2022-23 Departmental Plan: Main Report

Planning highlights

To achieve progress in this area, ISC will focus on two departmental results.

Gender-based analysis (GBA) plus

ISC will continue to strengthen its application of GBA Plus internally by building enhanced governance structures, establishing a more systematic challenge-function, and supporting department specific training. The department will also work with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and Indigenous partners to develop distinctions-based culturally-competent GBA Plus approaches and tools. In addition, ISC will continue its work with CIRNAC, Women and Gender Equality Canada and the Canada School of Public Service to include Indigenous considerations in GBA Plus training and tools for all public servants.

In 2022-23, improvements to health-related services and benefits will be supported in First Nations communities in alignment with the Poverty, reduction, health and well-being goal under the Gender Results Framework.

• The Clinical and Client Care program form for reporting patient safety incidents will be revised to allow for the identification of sexual orientation, gender or anti-Indigenous racism as contributing factors to an incident. In such cases, recommendations and action will be required to be address issues such as discrimination, lack of respect and lack of cultural awareness. To ensure inclusivity, a gender diverse option will be available for identification purposes.
• The Supplementary Health Benefits program (Non-Insured Health Benefits) program provides more than 898,000 eligible First Nations and Inuit individuals with coverage for a range of medically necessary services that are not covered by other public or private health insurance plans, regardless of their sex, gender, age, income or geographic location. Through ongoing data collection, ISC will continue to monitor implementation of the program to ensure that desired results are being achieved and identify any further unintended differential impacts. For example, where demand is less than anticipated, the reason for the reduced uptake will be explored using an intersectional approach to ensure that unknown or unintended barriers to access are identified and addressed.

United Nations' (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The programs delivered by ISC support Canada's efforts to implement the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The health services and benefits provided through this core responsibility contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3 - Good Health and Well-Being.

The Clinical and Client Care program looks to improve the access and quality of essential health care in First Nations communities. It provides primary care services to First Nations individuals, families, and communities in remote and isolated First Nations communities. Clinical and Client Care services are crucial in improving the health status of First Nations in communities where primary care services would otherwise be hours away.

The benefits provided through the NIHB program are an essential component of ongoing efforts to diminish the substantial health disparities faced by many First Nation and Inuit individuals, and contribute to the ultimate outcome of healthier Indigenous peoples. Building on work initiated in 2020–21, ISC will maintain a particular focus on addressing the unique challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure eligible NIHB program clients have continued access to necessary medical items and services.

Results-Based Innovation^{Footnote 1}

ISC maintains an emphasis on results-based innovation to ensure it continually seeks new ways of improving its service design and delivery. In 2022-23, ISC plans to move its status registration services towards an improved, client-centric approach by focusing all activities and transactions associated with an individual client in one overarching online solution. This online tool will first be applied for Secure Certificate of Indian Status applications and incrementally expand to support other business lines relating to registration, estates management, treaty payments and trust moneys. The tool will provide a more user-friendly experience for Indigenous clients and facilitate the timely delivery of services.

Key risks

There is a risk that health services will not be able to resume business operations at full capacity due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This has impacted the delivery and availability of health-related benefits and registration services for Indigenous Peoples. To mitigate risks of COVID-19 transmission for oral health services, ISC's regions have been provided with funding for innovative solutions to upgrade infrastructural requirements.

There is a risk that the high demand for health professionals, increased workload and challenging working conditions may limit the department's ability to attract and retain health resources. This may impact the delivery of quality and timely services and limit the ability to address cultural sensitivity training needs in alignment with anti-racism, discrimination, anti-harassment and anti-violence policies. To mitigate this, ISC is continuously exploring new and innovative retention and recruitment strategies. For example, a nursing health human resources framework has been developed to coordinate these strategies. Safety and security policies and procedures will also be developed to address challenges that threaten ISC's ability to maintain a stable health workforce. In addition, Budget 2021 provided an investment of $354 million over five years to meet these growing demands and increase the number of medical professionals, particularly in remote or isolated communities.

There is a risk that individuals seeking health and registration services may not be able to fully leverage new technologies or other potential solutions given the infrastructure challenges faced by some communities. These can include limited physical access, limited broadband connectivity, and other social or technological obstacles. This creates an ongoing challenge for the delivery of high quality, timely, and safe in-person services. In order to mitigate this, the department will continue to test an online/digital process for status card applications in a number of ISC service kiosks. This will provide a digital solution to confirm registration documents and will evolve to an online application for straightforward registrations.

Planned results for Services and Benefits to Individuals

The following tables show the planned departmental results for Services and Benefits to Individuals, as well as the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Planned budgetary spending for Services and Benefits to Individuals

The following table shows the 2022-23 budgetary spending for Services and Benefits to Individuals, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Planned human resources for Services and Benefits to Individuals

The following table shows, in full-time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to fulfill this core responsibility for 2022–23 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for Indigenous Services Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planning highlights

To achieve progress in this area, ISC will focus on three departmental results.

Gender-based analysis plus

Health and social services not only focuses on the well-being of Indigenous Peoples, it also strengthens Indigenous communities. These services support the goals outlined in Canada's Gender Results Framework related to Poverty Reduction, Health and Well-Being, Economic Participation and Prosperity, Education and Skills Development, and Gender-based Violence and Access to Justice.

• The Assisted Living program helps low-income First Nations individuals, including women, seniors and persons with disabilities, cover the cost of home care and long-term care services. While the staffing to deliver home and community care is diverse, it creates employment opportunities in industries where women are predominant, including personal support providers and homecare services. These employment opportunities are likely to be taken by individuals who are resident on reserve, many of whom may be currently unemployed or are low-income. Consideration will be given as to how to increase uptake of Indigenous men and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in these professions.
• Income Assistance program helps individuals and families meet their essential living expenses. There is an overrepresentation of single individuals who receive this assistance compared to the total on reserve population - single men account for 42.6% of Income Assistance clients; single mothers make up 86% of single parent families receiving Income Assistance. To monitor and evaluate the intersectional impacts, the program collects data disaggregated by gender and provides information on level of education, household composition, and reasons for exiting the program. ISC continues to work with First Nations partners to improve the outcomes of the Income Assistance Program such as improvements to the program and its data collection instruments.
• Child and family services in First Nations communities work to ensure equity in the provision of prevention support and services. The federal government's Six Points of Action for Child Welfare Reform includes the co-development of a data and reporting strategy, including gender-based indicators, with provinces, territories and Indigenous partners. ISC is also working with some partners and the Public Health Agency of Canada to determine if information related to Indigenous children, disaggregated by sex/gender can be included in the development of the Canadian Child Welfare Information System. The need for new performance measures and data systems to address the unique requirements of child and family services and respect Indigenous data sovereignty is being communicated from communities, agencies and organizations across the country. These data improvements will allow for continued monitoring of outcomes, particularly those related to sex and gender, and ensure equity in the provision of prevention support and services to meet the needs of children, youth and families. The department will work with the Public Health Agency of Canada to determine if new distinctions-based performance measures can be used to monitor outcomes to ensure equity in the provision of prevention support and services to meet the needs of children, youth and families, as determined by Indigenous communities.
• Jordan's Principle helps First Nations children living in Canada access the products, services and supports they need. The department will engage with Indigenous partners on developing data-informed decision-making tools to minimize barriers and fill products/service gaps for eligible First Nations children in Canada. These tools will cater to meet the needs of a child's identity. Analysis from an intersectional lens will also be used to identify trends and forecast needs for products and services to monitor and track their short, medium, and long-term outcomes. As the program is demand-based, understanding these outcomes will allow adjustment to its business processes to meet the diverse needs of eligible children.
• Education programs support the equality of opportunities and diversified paths in education and skills development, equal and full participation in the economy, and reduced poverty and improved health outcomes. In respect of the principle of First Nations control of First Nations education, a new indicator has been introduced to measure the number of First Nations under regional education agreements. This will support progress toward achieving the department's mandate of service transfer.

United Nations' (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The social programs delivered by ISC and its partners provide essential supports to individuals and families that are faced with extremely challenging circumstances. These programs support Canada's efforts by providing these essential supports and a level of stability to participants with no other means.

SDG 1 – No Poverty:

The On reserve Income Assistance Program provides essential supports to eligible on reserve residents across Canada and in the Yukon to cover the costs of daily living and access pre-employment supports.

The Assisted Living Program ensures eligible low-income individuals on reserves and in the Yukon have access to in-home, group-home and institutional care supports in their home communities when services are available. It has a long track record of delivering social supports on reserve and providing a level of long-term care and home care services, which are substantively equal to those offered off reserve.

Jordan's Principle and Inuit Child First Initiative work to minimize barriers and address gaps for eligible First Nations and Inuit children in Canada in accessing needed government services. The programs respond to the unmet needs of First Nations and Inuit children no matter where they live in Canada by providing funding to eligible children to access a wide range of health, education and social services they need, when they need them. This initiative also contributes to SDG 3 and 4.

SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-Being:

The Government of Canada is working to improve health outcomes in Indigenous communities by maintaining essential health care services for First Nations and Inuit, working in partnership to transform First Nations health systems, and responding to the health impacts of climate change. This includes funding and supporting mental health-related programs and services and other community based health programs and services.

The Government of Canada is also supporting First Nations and Inuit communities in preparing for, monitoring and responding to COVID-19. The Indigenous Community Support Fund and COVID-19 Public Health Fund have provided funds to help Indigenous communities to meet the unique health and wellness needs of their communities during the pandemic.

ISC's 2020 to 2023 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy outlines additional contributions made by programs in support of SDG 2 – Zero Hunger and SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-Being.

SDG 4 – Quality Education:

ISC's Education program supports inclusive and quality education. In 2019-20, the department implemented a new policy and funding framework to transform First Nations elementary and secondary education on reserve. The formula-based funding approach aims to support students in First Nations schools with predictable core funding that is more directly comparable to funding in provincial education systems. Post-secondary investments have increased access and the success of Indigenous students, and Budget 2019 announced investments for distinctions-based Indigenous post-secondary education strategies aimed at increasing the access and success of Indigenous students. In addition, through the First Nations and Inuit Youth Employment Strategy, the youth living on reserve and outside of their land-claim area develop skills to help gain employment. This strategy also contributes to SDG 10 – Reduced inequalities.

ISC will also continue to co-develop and implement transformative models such as regional education agreements with First Nations that respond to education goals and priorities set by First Nations partners, and advance First Nations control over self-determined education services. These agreements identify First Nations-developed education strategies and commit to supporting First Nations leaders' vision for high quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate education for their students. The department will continue to work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis through established Permanent Bilateral Mechanisms to identify joint education priorities, as well as co-develop policies, programs and service options and monitor progress.

To support early learning and child care, ISC is working with federal and Indigenous partners to implement the co-developed Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework. This Framework serves as guide for all actors in the early learning and child care sphere to work towards achieving a shared vision that all Indigenous children have the opportunity to experience high quality and culturally strong early learning and child care. Budget 2021 announced additional funding that builds upon the original Budget 2017 investments, as well as investments from the 2020 Fall Economic Statement to support early learning and child care programs and services for Indigenous children and families.

SDG 5 – Gender Equality:

The Family Violence Prevention program supports the operation of emergency shelters and transition homes for Indigenous Peoples facing gender-based violence, as well as funding violence prevention activities across Canada. This program also supports UNDRIP 22.2 – Full protection against all forms of violence and discrimination.

ISC is supporting the work led by CIRNAC, along with Indigenous partners, and provinces and territories, to develop a National Action Plan to address violence against Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit and LGBTQQIA. This will respond to the issues identified in the Calls for Justice, as part of the whole-of-Canada response to the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

The new Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities program will support holistic Indigenous community safety and well-being initiatives that prioritize and address the safety and well-being of Indigenous women and girls.

The National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association's Indigenous Women's Entrepreneur Program offers support to Indigenous women in various stages of engagement with entrepreneurship, in alignment with the Government's strategy to increase access to start up needs for women-owned businesses.

Results-Based Innovation

ISC's Environmental Public Health program will expand the scope of project proposals submitted under the First Nations Environmental Contaminants Program to include risk factors with clear impact on human health, such as exposure to radon. Proposals that exceed Health Canada guidelines are given the option to broaden the scope of their work by adding radon mitigation into research project objectives, allowing for more efficient radon mitigation. The program is currently supporting radon mitigation in two First Nation communities to reduce the risk of lung cancer.

The Innovation in Education Program ($6 million annually) supports the development and implementation of innovative First Nations education program pilots, for example, projects related to technology, land-based learning, and, Indigenous language and culture. These program pilots aim to improve education outcomes for First Nations students, schools and communities.

Key risks

The pandemic and associated public health restrictions have caused a wide range of challenges and uncertainties for the delivery of ISC's health and social services, including challenges relating to consultation and engagement processes and program operations. There is a risk that further lockdown and social distancing measures may lead to under-reporting on some key social metrics (e.g. family violence, mental wellness, number of students attending school, etc.), and may reduce the ability to adequately identify and address community needs. The department will continue to work closely with partners to ensure needs are identified and addressed in as timely a manner as possible.

There is a risk that the increase in volume of incoming requests for health and social programs may affect the department's ability to process them and make decisions within the various compliance timelines for Jordan's Principle. One of the main uncertainties is the redirection of health and social services resources to address the effects of the global pandemic. The pandemic may continue to impact the capacity for the program to minimize and address service gaps and barriers to accessing services for First Nations communities, eligible children and their families. In addition, increased demands for products and services have impacted the department's ability to process and deliver decisions within compliance timelines as set by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal orders. To mitigate this, continuous monitoring and assessment of request trends are being conducted from an analytical perspective to mitigate the risks of the pandemic and increase efficiency and effectiveness of service provision.

There is a risk that the department's capacity to provide services to communities may be further impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. ISC's health emergency capacity has been in high demand since the start of the pandemic, responding to a variety of health and/or health-related emergencies affecting Indigenous communities. Health and social resources have been redirected to address the pandemic and this could hinder the department's capacity to mitigate other pressing health and social services, many of which are delivered in-person and may result in staff experiencing burnout. To mitigate these capacity risks, ISC is continuing active recruitment and securing surge support from departmental and intradepartmental partners to ensure that efficient and effective response capacity is available. This includes staffing and recruitment in rural and isolated communities, as well as front-line health professionals, such as nurses and environmental public health officers. To mitigate risks of transmission for in-person services, ISC developed up-to-date practices for home and community care to prevent or slow the spread of the virus.

Planned results for Health and Social Services

The following table shows, for Health and Social Services, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Planned budgetary spending for Health and Social Services

The following table shows the 2022-23 budgetary spending for Health and Social Services, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Planned human resources for Health and Social Services

The following table shows, in full-time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to fulfill this core responsibility for 2022–23 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for Indigenous Services Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planning highlights

To achieve progress in this area, ISC will focus on four departmental results.

Gender-based analysis plus

The department considers GBA Plus principles to be a core component of renewed, respectful, and inclusive processes to developing strong community governance and reliable infrastructure. The programs captured under this core responsibility, such as emergency management and water and wastewater management, contribute to achieving social well-being and the development of healthier and more sustainable communities. Other programs support Indigenous entrepreneurship and the economic development of communities work to close socio-economic gaps. These services support the goals outlined in Canada's Gender Results Framework related to Poverty Reduction, Health and Well-Being, Economic Participation and Prosperity and Leadership and democratic participation.

• The Emergency Management Assistance Program is intended to benefit all members of First Nations communities, but can evolve to give priority to individuals who are at increased risk of experiencing impacts of emergencies to a different degree or in a unique way. While all populations can be negatively impacted by emergencies and evacuations, emergency events disproportionately impact groups including women, children, 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals, the elderly, persons with disabilities or illness. These groups often face greater economic and social hardship and reduced access to services when facing an emergency situation. By ensuring access to safe, needs-based supports in the event of an emergency, there will be less adverse effects exacted on these populations.
• In the field of water and wastewater operations, there is an underrepresentation of Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, and gender diverse groups. ISC is working to identify barriers and gaps in resources and increase awareness of the field and the role of water operators in the community. Through these efforts, First Nations youth and women will be promoted, empowered, and encouraged to pursue careers in other fields related to science, technology, engineering and math, including trades.
• Building sustainable communities improves the social well-being for future generations. Addressing contaminated sites on previously unusable land can increase the amount of land available for community or economic development. The remediation of contaminated sites provides protection of the health and safety of these communities. Contaminated sites activities also support the employment of Indigenous Peoples in the assessment and remediation fields. The Contaminated Sites on Reserve Program will collect information to determine the impacts that the programming is having on Indigenous men, women and businesses.
• To achieve the transition to a net zero carbon economy, Budget 2021 provided the Strategic Partnerships Initiative program with $36 million over 3 years to expand Clean Energy initiatives across the country. Modeled on the success of the British Columbia Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative, these new regional initiatives will leverage a whole-of-government approach to strengthening Indigenous communities' participation in the green economy, creating jobs, businesses, and own-source revenues - all the while realizing Indigenous Climate Leadership and Canada's Sustainable Development Goals.
• The economic prosperity of Indigenous communities relies on the success of Indigenous entrepreneurs and business owners, including Indigenous women, youth, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ business owners. Recognizing that women face additional gender barriers to entrepreneurship, the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association launched the Indigenous Women's Entrepreneurship Initiative with the goal of increasing the number of Indigenous women entrepreneurs accessing financing through the Aboriginal Financial Institutions network by 50% by 2025. This initiative will report on uptake of the program by Indigenous women entrepreneurs.
• The Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program is delivering a distinctions-based approach with Métis Capital Corporations delivering targeted supports to Métis entrepreneurs. The federal government, the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association and Métis Capital Corporations will continue to co-develop effective indicators and measures for the collection of data based on sex, gender and other intersecting identity factors.
• Under the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee Economic Development and Procurement Working Group, ISC is working collaboration with Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, other government departments, and Regional Development Agencies towards greater Inuit self-determination in economic development. There are also plans to work with the Inuit to develop a distinctions-based approach to supporting Inuit economic development through the Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program.

United Nations' (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Community governance, infrastructure, sustainability and economic prosperity are critical to closing the socio-economic gaps that are faced by Indigenous communities and their people. The programs under this core responsibility support the following goals:

SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation:

A key component of the ISC's commitment to close socio-economic gaps faced by Indigenous Peoples and communities is to address the challenges of access to clean water and sanitation in First Nations communities. ISC continues to work with First Nations communities to address drinking water needs and remove barriers to health and safety. The department is also committed to partnering with First Nations to develop new approaches that will ensure that on reserve water and wastewater systems are safe and adequately meet the needs of each community.

ISC is committed to have the percentage of wastewater systems on reserve where effluent quality standards are achieved to reach 85% of wastewater systems on reserve achieve effluent standards by March 31, 2030 and 100% by December 2040. By March 31, 2026, the department is committed to achieving low risk ratings for 68% of public water systems on reserve (up from a baseline of 57% in 2019) and 68% of public wastewater systems on reserve (up from a baseline of 48% in 2019).

ISC's 2020 to 2023 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy outlines additional contributions towards sustainable water and wastewater systems in support of SDG 6.

SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth:

ISC will provide funding to First Nations for land and environment management activities to meet community socio-economic objectives. These initiatives will support implementation of SDG 8 and 9.1, as well as UNDRIP 32.1. Land is one of the most valuable assets for First Nations and ensuring that First Nations have access to a viable land base is crucial to reconciliation, key to community growth and instrumental in supporting self-determination and self-governance. The Additions to Reserve program supports adding land to the reserve land base of a First Nation and provides First Nations access to lands and natural resources to support both community and economic development.

The Reserve Land and Environment Management Program and supporting investments provide funding to First Nations for the prerequisite land and environmental management activities and related capacity needed to secure subsequent infrastructure and economic development activity. This initiative also supports articles 5 and 18 of UNDRIP in realizing community-specific political, legal, economic, social and cultural goals. For example, a number of First Nations have built capacity in this area, using the program as a 'stepping stone' to sectoral self-governance (i.e. First Nations Land Management) which enables First Nations to assume greater control over reserve land, resources and environment.

Indigenous Peoples lag behind other Canadians in most positive socio-economic outcomes, including employment, income and wealth creation. Over the past 20 years, there has been significant improvement in the economic outcomes for Indigenous Peoples in Canada, as demonstrated by progress indicators like labour force participation, self-employment and earned income. However, the 'prosperity gap' between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Canadians is still large. By supporting the creation and expansion of more Indigenous businesses, the Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program contributes to employment of Indigenous Peoples. It is estimated that each Indigenous business supported by the Aboriginal Financial Institutions and Métis Capital Corporations network provides approximately three jobs, helping to address the gap in employment and wealth creation in Indigenous communities. The Program also supports the lending activity of the new $150 million Indigenous Growth Fund. This key Indigenous-led and designed economic recovery initiative will support self-determination and self-sustainability so that Indigenous businesses have fully independent Indigenous source of capital.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure:

The eHealth Infostructure Program supports the delivery of health care services by virtually connecting First Nations individuals, families and communities in remote areas with general practitioners, specialists, diagnostic testing and follow-up appointments. The eHealth Infostructure Program reduces the need for community members to travel outside of their communities, away from family supports, work or school—to receive the health care services and programs needed to improve their well-being. The eHealth Infostructure Program supports SDG 9.1 and UNDRIP 18, as it promotes First Nations' governance capacity to control and manage their eHealth systems and strengthen partnerships through alignment and integration with federal/provincial/territorial health systems.

The First Nation Infrastructure Fund combines multiple funding sources, including the Canada Community Building Fund, to support the delivery of essential community infrastructure on reserve. ISC's 2020 to 2023 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy outlines additional contributions made through the First Nations Infrastructure Fund in support of SDG 9.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities:

Housing is a key determinant of health and provides the foundation for improving socio-economic outcomes and well-being for First Nations. Yet, Indigenous Peoples experience some of the worst living conditions in Canada. From 2015-16 to 2019-20, ISC provided an average of $149.5 million per year to improve First Nations on reserve housing. Since 2016, a further $1.7 billion has been committed to housing on reserve, including $201.2 million in planned spending for 2022-23. These investments support the Government of Canada's commitment to addressing critical housing gaps in First Nations communities by 2030 and to advancing the co-developed First Nations National Housing and Related Infrastructure Strategy.

The Emergency Management Assistance Program provides funding to First Nations communities to strengthen resiliency and prepare for natural hazards and respond to them using the four pillars of emergency management. ISC continues to work with regional colleagues and First Nations organizations to engage each party as full and equal partners when preparing for and responding to emergencies. Memoranda of Understanding have been established and more will be drafted with key First Nations stakeholders to bring this goal to fruition.

The department also supports community disaster resilience by providing funding for First Nations to hire emergency management coordinators. This initiative helps communities build capacity and implement actions that support emergency management preparedness and non-structural mitigation. Programs like this not only better prepare communities for emergency events but boost community resiliency while getting people back to their communities in a shorter time. These strategies also support SDG 13 – Climate Action and UNDRIP 18 - Indigenous Peoples have the right to participate in decision-making.

Additional details on ISC's contributions to SDG 11 through these programs and others such as First Nations Waste Management Initiative, land use planning and environmental protection can be found in the 2020 to 2023 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.

Results-Based Innovation

In support of ISC's mandate for service transfer, ISC has begun the process of moving from bilateral emergency service agreements to multilateral service agreements, where First Nations communities are included as full and equal partners in emergency management. New and novel approaches were taken to create these agreements. As a result, Memoranda of Understanding have been established with First Nations partners in British Columbia and will likely be developed in other regions across Canada. Each agreement is created in collaboration with regional colleagues and First Nations leadership and is unique to the Nations and provincial and territorial government that they govern.

Broadband connectivity is the driving force of digital health/virtual care, however, access to high-speed internet connection is not yet the norm across all remote First Nations communities. ISC is working together with Innovation, Science and Economic Development for higher connectivity speeds, and better quality of care for the First Nations people we serve. The eHealth Infostructure Program is examining new emerging technology to improve internet connectivity speeds, such as low-earth orbit satellites. These satellites have been an effective tool in providing faster speeds to underserved communities, such as Pikangikum First Nation in northwestern Ontario. Additionally, the eHealth Infostructure Program is leveraging innovation in remote presence projects such as doc-in-a-box or physician robotics.

ISC plans to leverage innovative technology to implement its Lands, Resources and Environmental Management Information Technology Systems. The National Additions to Reserve Tracking System and the Integrated Environment Management System are in development with First Nations partners. They will aim to streamline processes and provide direct access to First Nations proposals with the help of an innovative and modern cloud-based platform. The department will also begin work on the modernization of the Indian Land Registry System, with pilot projects launched in Manitoba and Ontario to explore the transfer of land registry services.

Key risks

One of the key risks affecting the successful achievement of ISC's governance and community development objectives is that momentum and progress on governance enhancement and community-led planning may not be sustained as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and related-restrictions on large-scale planning events and community engagement activities. In order to mitigate this risk, the department continues to maintain regular communications with First Nations communities engaged in community planning, regarding shifting timelines and funding flexibility.

There is a risk that the current global shortage for supplies, equipment and capacity, due to the pandemic, will delay infrastructure project schedules and increase project costs. This could have significant impacts on housing projects and the ability to meet target lift dates for the remaining long-term drinking water advisories. Compounded by the continued pandemic measures in place, such as ongoing public health restrictions to job sites, existing project management challenges common to construction projects, such as weather, site conditions, remoteness factors, and other operational and logistical challenges, will continue to impact infrastructure projects. There is also a risk that there will not be predictable, sustainable, and sufficient funding to meet infrastructure needs for water and wastewater systems, as well as the operational capacity on reserve to maintain and operate water and wastewater systems. To mitigate these risks, the department will monitor and challenge project costs and report on cost escalations. Others measure include re-scoping projects, building capacity for the maintenance of existing infrastructure, and reallocating and reprofiling funds as needed to support First Nations communities' cash flow needs.

There is a risk that ISC's emergency management assistance capacities will remain high profile and be challenged on its effectiveness due to the nature of emergency management activities and recent trends of natural hazards increasing in frequency and magnitude. To mitigate this, the department will invest in the program to further strengthen First Nations' resiliency and improve the health and safety of on reserve residents. To ensure there is effective coordination of emergency management services, discussions and partnerships with other government departments and intergovernmental communities of practice are underway to mitigate inconsistent implementation of emergency management services.

There is a risk of increased demand in program support from Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program. The COVID-19 pandemic has had very severe impacts on Indigenous businesses. High levels of debt have been incurred during the pandemic, limiting the potential for growth of businesses and greatly increasing the possibility that some Indigenous small and medium enterprises will go into bankruptcy. Due to the continually evolving nature of the pandemic, there is still uncertainty about how quickly levels of economic activity will recover and the demand for new lending that will follow. To mitigate these risks, ISC has put in place initiatives, such as the COVID-Indigenous Business Initiative, which has issued approximately $220 million in interest-free loans and non-repayable contributions to help Indigenous businesses stay afloat during the pandemic. Between April 2020 and June 2021, the Initiative delivered over 6,900 loans to approximately 3,660 businesses. In addition, the Indigenous Growth Fund, which is a key economic recovery initiative, is expected to add $15-20 million in lending capacity in its first year of operation to the network of Aboriginal Financial Institutions and Métis Capital Corporations. It is expected to support loans for up to 500 additional Indigenous businesses annually.

Planned results for Governance and Community Development

The following table shows, for Governance and Community Development, the planned results, the result indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2022–23, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Planned budgetary spending for Governance and Community Development

The following table shows 2022-23 budgetary spending for Governance and Community Development, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Planned human resources for Governance and Community Development

The following table shows, in full-time equivalents, the human resources the department will need to fulfill this core responsibility for 2022–23 and for each of the next two fiscal years.

Financial, human resources and performance information for Indigenous Services Canada's program inventory is available on GC InfoBase.

Planning highlights

To achieve progress in this area, ISC will focus on two departmental results.

Departmental Result: Indigenous Peoples control the design, delivery and management of services

Departmental Result: Indigenous self-determined services are improving outcomes for communities

Departmental spending 2019–20 to 2024–25

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

Text alternative for Departmental spending 2019-20 to 2024-25

This stacked bar graph depicts actual spending from 2019 to 2021, forecast spending from 2021 to 2022, and planned spending from 2022 to 2025:

• In 2019-20, total actual spending was $13,275 million. Of this amount, $13,139 million is voted spending and $136 million is statutory spending.
• In 2020-21, total actual spending was $16,353 million. Of this amount, $14,581 million is voted spending and $1,772 million is statutory spending.
• In 2021-22, total forecast spending was $20,289 million. Of this amount, $20,118 million is voted spending and $171 million is statutory spending.
• In 2022-23, total planned spending is $39,602 million. Of this amount, $39,466 million is voted spending and $136 million is statutory spending.
• In 2023-24, total planned spending is $15,553 million. Of this amount, $15,417 million is voted spending and $136 million is statutory spending.
• In 2024-25, total planned spending is $14,982 million. Of this amount, $14,884 million is coted spending and $99 million is statutory spending.

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

The following table shows information on spending for each of Indigenous Services Canada's core responsibilities and for its internal services for 2022–23 and other relevant fiscal years.

The 2020-21 expenditures were $16,353.2 million, a net increase of approximately $3,078.7 million over 2019-20. This is primarily due to:

• an increase in funding related to COVID-19 initiatives, such as:
  • Indigenous Community Support Fund;
  • the continuation of public health responses in Indigenous communities;
  • supporting Indigenous businesses;
  • enhancing public health measures to COVID-19 in First Nations and Inuit communities;
  • Income Assistance;
  • supporting a safe restart in Indigenous communities;
  • supporting students and youth impacted by COVID-19; and
  • supporting Indigenous mental wellness.
• a net increase in funding for infrastructure in Indigenous communities and improvements for access to safe, clean drinking water in First Nations communities.

Spending is expected to increase by $3,935.6 million between 2020-21 expenditures and 2021-22 forecast spending. This is primarily due to:

• a net increase in funding for Child and Family Services;
• a net increase in funding for infrastructure in Indigenous communities and improvements for access to safe, clean drinking water in First Nations communities;
• a net increase in funding for the non-insured health benefits for First Nations and Inuit;
• a net increase in funding related to the Income Assistance program;
• a net increase in funding for mental health and wellness (Budget 2021);
• a net increase in funding for the elementary and secondary as well as post-secondary education programs; and
• a net decrease in funding for COVID-19 initiatives, such as:
  • enhancing public health measures to COVID-19 in First Nations and Inuit communities;
  • Income Assistance;
  • Indigenous Community Support Fund;
  • supporting Indigenous businesses;
  • supporting a safe restart in Indigenous communities;
  • supporting Indigenous mental wellness;
  • urban and regional Indigenous organizations;
  • supportive care in Indigenous communities;
  • the continuation of public health responses in Indigenous communities; and
  • Indigenous communities affected by disruptions to their revenues which are necessary to support programs and services.

Spending is expected to increase by $19,312.8 million between 2021-22 forecast spending and 2022-23 planned spending. This is primarily due to:

• an increase in funding for out-of-court settlements;
• a net increase in funding for infrastructure in Indigenous communities and improvements for access to safe, clean drinking water in First Nation communities;
• a net decrease in funding for Child and Family Services; and
• a decrease in funding for COVID-19 initiatives, such as:
  • Indigenous Community Support Fund;
  • the continuation of public health responses in Indigenous communities; and
  • Indigenous communities affected by disruptions to their revenues which are necessary to support programs and services.

Spending is expected to decrease by $24,619.2 million between 2022-23 and 2024-25 planned spending. This is primarily due to:

• a decrease in funding for out-of-court settlements;
• a net decrease in funding for infrastructure in Indigenous communities and improvements for access to safe, clean drinking water in First Nation communities;
• a sunset of funding for the continued implementation of Jordanʼs Principle (at the end of 2022-23) and supporting the Inuit Child First Initiative (at the end of 2023-24); and
• a net increase in funding related to the Northern Ontario Grid Project.

Decisions on the renewal of the sunset initiatives will be taken in future budgets and reflected in future estimates.

2022–23 budgetary gross and net planned spending summary (dollars)

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

Revenues mentioned above are for the provision of services or the sale of products related to health protection and medical services; and the provision of internal support services under section 29.2 of the Financial Administration Act.

Human resources planning summary for core responsibilities and internal services

For the period from 2019-20 to 2020-21, the increase in FTEs is primarily due to:

• an increase in FTEs related to the transfer from CIRNAC primarily for Individuals Affairs, Lands and Economic Development programs and internal services as per Order in Council P.C. 2019-1109;
• the department receiving additional resources throughout the year to address the pandemic, to meet program needs and priorities, and to sustain the program's growing operations.

For the period from 2022-23 to 2024-25, the FTEs are expected to decrease primarily due to:

• a net decrease in funding for infrastructure in Indigenous communities and improvements for access to safe, clean drinking water in First Nation communities;
• a sunset of funding for the continued implementation of Jordanʼs Principle (at the end of 2022-23) and supporting the Inuit Child First Initiative (at the end of 2023-24);
• the reduction related to Funding to address sex-based inequities in Indian status resolved by the removal of the 1951 cut-off; and
• a sunset of Indian Residential Schools, Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls and Indian Day School programs.

Decisions on the renewal of the sunset initiatives will be taken in future budgets and reflected in future estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations (unaudited) for the year ending March 31, 2023 (dollars)

These services and benefits are mainly delivered directly to Indigenous peoples by the Department. They include, among other services and benefits, individual First Nations and Inuit clinical care and health-related benefits such as pharmacy, dental and vision care. The Department is also responsible for determining individuals' entitlement to Indian registration and for the issuance of various proofs of registration, including the Secure Certificate of Indian Status (SCIS), which can be used to access various programs and services.

These services are primarily delivered in partnership with Indigenous communities and organizations, provinces/territories and agencies. Together, they focus on health and wellbeing for Indigenous Peoples. They include health services to strengthen Indigenous communities in areas such as healthy living, communicable disease control, healthy child development and community care. They also include social services with an emphasis on children and families, as well as education services from kindergarten to post-secondary.

These services are commonly delivered in partnership with Indigenous communities and institutions and are focused on strong community governance and physical foundations. They include supports for governance capacity in areas such as community planning and financial management. They also include support for investments in community infrastructure, land and resource management, and economic development.

These services are designed and delivered by Indigenous Peoples for Indigenous Peoples. They include services for which the control, authority and/or jurisdiction has been formally transferred to Indigenous communities or organizations, as supported through departmental funding.