indigenous Canadians. In the last year, funding was used to support critical infrastructure projects, including road work, wastewater management, health centers, senior centers, and addictions treatment facilities.

Further, the department continued to deliver distinctions-based housing and infrastructure funding to Inuit partners. To date, Inuit have constructed close to 500 new units, repaired a significant number of existing units and have undertaken critical land development work through distinctions-based housing investments announced since 2016. Budget 2022 housing investments were delivered to all 4 Inuit Treaty Organizations and accelerate progress to address housing needs. Investments to Inuit Treaty Organizations are delivered through flexible grant funding agreements, ensuring flexibility for Inuit-led housing based on Inuit-determined needs.

CIRNAC also advanced work on the implementation of the Canada-Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) Political Accord, which aims to build a renewed relationship and to narrow the socio-economic gap between off-reserve Status and Non-Status Indians^{Footnote 1}, Métis outside the Métis Nation, NunatuKavut Community Council and non-Indigenous Canadians. In 2022–23, 6 working groups met regularly to share information and discuss joint priorities related to post-secondary education, justice, Indigenous languages, missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, family programs and housing. Working groups are a venue where CAP ensures the voices and concerns of their 11 affiliate organizations and constituents are heard in policy conversation with 8 federal departments on matters of critical importance to them. Examples where policy conversations have been well advanced include on the Urban Rural and Northern Housing Strategy and Indigenous Justice Strategy. Additionally, CIRNAC officials met regularly with members of the CAP Board of Directors to discuss important priorities and Accord implementation.

CIRNAC continued working with the 3 national Indigenous women's organizations, the Native Women's Association of Canada, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, and Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak, to implement the 3 whole-of-government relationship agreements. The department provided advice and support to other federal departments seeking to build relationships, develop projects, and engage with Indigenous women's and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations.

Additionally, CIRNAC funded 2 new resources to support federal policy and program development which were released this past year, including the Native Women's Association of Canada's Culturally-Relevant Gender-Based Analysis: A Roadmap for Policy Development (PDF), and Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada's Inuit-specific Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) Framework.

Recognizing the importance of ground-up Indigenous-led solutions, CIRNAC also provided 26 grassroots Indigenous women's and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations with $8.5 million in 2022–23, through multi-year funding agreements. This funding enhanced the ability of organizations to engage with Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people, and supported the ability of the organizations to work with governments to advance their priorities and influence policy and program development.

Finally, with CIRNAC's support, several organizations made connections with federal departments resulting in new project funding opportunities in key mandate areas, including ending gender-based violence, expanding connectivity to remote communities in the Northwest Territories, and piloting a safe taxi project. CIRNAC hosted networking sessions for 4 regional grassroots organizations and federal departments. These "meet and greets" provided organizations with the opportunity to highlight their work and successes and discuss priorities they are looking to advance. The department also established a new regional federal network in Ontario that meets monthly to connect, collaborate and identify opportunities to make horizontal linkages among federal departments in the province and Indigenous women's and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations.

Departmental result 2: Indigenous Peoples advance their governance institutions and regimes

The development of Indigenous-led institutions and governance is an essential enabling step towards Indigenous self-determination. It is a fundamental principle of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. CIRNAC worked to put in place effective mechanisms to support the transition away from colonial systems of administration and governance, through support for Indigenous Peoples to advance their governance institutions. The department's 2022–23 results are outlined below.

On December 15, 2022, the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management Act (PDF) received Royal Assent. This legislation repeals and replaces the First Nations Land Management Act and provides the Framework Agreement with the force of law, which becomes the central authority on First Nation Land Management and is a First Nation-led process. As part of planning for 2022–23, the department established a target of 18% for First Nations with established land codes by the end of the fiscal year. This target was slightly missed, achieving 17.9%.

Bill C-45, An Act to amend the First Nations Financial Management Act, was introduced in March 2023. CIRNAC, in collaboration with the First Nations Fiscal Management Act (FNFMA) institutions (First Nations Financial Management Board, First Nations Tax Commission, and First Nations Finance Authority) and the First Nations Infrastructure Institute Development Board, finalized the co-development of legislative amendments to the Act in Bill C-45, which, among other things, aim to expand and modernize the mandates of the First Nations Tax Commission and the First Nations Financial Management Board, stabilize their operations and establish a national First Nations Infrastructure Institute under the Act. The Institute will provide First Nations and other interested Indigenous groups with the tools and support to plan, implement and manage their infrastructure, thus generating better outcomes for communities. The Institute will also be able to work with all interested Indigenous groups, including Inuit and Métis communities. CIRNAC has worked side-by-side with the institutions of the FNFMA, as well as the First Nations Infrastructure Institute Development Board, to co-develop these proposed amendments for several years. Canada also invested $64.9 million over 5 years to support these enhancements and to contribute towards closing the Indigenous institutional infrastructure and support gaps.

Further, in 2022–23, 27 First Nations adhered to the FNFMA, which supports their economic development, particularly in the areas of taxation, fiscal and financial management, and access to financing on the capital markets. A total of 348 communities or 60% of all First Nations are now participating in the regime to advance their self-determination and socio-economic development.

Additionally, the department, in collaboration with Indigenous Services Canada and the First Nations Finance Authority, continued to support the exploration of innovative concepts and financing approaches, including an Indigenous-owned insurance model and monetization of transfer payments. Monetization would involve the Government of Canada providing eligible First Nations with predictable long-term funding agreements (10- to 25-year agreements) under infrastructure programs such as Indigenous Services Canada's Capital Facilities Maintenance Program and Health Facilities Program, moving away from the current short-term "pay as you go" approach. First Nations could use these revenue streams to secure financing from the FNFA, or other lenders, to build, repair, replace and/or rehabilitate infrastructure assets in their communities based on their unique needs.

Canada also made progress towards providing access to the First Nations Fiscal Management Act borrowing regime to treaty and self-governing First Nations and is in the final stage of co-developing related regulations.

Furthermore, the department advanced work on a strategic approach to co-develop opt-in alternatives to Indian Act registration and membership (First Nation citizenship), including the identification of resources required for a comprehensive consultation process.

Finally, CIRNAC supported the Indigenous Data Toolkit, which expanded its scope of support for self-governing Indigenous governments to build data collection and management capacity within each community.

Departmental result 3: Past injustices are recognized and resolved

Assimilation policies and practices have led to the denial of Indigenous rights in the past. To resolve grievances, Canada remains committed to pursuing dialogue, partnerships and negotiation as positive means of advancing reconciliation. This is an ongoing process which requires affirmation of rights, acknowledgement of past wrongs and injustices, understanding the colonial history of Canada and working with Indigenous Peoples to co-develop solutions. The department's 2022–23 results are outlined below.

Canada remains committed to resolving Indigenous childhood claims litigation outside of the courts in a fair and non-adversarial manner that balances individual compensation with forward-looking investments to support healing, wellness, education, language, culture and commemoration.

In 2022–23, an agreement-in-principle was reached to resolve the Federal Boarding Homes litigation, which marks a significant milestone for thousands of Indigenous people who suffered cultural loss and abuse while residing in a boarding home placement overseen by the federal government for the purpose of attending school from September 1, 1951, to June 30, 1992. The Federal Court of Canada also approved the Gottfriedson Band class settlement agreement. Through this settlement, Canada transferred $2.8 billion into an Indigenous-led trust to allow for communities that have opted in to the class action to support work around the revitalization of Indigenous language and culture. These are steps forward in rebuilding the relationship with Indigenous Peoples.

With regard to additions to reserve, Budget 2021 provided CIRNAC with $10.8 million to redesign the Addition to Reserve Policy. This initiative seeks to work with First Nation partners to improve the reserve creation policy and process to effectively and efficiently return lands owed to First Nations due to historic treaties, and support First Nations' aspirations for self-determination, including socio-economic objectives. From January 2022 to March 2023, CIRNAC officials met with 61 groups, including 32 First Nations, 8 First Nation organizations, 14 regional First Nation organizations and 7 other Government departments. This phase aimed to seek direction on what meaningful engagement looks like for First Nations organizations. On March 20, 2023, Canada launched a call for proposals to support First Nation-led engagement for the policy redesign. Through the call for proposals, Canada will continue working with First Nation partners to collect information to transform the policy and process.

Additionally, the Government of Canada maintains many active requests from First Nations in its inventory. In 2022–23, the percentage of active additions to reserves that have been in the inventory for more than 5 years has been reduced from 92.8% to 83.8%, slightly missing the 83% target for this fiscal year.

The resolution of specific claims, through the acknowledgement of and compensation for past wrongs, is another key element in advancing reconciliation with First Nations. Canada implemented several approaches to accelerate claims resolution, such as common settlement frameworks for similar claims, and offering First Nations the option to bundle multiple claims into a single, global settlement agreement. In 2022–23, compensation totaling $3.5 billion was paid to settle 56 claims. This was a record year for both the number and value of settlements. Canada also continued to improve internal processes to obtain financial mandates and execute settlement agreements in a more efficient manner.

Further, to accelerate the ongoing work of reforming the Specific Claims Policy and Process, Canada and the Assembly of First Nations officially launched the Specific Claims reform co-development process in November 2022. A key element of this reform is the co-development of options to establish a Specific Claims Resolution Centre to facilitate and accelerate the resolution of specific claims and instill more trust in the process.

The Government of Canada remains committed to advancing reconciliation and accelerating the ongoing implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 76 Calls to Action that are under federal or joint federal responsibility. Of these, 19 are complete^{Footnote 2}, 47 are well underway^{Footnote 3}, and 10 are in the planning phase^{Footnote 4} as of December 2022. CIRNAC plays a whole-of-government role for tracking, monitoring and reporting on all Calls to Action, and is the lead for 15 Calls to Action, 2 of which are complete.

Call to Action 53 calls for the creation of a National Council for Reconciliation through legislation. On June 22, 2022, Bill C-29, an Act to provide for the establishment of a national council for reconciliation, was introduced which is respective of the vision of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Once established, the National Council for Reconciliation will serve as an important independent oversight body that will monitor and promote progress on reconciliation in Canada.

With regard to Call to Action 46, CIRNAC is a member of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement All-Parties Table. In 2022–23, the Table completed a draft Covenant of Reconciliation which reflects general agreement on the principles for working collaboratively to advance reconciliation in Canadian society. Once finalized, the Covenant will be ratified and signed by the members of the All-Parties Table, as well as others affected by the Indian residential school experience but are not signatories to the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement. The Covenant will reaffirm signatories' commitment to recognizing past wrongs, seeking resolution, and taking concrete action to advance and enhance relationships with all Indigenous Peoples.

Further, in response to Calls to Action 72-76, CIRNAC put in place 43 new funding agreements in 2022–23. The funds aim to provide support to Indigenous communities and partners to develop and implement community-led initiatives to locate, document, and memorialize undocumented burial sites and graves associated with the 140 residential schools included in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) and the 5 residential schools included in the Newfoundland and Labrador Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (Anderson), and to honour families' wishes to identify and repatriate children's remains. Impacted communities may consider requesting support for research, knowledge gathering, commemoration and memorialization, and fieldwork investigation activities. With the 43 new agreements, this brings the total number of funding agreements to 109 for a total of $126.4 million to support community efforts. This was inclusive of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's (NCTR) 2022–23 funding in the amount of $1,074,733 to support 3 initiatives:

1. National Advisory Committee on Residential School Missing Children and Unmarked Burials,
2. Flag Raising Ceremony and
3. the NCTR's National Gathering, "Remembering the Children", under the Residential Schools Missing Children Community Support Fund.

The National Advisory Committee on Residential School Missing Children and Unmarked Burials ensures Indigenous communities have access to independent, trusted and expert information in their efforts to identify, locate and commemorate their missing children. The Committee brings together a diverse range of expertise on matters such as Indigenous laws and protocols, forensics, archeology, archival research, criminal investigations, communication and working with survivors. In 2022–23, the National Advisory Committee launched its website, held a series of information webinars, and published Navigating the Search for Missing Children and Unmarked Burials: An Overview for Indigenous Communities and Families (PDF). This document aims to support communities who undertake initiatives to search for their missing children. On June 8, 2022, Kimberley Murray was announced as the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Residential Schools. The work of the National Advisory Committee is to be complementary to that of the Special Interlocutor, and the Committee has made itself available to provide expertise and information to the Special Interlocutor as they engage on a particular topic with communities.

The Government of Canada also significantly advanced Call to Action 58, that called upon the Pope to issue an apology to survivors, their families and communities for the Roman Catholic Church's role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children in Catholic-run residential schools. In July 2022, Pope Francis visited Canada and apologized for the Catholic Church who co-operated with Canada's policy of Indigenous residential schools. While the process of healing from complex and intergenerational trauma is ongoing, the activities supported by the Government of Canada during the Pope's visit responded to the on-going demands of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals and communities as they navigate this new phase in the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's process.

CIRNAC also continued working with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and other partners on Calls to Action 72 and 73, to review, analyze and update the National Residential School Student Death Register, and further develop the National Online Registry of Residential School Cemeteries. Further, the department led an interdepartmental committee which developed and implemented a whole-of-government process for a federal approach. This approach identifies and manages the sharing of Residential Schools-related documents to the Centre. Finally, CIRNAC initiated the work to establish the Residential Schools Documents Advisory Committee, which provides recommendations on sharing more documents with the Centre.

Additionally, in 2022–23, there was a contribution of $59.7 million to support the overall cost of construction for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation's new, permanent home. The department also began working with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to develop a multi-year funding agreement with a view to provide stable, predictable funding.

Finally, CIRNAC expanded the eligibility of its community support funding in 2022–23 to include the 5 residential schools that are not part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, but are included in the Newfoundland and Labrador Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.

CIRNAC also supports families and survivors through the Support for the Wellbeing of Families and Survivors of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People program, which funds projects that provide assistance and services for the healing journeys of individual Indigenous family members and survivors who have missing or lost loved ones due to violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. In 2022–23, the program funded 25 recipients for a total value of over $5.2 million. The funding provided under this program helps Indigenous organizations deliver healing and wellness activities, programs, and services to families and survivors. These projects have direct impacts on the healing journeys of community members, and support Canada's commitment to advancing reconciliation efforts.

Further, in 2022–23, the Supporting Indigenous Women's and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Organizations program funded 41 projects for a total value of $8.5 million to enhance the capacity of Indigenous women's and 2SLGTQI+ organizations to engage with communities, determine needs and interests, and work with government to bring forward these perspectives to influence the development of policies, programs and legislation.

As a way of supporting reconciliation through transparency, reporting, and improvements to the data landscape, CIRNAC funded 22 Indigenous-led data research projects from Métis, Inuit, First Nations, Non-Status, urban and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations and researchers. Following these investments of $2.3 million, the implementation of the National Action Plan Data Strategy has begun. These initiatives are a response to the many calls from Indigenous partners to improve data gaps related to Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

In partnership with Statistics Canada, police services across the country, and national Indigenous organizations, CIRNAC also financially supports the Missing Persons Data Standards Project to ensure that police services have consistent reporting mechanisms on missing Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people and other missing persons. This initiative, which directly responds to Call for Justice 9.5v (PDF), will advance reconciliation by continuing to change the relationship between Indigenous communities and police forces in Canada.

This past year, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and the President of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association signed an addendum to the original Memorandum of Understanding that affirms Canada's ongoing commitment to address the findings of the Qikiqtani Truth Commission and to advance discussions towards a final financial contribution for the Saimaqatigiingniq Fund. CIRNAC is currently working on securing the funds for this third and final payment.

Finally, with regards to Nanilavut, a reconciliation initiative between Inuit and the Crown that acknowledges the past for those families who lost loved ones when they were sent away during the tuberculosis epidemic from the 1940s to the 1960s, CIRNAC funded the 4 Inuit Treaty Organizations to carry out community commemorative events and monuments in each of their regions of Inuit Nunangat, and, where available, provided important information to families about their family members who were sent away for treatment. Support was also provided to families to properly identify the graves of Inuit who died of tuberculosis by marking gravesites with headstones and installing plaques and monuments in cemeteries.

Gender-based analysis Plus (GBA Plus)

Information on GBA Plus for the Crown-Indigenous Relations core responsibility is available in the supplementary information table.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

Information on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals for the Crown-Indigenous Relations core responsibility is available in the supplementary information table.

Innovation

CIRNAC's efforts to enhance and support results-based innovation in 2022–23 focused on continuing to explore and advance innovative approaches to policies and programs, in order to better meet the needs, priorities and capacity of Indigenous partners. Over the course of the year, the work shifted from identifying and integrating promising practices in policy innovation to enhancing the department's participation in the Innovative Solutions Canada program, led by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. CIRNAC is one of 21 federal departments mandated to participate in the program, which supports research and development from Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises and is geared toward technological innovation.

Further, in April 2021, the department initiated the development of the Treaties and Aboriginal Government Learning Strategy, which is an innovative learning initiative that supports federal employees by providing the competencies required to co-develop treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements with Indigenous partners, provincial and territorial governments, and other federal officials in a manner that advances reconciliation. Since 2022–23, work is ongoing on the development of an electronic Learning Portal that will serve as a one-stop place for employees to access training and learning experiences that were identified and developed under the Learning Strategy. In addition, every year, strategic learning priorities on a number of issues are identified and specific training is provided accordingly.

CIRNAC also worked collaboratively with self-government and modern treaty partners to develop funding allocation approaches for infrastructure funds announced through Budget 2021 and housing funds announced through Budget 2022. In each case, the department collected data from partners to assess needs to inform the development of allocation methodologies that are fair, transparent, and equitable.

CIRNAC also worked with self-governing Indigenous governments through the Collaborative Fiscal Policy Development Process to incorporate a lifecycle infrastructure funding approach into existing fiscal arrangements. This work was informed by asset assessments undertaken by self-governing Indigenous governments and better aligns federal funding with current infrastructure needs than existing approaches.

Additionally, CIRNAC worked with the Lands Advisory Board and their technical arm, the First Nations Land Management Resource Centre, to explore the creation of a new, First Nations-led national land registry system for those First Nations that are operational under the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management and for self-governing First Nations that choose to use it. Through Budget 2023, the Government is investing $33.5 million over 3 years to support this co-developed initiative.

In 2022–23, the MMIWG Secretariat coordinated the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People Horizontal Initiative Results Framework, developed in partnership with 11 other federal departments and agencies. It monitors progress on several dozen initiatives representing $12 billion in spending with a further $3.7 billion in ongoing investment. It represents the first results framework attempting to measure the federal government's work on missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Finally, in 2022–23, CIRNAC continued to strengthen its relationship with Indigenous youth and the Canadian Roots Exchange by focusing on delivery of the 3-year pilot project – extended in Budget 2022 to 5 years – that responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Action 66. The pilot has paved strong pathways for Indigenous youth from across the country to convene and support each other, and engage federal institutions on key policy initiatives that impact youth and their communities. Indigenous youth-led projects spanned 12 provinces and territories and reached over 27,000 youth participants. CIRNAC and Canadian Roots Exchange are working to co-develop options for long-term implementation of Call to Action 66 after the pilot project's conclusion at the end of 2023–24.

Key risks

The department continued to carry out its mandate in a highly complex and rapidly-changing environment, characterized by many important interdependencies. The exploration and implementation of new, varied and co-developed approaches to self-determination required new ways of doing business, including new partnerships, new competencies and new business processes. A common and aligned policy direction that allowed for a cohesive and mutually-supportive approach to be taken across federal, provincial and territorial governments was critical. As the department moved to implement the Government's Indigenous and northern agendas, it did so with an eye on its own capacity to effectively support and sustain meaningful change.

The complexity of the department's mission, coupled with the diversity of perspectives at play, exposed CIRNAC to an important set of risks associated with its ability to establish alignment around its vision, strategic directions and approaches. The department needed to establish sufficient agreement among its stakeholders to ensure that all players are moving towards the same vision for enhanced and accelerated self-determination and for northern development. This included the interdependencies of CIRNAC with Indigenous Services Canada. The ability of the department and its federal, provincial and territorial partners to advance on the negotiation and implementation of new and different agreements was critical to the establishment of effective and sustainable nation-to-nation relationships. Accordingly, a number of risks related to the enablement of change and the sustainable management of the department were identified.

Risks were managed by a range of whole-of-government efforts to coordinate on matters related to Section 35 rights. This included a variety of governance structures including the Deputy Ministers Oversight Committee, the Deputy Ministers Committee on Indigenous Reconciliation (DMCIR) as well as Cabinet committees and relationship-building mechanisms that aimed to enhance trust, alignment, coordination and specific collaborations with provinces and territories on key matters. Governance structures and a variety of consultation mechanisms were established in relation to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan, with DMCIR also playing an important and effective coordinating and direction-setting role. In addition, a National Council for Reconciliation was established to further ensure alignment. Weekly policy meetings between key policy leads within the department and with other government departments were held on specific matters, including MMIWG.

Finally, to further manage overall risks, CIRNAC continued to work closely with the Privy Council Office and Justice Canada on whole-of-government items, including the Action Plan to implement United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The department continued to implement Canada's Collaborative Modern Treaty Implementation Policy as well as the recommendations of a recently-completed evaluation of the Cabinet Directive on the Federal Implementation of Modern Treaties.

Results achieved

The following tables show, for Crown-Indigenous Relations, the results to be achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the 3 most recent fiscal years for which results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for CIRNAC's program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for Crown-Indigenous Relations, budgetary spending for 2022–23, as well as actual spending for that year.

In 2022–23, the department spent $3,166.8 million more than the original planned spending as incremental funding was received through supplementary estimates for key initiatives including:

• Funding for specific claims settlements ($2,548.2 million)
• Funding to settle Indigenous childhood class actions including McLean, Sixties Scoop and Gottfriedson litigation ($1,065 million)
• Funding for self-governing and modern treaty First Nation, Inuit, and Métis housing ($456.1 million)
• Funding to implement the Federal Framework to Address the Legacy of Residential Schools ($117.1 million)

This increase was offset by the deferral of funds for targeted initiatives, specifically, funding related to the negotiation and resolution of land claims, specific claims, and the outcome of litigation that depend on factors outside of the department's control:

• Funding for advancing reconciliation by settling specific claims (-$1,345.9 million)

This funding was reprofiled in the 2023–24 fiscal year through the Main Estimates and the Supplementary Estimates to be aligned with the number of claims received and the payment timelines.

Financial, human resources and performance information for CIRNAC's program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows, in full time equivalents, the human resources the department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2022–23.

Financial, human resources and performance information for CIRNAC's program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Description

This core responsibility aims to support Canada's Arctic and northern organizations, individuals, communities and governments in the pursuit of a strong, inclusive, vibrant, prosperous and self-sufficient North, the vision of Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy Framework. This includes federal coordination, science leadership, natural resource and environmental management, effective delivery of federal programming, and territorial relations.

Results

CIRNAC, along with Indigenous Services Canada, is the lead federal department responsible for working with partners to build healthy and sustainable communities for Indigenous Peoples, and advancing broader scientific and social development objectives. In 2022–23, Northern Affairs focused on 3 departmental results, which contributed to continued progress in building a strong, vibrant, and prosperous North and Arctic.

Departmental result 4: Political, economic and social development in Canada's Arctic and North are advanced

Canada continued to provide federal leadership and collaborate with partners in the North and Arctic to co-develop solutions to new and existing challenges, address regional needs and priorities, and build capacity in regional organizations. The department's 2022–23 results are outlined below.

The Government of Canada, the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (the Parties) continued to work together to advance the devolution negotiations process. They collaborated to co-develop a workplan to implement the Transitional Human Resources Development Strategy from 2022–23 to the transfer date, now targeted for 2027. Furthermore, 13 working groups were established and met regularly to advance negotiations on a draft Final Agreement. The Parties conducted several trilateral sessions on specific devolution-related topics (for example, impacted sites, lands transfers and exclusions, oil and gas coordination and cooperation agreement, information technology, consultations, communications, and implementation). Significant progress was made during these negotiation sessions, which has contributed towards advancing the drafting of the Final Agreement to its target for completion in 2023.

Substantial progress was also made on the section 35 consultation process with 13 Indigenous groups that have asserted or established rights in Nunavut. These consultations are a necessary step to fulfilling Canada's duty to consult and ensure that devolution respects existing and asserted Indigenous rights. Department officials consulted regularly with Indigenous groups who had raised concerns with the drafts of the Nunavut Devolution Final Agreement, and accommodations were made where necessary in response to their concerns. Phase 3 was not completed as per the 2022–23 target in order to allow for the proper conclusion of section 35 consultations. The Devolution Agreement is expected to be signed by the Parties at a tripartite public signing event once Phase 3 is properly completed. The devolution process will then advance to the next phase, which is implementation.

With regard to housing and infrastructure, Canada's northern, remote and isolated communities face unique needs given the challenges presented by geography, climate change, limited infrastructure, location, and historic underfunding. In 2022–23, CIRNAC distributed the first $75 million of the $150 million committed in Budget 2022 to the Governments of the Northwest Territories ($30 million), Yukon ($15 million) and Nunavut ($30 million) to respond to their critical housing and infrastructure needs. Territorial governments have indicated that most of their housing activities will be in support of social housing. This is in addition to housing funding provided directly to modern treaty and self-governing partners, including the 4 Inuit land claim organizations, across the North.

Furthermore, there is continued support for particular housing and infrastructure needs of First Nations living off-reserve in the North without modern treaties or self-government agreements, as well as Métis communities in the Northwest Territories through the disbursement of funds as committed in Budgets 2021 and 2022.

With regard to the co-developed Arctic and Northern Policy Framework (ANPF), which guides the Government of Canada priorities, activities and investments in the region to 2030 and beyond through input provided by ANPF partners, the Minister of Northern Affairs chaired the annual political-level ANPF Leadership Committee meeting in Yellowknife in September 2022. The meeting was attended by ANPF partners, including northern Indigenous governments and organizations. Priorities identified by partners at the meeting included: mental health and addictions supports, housing and community infrastructure, economic development including clean energy and green economic measures, critical minerals, economic reconciliation, climate change, education and training, the high cost of living, northern security and defence, and Indigenous cross-border mobility.

Following the release in March 2022 of the Report of the Task Force on Northern Post-Secondary Education, A Shared Responsibility: Northern Voices, Northern Solutions (PDF), the Government of Canada gave careful consideration to its comprehensive set of 37 Calls to Action, in collaboration with northern partners. Here are some key accomplishments for 2022–23:

• Yukon University: Following project delays stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada continued to work in partnership with Yukon University on the construction of a new science building to provide more opportunities for Yukon post-secondary students. In 2022–23, the University received its pre-design report and undertook engagement for the project, notably with Yukon First Nations, as design work continues.
• Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning: In 2022–23, the Government of Canada supported the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning's delivery of land-based, Indigenous led, post-secondary research and education programming. Highlights include the Centre's hosting of the 2022 Native American and Indigenous Studies Association conference, as well as continued delivery of its accredited and community programming. Federal funding has allowed the Centre to expand its activities from operating in 3 northern communities prior to 2019, to 14 communities as of 2022.
• Aurora College: In 2022–23, the Government of Canada transferred the remainder of its $8 million commitment to the Government of the Northwest Territories to support the transformation of Aurora College to a polytechnic university. This funding was used to support infrastructure upgrades at the Western Arctic Research Centre, enhance research capacity, and support the transformation planning process, including the development of the Facilities Master Plan for the institution.

Following the announced pause in Arctic Council activities in March 2022, CIRNAC continued to keep Arctic Council partners informed and engaged throughout 2022–23. As activities concerning "green" projects were allowed to resume during the pause, CIRNAC advanced work in collaboration with northern, Indigenous, and circumpolar partners. The department also held meetings with Global Affairs Canada concerning the Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) activities and the Norwegian Chairship of the Arctic Council. Finally, CIRNAC contributed to the staffing of the SDWG Secretariat as a member of the Selection Committee.

With respect to the Canadian High Arctic Research Station in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, the transfer of administration (or custodianship) of the federal real property from the Minister of Northern Affairs to Polar Knowledge Canada came into effect on March 27, 2023, pursuant to the Order in Council.

Departmental result 5: Northern and Indigenous communities are resilient to changing environments

A number of factors can contribute to unique challenges for Northern and Arctic residents, including rapid climate change, remoteness and inaccessibility, cold climate, aging and inefficient infrastructure, and flooding. CIRNAC is working with northern and Indigenous partners to ensure communities are resilient to these changing environments to assist in strengthening their response to these challenges in the future. The department's 2022–23 results are outlined below.

CIRNAC, through the Northern Responsible Energy Approach for Community Heat and Electricity (REACHE) program, worked with Natural Resources Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, Infrastructure Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada to establish "Wah-ila-toos", a single-window initiative that employs a community-centred and relationship-based approach to streamline access to clean energy funding and resources for Indigenous and remote communities. Wah-ila-toos has integrated the participation of Indigenous energy experts in its governance structure, and prioritizes capacity building and Indigenous-led energy solutions.

In 2022–23, the Northern REACHE program also invested $16 million in 59 clean energy projects across the North. This represents an estimated reduction of 830,000 litres in the consumption of diesel in 2022–23 and 2.6 million litres since 2016, which surpasses the original target of 2 million litres and demonstrates progress towards the 2030 target.

In addition, CIRNAC invested over $12 million to advance planning on 10 hydro-electricity and grid-transmission projects in the North. Hydroelectricity and grid connection projects have the potential to provide year-round power that can significantly reduce reliance on diesel. Beyond improving the quality of the environment and contributing to territorial reduction emissions plans, these projects will build community resilience, unlock jobs and support economic growth – helping to improve the quality of life of Northerners. For example, the Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Project (Iqaluit Hydro Project), led by Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation, an Inuit-owned economic development corporation, has the potential to entirely displace diesel with clean hydro-electricity in Iqaluit. The initiative is expected to bring Inuit closer to energy sovereignty, affordability, and environmental sustainability. It will also ensure Inuit have the ability to invest in and operate infrastructure that protects the land, creates local jobs, and generates financial returns that can be reinvested to promote economic growth, well-being, and affordability.

Moreover, Canada has committed to working with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis to advance an Indigenous Climate Leadership Agenda that ensures Indigenous Peoples can participate in federal climate decision making and have the resources and authorities to take action on their self-determined climate priorities. In 2022–23, CIRNAC worked with Environment and Climate Change Canada, as well as national and regional Indigenous partners across Canada to advance this effort.

CIRNAC's climate change adaptation programs include First Nation Adapt, Climate Change Preparedness in the North, and Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring. In 2022–23, these 3 programs combined invested over $23 million in 232 community-driven projects in Indigenous and northern communities across Canada that support climate change adaptation. Projects include risks assessments, adaptation planning, facilitating the collection and co-application of scientific data, and Indigenous knowledge for community-based climate monitoring. Northern projects also support the implementation of adaptation measures, such as permafrost modeling, and the redesign, retrofit, or upgrading of vulnerable infrastructure. The following are a few projects undertaken in 2022–23:

• The First Nation Adapt Program funded the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council and its 6 member nations (Dauphin River First Nation, Peguis First Nation, Lake Manitoba First Nation, Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation, Little Saskatchewan First Nation, and Pinaymootang First Nation) to create local maps to better understand areas of risk due to climate change and develop adaptation plans for each community through engagement and collection of traditional knowledge. This project resulted in adaptation priorities being articulated by communities and identified future areas of work to support ongoing climate action.
• The Climate Change Preparedness in the North Program funded the Hamlet of Arviat for the implementation of a Community Drainage Plan to improve drainage and meltwater management as the impacts of climate change worsen, affecting the community's quality of life and safety, and increasing road and facility maintenance requirements. The project will strengthen the climate resilience of the community by contributing to the preservation of permafrost around critical infrastructure as well as offering additional training, capacity building and economic opportunities to community members.
• The Indigenous Community-Based Climate Monitoring Program funded the Métis Nation of Alberta's Askîy initiative, a community-based environment and climate change monitoring program that responds to key priorities identified by Métis citizens across Alberta. Using an Indigenous-led approach, the project has tracked climate impacts to birds, fish health and abundance, vegetation, and berry health. It has enhanced the capacity of the Métis Nation of Alberta to understand climate impacts on traditional lands and to generate critical data to fill gaps in knowledge to support climate action.

In 2022–23, Nutrition North Canada (NNC) continued to make nutritious food and essential items more affordable and accessible to residents of eligible isolated northern communities through its various initiatives.

The NNC retail subsidy is applied against the cost of eligible food and essential items in 123 isolated communities that lack year-round surface transportation (road, rail, marine), with the goal of increasing affordability and access to market food. In 2022–23, utilizing Budget 2021 funding, NNC expanded its subsidy program eligibility to food banks and other charitable organizations. As a result, charities and food banks are now able to claim subsidies for transporting and distributing food and essential household items in eligible northern communities. This helps address the immediate needs of the most vulnerable residents in northern and isolated communities. Based on recent successes, work is underway to expand food bank partnerships into other regions served by NNC.

The Community Food Programs Fund (CFPF) was also implemented in 2022–23 with investments from Budget 2021. Along with the Harvesters Support Grant (HSG), the CFPF provided grant funding through partnerships with land claim organizations, self-government entities and Indigenous organizations to support hunting, harvesting and community food sharing activities and networks in 113 eligible communities. As of March 2023, all of the 112 northern and isolated communities eligible for the HSG and the CFPF received funding. Further, NNC signed grant agreements with 23 regional Indigenous governments and organizations to distribute over $80 million in funding from the HSG and the new CFPF to eligible communities.

The Food Security Research Grant supports Indigenous-led research projects looking at food access inequality, existing federal food access programs and food insecurity among Indigenous Peoples living in isolated communities eligible under the NNC program. In 2022–23, the program received 5 proposals to be evaluated for NNC's research grant. All 5 were deemed successful and were awarded funding early in 2023–24.

Finally, NNC remained an active contributor to the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee's Food Security Working Group in 2022–23. The program also worked with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and other federal partners to support a cost-benefit analysis to advance Inuit-led school food programming as a priority action under the Inuit Nunangat Food Security Strategy.

Departmental result 6: Northern lands and resources are sustainably managed

Many remote Indigenous and northern communities are facing environmental and socio-economic challenges associated with environmental and economic changes. Dealing with these challenges requires increasing participation of Indigenous partners and Northerners in resource management policies and decisions, and strengthening nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown, and government-to-government relationships with Indigenous Peoples based on affirmation of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership. The department's 2022–23 results are outlined below.

The Northern Contaminants Program supported Northerners and scientists in the monitoring and research on contaminants in the environment, traditional/country foods and people. In 2022–23, $4.4 million in funding support was provided for 50 projects in Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon, across Canada and internationally. This included support for 7 monitoring and research projects that are adding plastic pollution data for 8 unique environmental compartments (air, snow, ice, sediment, sea water, fresh water, Arctic char, and mammals).

The Northern Contaminants Program also secured $5.3 million in funding for 5 years to continue research and monitoring of plastic pollution. These investments in research will advance Canada's Plastics Science Agenda (CaPSA) by increasing understanding of the impacts of plastics on wildlife and the environment, addressing the impacts of this global pollutant in Arctic and Northern regions and contributing to international assessments.

In the last fiscal year, CIRNAC also continued to lead and coordinate Canada's engagement in the Arctic Council's Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) on issues of chemical and plastic pollution, climate change, and ecosystem and human health impacts, as Canadian Head of Delegation and international Vice-Chair. Due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, official AMAP activities were paused from March to June 2022, and resumed under limited parameters for the remainder of 2022–23. Still, the publication of several AMAP assessments were completed and released in 2022–23, including:

• AMAP Assessment 2021: Human Health in the Arctic
• AMAP Assessment 2021: Impacts of Short-lived Climate Forcers on Arctic Climate, Air Quality, and Human Health
• AMAP Arctic Climate Change Update 2021: Key Trends and Impacts

In 2022–23, the Northern Participant Funding Program provided $2.6 million in capacity funding to support 32 distinct Indigenous governments and organizations to participate in 9 impact assessment processes across the 3 territories. These assessments were done with the informed and active participation of Indigenous governments and organizations, as well as non-Indigenous organizations ensuring their voices were heard in the assessment process. Consequently, the Northern Participant Funding Program helps ensure the rights, interests, and knowledge of the northern Indigenous communities and northern residents are ultimately considered by review boards in their recommendations.

The Northern Contaminated Sites Program continues to make progress addressing CIRNAC's historical environmental liabilities. This includes results being achieved under the Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program, which addresses the 8 largest and highest risk abandoned mines in the North. The Program ensures that northern communities and Indigenous groups are involved in all aspects of the remediation projects through employment, training and business opportunities, which support self-determination and economic reconciliation. Here are a few highlights for 2022–23:

• At the Giant Mine Remediation Project in the Northwest Territories, CIRNAC signed a Community Benefits Plan Agreement with a First Nation, which includes over $3.8 million in funding over 10 years to support socio-economic development opportunities. The Giant Mine Remediation Project also achieved a major milestone in 2022 as it moved beyond project design and began remediation.
• In the Yukon, First Nations affected by the Faro Mine have committed to a partnership approach to advancing the Faro Mine Remediation Project. Capacity funding is provided to ensure First Nation governments have the resources to fully participate in all project governance committees and workshops, and help to implement community-led initiatives aligned with project milestones that strengthen and support First Nation self-determination and reconciliation. Since 2015, over $5 million in funding has been spent to support First Nation participation in the project along with enhanced procurement mechanisms to ensure that contractors include substantial Indigenous targets for employment, training and sub-contracting.

Gender-based analysis Plus (GBA Plus)

Information on GBA Plus for the Northern Affairs core responsibility is available in the supplementary information table.

United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals

Information on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals for the Northern Affairs core responsibility is available in the supplementary information table.

Innovation

In 2022–23, NNC further considered how to maximize and adapt program benefits to improve access to and affordability of market foods in communities, particularly for the most vulnerable members of isolated communities. Additionally, the program has begun to reach out to Indigenous organizations regarding the potential for more food security measures that could address fundamental economic and structural deficits in isolated and semi-isolated northern communities more broadly. To continue to strengthen its understanding of where policy gaps exist, NNC has engaged with Indigenous organizations, communities, other government departments and agencies and academic researchers to ensure that the wide range of regions served are represented. In addition to the collaboration and partnerships underway with Indigenous groups, the following specific initiatives have been taken:

• NNC is co-developing new indicators with Indigenous partners to reflect the program's transition towards a food security mandate. This includes shifting from administrative data to more meaningful indicators that apply a distinctions-based, GBA Plus lens to assess how the intersection of Indigenous identity, gender, age, and income affects how people can have a different experience of NNC policies, programs and initiatives. Through co-development, Indigenous partners are leading the way in defining program success.
• Research initiatives have been undertaken in collaboration with Indigenous partners, other government departments and agencies, and academic researchers, to strengthen data collection and the evidence base for program monitoring and policy development.

Key risks

With the increasing importance of the North and Arctic and the continued importance of remediating legacy environmental liabilities, CIRNAC was faced with important opportunities and risks related to northern prosperity, sustainable growth and environmental protection. Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy Framework (ANPF), which sets the foundation for policy directions in the North and Arctic through to 2030 and beyond, provides a forum for a large number of players to work together to achieve common objectives and deliver on shared priorities. The number and complexities of participating parties – including other federal departments, provinces, territories and Indigenous partners – inherently exposed the department to risk associated with aligning and navigating differences of perspectives, agendas and capacities. This risk was further compounded by the diversity of the policy questions that form the Crown's northern agenda, which included complex issues related to sovereignty and national boundaries in the face of changing geopolitical landscapes. These matters, along with policy imperatives related to economic development, food security, environmental protection and clean energy, required efforts towards multi-dimensional, collaborative policy solutions to protect and advance Canadian and Indigenous interests in the North and Arctic.

To address these priorities, CIRNAC led a number of governmental and inter-governmental strategies aimed at fostering political, economic and social development and security in the North and Arctic, as well as environmental resilience, including the ANPF governance arrangements and the Deputy Ministers Arctic Table, both of which fostered important inter-departmental and inter-governmental collaboration.

Dedicated implementation efforts supporting the ANPF were strengthened, including funding to build the capacity of partners and ongoing efforts to increase the awareness of other government departments.

The department was also exposed to environmental risks primarily due to the effects of climate change and due to the complexity of the inventory of contaminated sites for which it is mandated to remediate. Many aspects of the department's mandate are exposed to the effects of climate change, including permafrost thaw, changes to coastal and marine regions, increased magnitude and frequency of extreme weather, and changes to ecosystem structures and functions.

Work continued in response to the priority areas for action identified through the department's Climate Change and Vulnerability Risk Assessment, including:

• continuing to work with communities, Indigenous partners and stakeholders as part of the Northern REACHE program, to identify and advance projects in communities facing the greatest energy challenges
• advancing the implementation of 3 climate change adaptation programs (First Nation Adapt, Climate Change Preparedness in the North, and Indigenous Community-based Climate Monitoring), to support northern and Indigenous communities across Canada in assessing their vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change and plan for adaptation

Work also continued in advancing the implementation of the Northern Participant Funding Program to help ensure the effective participation of Indigenous Peoples and Northerners in impact assessments of major resource or infrastructure development projects in Canada's North.

In the North, there are approximately 150 contaminated sites of various types that have a liability associated with them. The former Giant and Faro mines are the largest, representing a significant long-term environmental, human health and safety risk, and financial liability. Due to the complexity and risk associated with contaminated site remediation, implementation efforts remained of high risk from a health, safety, security and environmental perspective as well as in terms of financial and procurement risk. Managing these risks involved a high degree of dependencies on Indigenous communities, territorial governments and other partners.

This risk was mitigated by investments in contaminated sites programs, most notably through the department's Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program, and the renewal of the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan, along with various monitoring and oversight activities and programs.

Results achieved

The following tables show, for Northern Affairs, the results to be achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the 3 most recent fiscal years for which results are available.

Financial, human resources and performance information for CIRNAC's program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for Northern Affairs, budgetary spending for 2022–23, as well as actual spending for that year.

In 2022–23, the department spent $98.2 million more than the original planned spending as incremental funding was received for key initiatives including:

• funding for northern food security: Seeding Local Food Systems in the North ($106.9 million)
• funding for closing the northern housing and infrastructure gap ($75 million)

The increase is partially offset by the deferral of funds for the following initiatives:

• funding for the Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program (-$99.4 million)

Financial, human resources and performance information for CIRNAC's program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows, in full time equivalents, the human resources the department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2022–23.

Financial, human resources and performance information for CIRNAC's program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Description

Internal services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct service categories that support program delivery in the organization, regardless of the internal services delivery model in a department. The 10 service categories are:

• acquisition management services
• communication services
• financial management services
• human resources management services
• information management services
• information technology services
• legal services
• material management services
• management and oversight services
• real property management services

With regards to internal services functions, CIRNAC and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) have an internal service structure with a large number of shared services functions located in one or the other department. Therefore, the number of full-time equivalents for internal services is higher.

Results

To support the recruitment, career paths, and retention of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis employees, CIRNAC provided significant Indigenous recruitment subject matter expertise and guidance internally, developed a Module on Indigenous Recruitment for the Staffing Framework, and updated the related staffing tools to facilitate hiring of Indigenous employees. The department also published articles on Indigenous student hiring and resources for Indigenous students, as well as participated in 5 career fairs. Further, 2 new Indigenous inventories for student rehires and graduate hiring were launched at CIRNAC and ISC. Finally, the department disseminated the Indigenous Recruitment Toolbox developed by the Public Service Commission's Indigenous Center of Expertise in a variety of communication tools.

To support increasing diversity, CIRNAC developed an Employment Equity Action Plan and integrated a diversity and inclusion performance measure in the performance agreement for managers. Further, the department launched executive selection processes opened to Indigenous candidates only, as well as processes where priority was given to equity-seeking groups. Finally, CIRNAC established its first Accessibility Plan under the Accessible Canada Act in December 2022. The plan sets out significant actions around removing barriers related to employment, built environment, information and communication technologies (ICT), communications, procurement of goods, services and facilities, design and delivery of programs and services, as well as transportation. The department also began to actively promote the Workplace Accessibility Passport and other activities to support the awareness and use of the Passport.

To support a workplace free from harassment, CIRNAC promoted and tracked the mandatory Canada School of Public Service Harassment and Violence Prevention training. To complement this training, a departmental-specific training was developed and piloted. It will be made available to all employees in the Fall 2023. Further, in August 2022, CIRNAC completed the harassment and violence workplace risk assessment and developed an action plan to prevent harassment and violence in the workplace. Finally, the department published 4 internal newsletter articles on various topics related to the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Policy and developed a Dialogue Series/Training on Family Violence which was delivered 12 times to over 140 managers.

The last years have been marked by many challenges that have had a direct impact on the workplace and the mental health of all employees. The pandemic has not only presented obstacles but also opportunities that have greatly influenced the workplace, the evolution of our daily work and our well-being. In 2022–23, CIRNAC continued to work on the Mental Health and Wellness in the Workplace 2021-2024 Strategy in response to current and emerging issues. The department initiated a thorough review to ensure that the Strategy continues to align with its mental health and workplace wellness needs and priorities.

For IM/IT, the department is moving into the digital era by implementing numerous initiatives and strategies, such as digitizing paper information and records, modernizing business processes, exploring automation functions in internal processes, and developing enterprise solutions.

CIRNAC also took several measures to enhance the return to the office for employees, such as modernizing the audio-visual and videoconferencing collaboration tools and spaces, providing the necessary IT equipment to support new workplace models, and providing network enhancements.

As part of its commitment to enhance the Enterprise Data Management function, enable effective data stewardship and enhance the use of data in decision making, CIRNAC developed a data learning center. This center includes a comprehensive departmental data asset inventory, a glossary on data sharing terms, and a curated list of data courses. The department also fully established the ISC/CIRNAC Data Stewardship Network (DSN), which hosts regular monthly and special meetings to bring data stewards together to consult on and contribute towards key data discussions. Further, the department continued to invest in maturing the Enterprise Data Hub to enable advancements in data science and advanced analytics.

Finally, CIRNAC provided geomatics support by producing an authoritative geospatial data layer of 140 residential school sites, associated communities and cemeteries, as well as numerous web map applications to visualize these datasets and other contextual geospatial information.

With respect to departmental communications, in 2022–23, CIRNAC continued its efforts to inform and engage Indigenous Peoples and all Canadians by improving its web and social media presence. For example, the department led the simultaneous interpretation and translation of his Holiness Pope Francis' apology to residential school survivors into 12 different Indigenous languages during his historic visit to Canada in July of 2022. The department also produced a webpage for the Papal visit, which generated 3,700 page views.

CIRNAC also increased collaboration across the federal government through regular engagement with over 20 federal departments. This greater collaboration has helped to:

• align and amplify communications announcements, activities, and opportunities related to MMIWG and 2SLGBTQI+ people. For example, this contributed to the creation of a new visual identity for communications products related to MMIWG and 2SLGBTQI+ people.
• lead the strategic planning and communications efforts across the federal government for the release of the first Federal Pathway Annual Progress Report on June 3, 2022. The progress report itself has received nearly 4,000 online visits in the last year. Greater collaboration across the federal government also helped to improve the quality of communications products for high-profile events and initiatives, such as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Calls To Action, by ensuring they are more comprehensive and showcase progress across the federal government.

CIRNAC also led various communication events. Here are a few examples:

• led the strategic planning and coordination of joint communications products for federal departments that attended the first national Roundtable on MMIWG and 2SLGBTQI+ people. As a result, 2 news releases were published, and social media content was published across the department's Twitter and LinkedIn, reaching Indigenous people and communities, media and members of the general public.
• held a press conference to announce on advancing work on the National Inquiry's Call for Justice 1.7 to establish a National Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson, and on Call for Justice 1.10 to create an oversight mechanism, which received a significant amount of media attention and positive feedback from Indigenous partners, families and survivors.
• launched a revised public communications approach on reconciliation and the Indigenous Policy Agenda, which was developed in consultation with partners. This has resulted in improved collaboration with other federal departments to align messaging to communicate how reconciliation is being advanced with partners, and resulted in greater engagement with national Indigenous organizations.
• led the annual National Indigenous History Month campaign, which aims to recognize and honour the history, heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis in Canada. The campaign also aimed to increase public awareness of the valuable past and present contributions of Indigenous Peoples by recognizing and honouring Indigenous voices and experiences, and encouraging the public to visit CIRNAC's website to access the various educational tools and resources. The campaign had both unpaid and paid advertising, driving a larger reach of Canadians to the campaign web page. The paid advertising campaign was viewed more than 5.6 million times and the unpaid social media campaign was viewed 1.5 million times across all social media platforms.

Contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

CIRNAC is a Phase 1 department and as such must ensure that a minimum 5% of the total value of the contracts it awards to Indigenous businesses by the end of 2022–23. In its 2023–24 Departmental Plan, the department forecasted that, by the end of 2022–23, it would award 8% of the total value of its contracts to Indigenous businesses.

As shown in the following table, CIRNAC awarded 30.6% of the total value of its contracts to Indigenous businesses in 2022–23.

The department continued to explore additional opportunities to increase Indigenous procurement. Specifically, work continued to determine eligibility of sub-contracts under the Northern Contaminated Sites Program.

CIRNAC also remains committed to respecting the policy on all contracts issued in the Nunavut Settlement Area. All procurement staff were trained on the various tools targeting Indigenous procurement, and CIRNAC actively participated in numerous working groups and committees for the ongoing development of the policy and reporting of Indigenous procurement. Additionally, all of the required procurement officers completed the mandatory courses from the Canada School of Public Service: "Indigenous Considerations in Procurement" and "Procurement in the Nunavut Settlement Area".

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

The following table shows, for internal services, budgetary spending for 2022–23, as well as spending for that year.

In 2022–23, the department spent $60 million more than the original planned spending. Most of the net difference between planned spending and actual spending can be explained by incremental costs in legal services ($29 million) and management and oversight ($20 million).

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

The following table shows, in full time equivalents, the human resources the department needed to carry out its internal services for 2022–23.

Spending 2020–21 to 2025–26

The following graph presents planned (voted and statutory spending) over time.

Note: Due to rounding, figures may not add to totals shown.

Text alternative for the Departmental spending trend graph

This stacked bar graph depicts voted and statutory actual spending from 2020 to 2023 and planned spending from 2023 to 2026:

• In 2020–21, total actual spending was $5,391 million. Of this amount, $5,228 million is voted spending and $163 million is statutory spending.
• In 2021–22, total actual spending was $4,832 million. Of this amount, $4,798 million is voted spending and $34 million is statutory spending.
• In 2022–23, total actual spending was $9,133 million. Of this amount, $8,478 million is voted spending and $655 million is statutory spending.
• In 2023–24, total planned spending is $9,133 million. Of this amount, $9,097 million is voted spending and $36 million is statutory spending.
• In 2024–25, total planned spending is $5,024 million. Of this amount, $4,990 million is voted spending and $34 million is statutory spending.
• In 2025–26, total planned spending is $4,554 million. Of this amount, $4,521 million is voted spending and $33 million is statutory spending.

For the period 2020–21 to 2022–23

CIRNAC's actual spending for 2022–23 was $9,133 million, a year-over-year increase of $4,301 million (89%) from 2021–22 actual spending. This is mainly due to an increase in the funding for several initiatives such as:

• specific claims settlements ($1,839.6 million)
• Siksika Nation Global Settlement Agreement ($1,300 million)
• self-governing and modern treaty First Nations, Inuit, and Métis housing and Indigenous infrastructure project ($566.3 million)

In addition, statutory spending for 2022–23 was $655 million, representing a year-over-year increase of $621 million from 2021–22 statutory spending ($34 million). The increase is due to the payment for Federal Indian Day Schools Settlement Agreement (McLean).

See the 2021–22 Departmental Results Report for additional details on year-over-year actual spending variances between 2020–21 and 2021–22.

For the period 2023–24 to 2025–26

For the period of 2023–24 to 2025–26, spending is expected to decrease from $9,133 million to $4,554 million. This decrease is mostly due to the sunsetting initiatives, which require government approval before funding can be requested. These decisions will be reflected in future Budget and Estimates documents.

Major initiatives whose funding profile will decrease/sunset in 2024–25 include:

• Gottfriedson Band Class Settlement Agreement (-$2,893.5 million)
• Federal Indian Day Schools Settlement Agreement (McLean) (-$522 million)
• Indigenous Infrastructure Project (-$222.7 million)
• specific claims settlements (-$206.4 million)
• Northern Housing and Infrastructure (-$75 million)
• Northern Food Security (-$55.5 million)

Major initiatives whose funding profile will decrease/sunset in 2025–26 include:

• Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation program (-$278.6 million)
• Indigenous Infrastructure Project (-$244 million)
• Negotiation Support Funding Program (-$98.2 million)

See 2023–24 Departmental Plan for additional details on year-over-year planned spending variances between 2023–24 and 2025–26.

Budgetary performance summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)

The "Budgetary performance summary for core responsibilities and internal services" table presents the budgetary financial resources allocated for CIRNAC's core responsibilities and for internal services.

The $8,593 million difference between 2022–23 planned spending of $5,808 million and the $14,401 million in 2022–23 total authorities available for use primarily reflects incremental new or reprofiled funding received for:

• Gottfriedson Band Class Settlement ($2,894 million)
• specific claim settlements ($2,548.2 million)
• Indigenous childhood class actions including McLean, Sixties Scoop and Gottfriedson litigation ($1,065 million)
• self-governing and modern treaty First Nation, Inuit and Métis housing ($458.4 million)
• Federal Framework to Address the Legacy of Residential Schools ($117.8 million)

The variance of $5,268 million between 2022–23 total authorities available for use ($14,401 million) and the 2022–23 actual spending ($9,133 million) is mainly due to the deferral of funds for targeted initiatives, specifically, funding related to the negotiation and resolution of land claims, specific claims, and the outcome of litigation that depend on factors outside of the department's control. The reprofiled funding is aligned with the number of claims received and the payment timelines for the following settlements:

• Gottfriedson Band Class Settlement ($2,893.5 million)
• specific claim settlements ($1,346 million)
• McLean Federal Indian Day Schools Settlement ($388.2 million)
• Sixties Scoop Settlement ($221.8 million)

2022–23 Budgetary actual gross spending summary (dollars)

The following table reconciles gross planned spending with net spending for 2022–23.

The revenues netted against expenditures in the table above are for the provision of internal support services under section 29.2 of the Financial Administration Act. CIRNAC provides internal support services to another department.

Human resources summary for core responsibilities and internal services

Financial statements

CIRNAC's financial statements (unaudited) for the year that ended March 31, 2023, are available on the department's website.

Financial statement highlights

Expenses

Total expenses were $26,823 million in 2022–23. The main expenses include transfer payments for a total of $17,021 million (63%), of which $9,922 million related to the provision for contingent liabilities and $6,071 million related to payments to First Nations. Operating expenses represent a total of $9,803 million (37%), of which $7,707 million related to provision for litigation claims, and $1,377 million related to payments for court awards and other settlements.

Revenues

The revenues of 2022–23 were $34 million, which are mostly related to the provision of shared internal services to Indigenous Services Canada.

Significant changes

The $12,575 million year-over-year increase in actual expenditures is mainly due to increases in the transfer payments to First Nations ($4,041 million) and provision for litigation claims ($10,494 million). This was offset by a decrease of $2,242 million in environmental liabilities expenses as there was no major project cost adjustments in 2022–23, while compared to 2021–22 where Giant Mine had a change in project plan costs of $1.8 billion.

Planned expenses are based on the 2022–23 Main Estimates, adjusted for anticipated accrued expenses. The $20,681 million variance between 2022–23 actual and planned expenses can be attributed in part to additional spending authorized through the 2022–23 Supplementary Estimates process, and in part to significant adjustments to provisions for contingent liabilities according to the pace of claims negotiations.

The 2022–23 planned results information is provided in CIRNAC's Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2022–23.

Liabilities

Total net liabilities were $58,132 million at the end of 2022–23. The provision for contingent liabilities associated with claims and litigation represents the largest portion of liabilities at $48,523 million (83%). Other significant liabilities include environmental liabilities of $6,328 million (11%) and accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $3,237 million (6%).

Assets

Total net financial assets at the end of 2022–23 were $1,045 million and included the amount due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of $999 million (96%).

Total non-financial assets include tangible capital assets of $10 million and land held for future claims settlements of $39 million.

Significant changes

The change in departmental net financial position of $17,793 million is primarily due to increases in contingent liabilities of $17,936 million and increase of $123 million in accounts payable and accrued liabilities, offset by the increase to the amount due from consolidated revenue funds of $414 million.

The 2022–23 planned results information is provided in CIRNAC's Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2022–23.

Core responsibility: Crown-Indigenous Relations

Support Indigenous organizations, individuals, communities and governments in achieving reconciliation and advancing self-determination through strengthening Crown-Indigenous relationships based on respect, cooperation, partnership, the affirmation and implementation of Indigenous rights, and the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Activities include negotiating and implementing treaties, self-government agreements and specific claims, consulting and engaging on issues of importance to Indigenous Peoples, providing legislative and institutional frameworks for First Nations' jurisdiction over local taxation, land and financial management and addressing historic grievances.

Core responsibility: Northern Affairs

Support Canada's Arctic and northern organizations, individuals, communities and governments in the pursuit of a strong, inclusive, vibrant, prosperous and self-sufficient North, the vision of Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy Framework. This includes federal coordination, science leadership, natural resource and environmental management, effective delivery of federal programming, and territorial relations.