Indigenous Services Canada: 2023-2024 Departmental Results Report Results at a glance
A departmental results report provides an account of actual accomplishments against plans, priorities and expected results set out in the associated Departmental Plan.
Table of contents
Read the full Departmental Results Report
Key priorities
Indigenous Services Canada's top priorities for 2023-24 included:
- Supporting and promoting the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples by implementing Joyce's Principle.
- Continuing to implement Jordan's Principle for First Nations children, working with Inuit partners to co-develop a new model for the Inuit Child First Initiative.
- Working with Inuit partners towards eliminating tuberculosis across Inuit Nunangat by 2030 and reducing the rate of active tuberculosis by 50% (compared to 2016 rates) by 2025.
- Investing in distinctions-based approaches to mental wellness to meet the needs of First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
- Co-developing policy options and an implementation plan for the First Nations and Inuit components of a new and more holistic long-term and continuing care framework.
- Continuing co-development on long-term, distinctions-based funding frameworks, and prepare to conduct a five-year legislative review of the An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children, youth and families.
- Reaching a final settlement agreement on compensation related to child and family services and Jordan's Principle.
- Working to close the infrastructure gap by 2030 by supporting in community decision-making on First Nations infrastructure projects.
- Advancing new First Nations water legislation, while continuing to work to eliminate long-term drinking water advisories on reserve.
- Launching an evaluation of the New Fiscal Relationship 10-Year Grant and co-developing policy options for governance capacity building program reforms.
- Supporting development of an Economic Reconciliation Framework.
- Advancing the priorities of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation partners and communities to reclaim jurisdiction in the areas that matter to them.
- Continuing to support First Nation-led processes to transition away from the Indian Act.
- Continuing to weave into the design and delivery of its programs and policies the duty to consult with Indigenous Peoples, along with the implementation of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the Calls for Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Girls (MMIWG) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) (PDF) through the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UN Declaration Act).
In Budget 2023, the government committed to reducing spending by $14.1 billion over the next five years, starting in 2023–24, and by $4.1 billion annually after that.
As part of meeting this commitment, Indigenous Services Canada is planning the following spending reductions.
- 2023-24: $16,999,000
- 2024-25: $64,716,653
- 2025-26: $108,603,653
- 2026-27 and after: $170,702,653
In 2023-24, the savings were achieved by reducing non-essential travel and leveraging technology in meetings. Following the Treasury Board of Secretariat's guidance, the spending reductions will not impact the delivery of services to Indigenous Peoples.
In 2024-25 and beyond, Indigenous Services Canada will achieve these reductions by focusing on the following:
- Internal Services and Operational Efficiencies
- Public Servant Travel Reductions
- Departmental Transformation
- Reductions in Grants and Contributions –Reducing grants and contributions following discussions with partners, by targeting areas that will minimize impacts on communities and/or in areas where the funding has not been fully utilized. This would be pursued with Indigenous partners, ensuring that any reductions are carefully managed to minimize impacts on communities and that unutilized funds are allocated effectively.
ISC will continue to engage with its Indigenous partners to identify future funding needs. ISC remains committed to maintaining high standards of service delivery throughout these changes. The department will continue to uphold its legislative mandate of service excellence by ensuring that service transfer, as part of the broader transition away from the Indian Act, do not compromise the quality or accessibility of services. ISC will work closely with its Indigenous partners to identify and address future funding needs, safeguarding the continuity and improvement of services delivered to Indigenous communities.
Highlights
In 2023-24, total actual spending (including internal services) for Indigenous Services Canada was $46,477,241,611 and full-time equivalent staff (including internal services) was 7,927. For complete information on Indigenous Services Canada's total spending and human resources, read the Spending and human resources section of the full report.
The following provides a summary of the department's achievements in 2023-24 according to its approved Departmental Results Framework. A Departmental Results Framework consists of a department's core responsibilities, the results it plans to achieve and the performance indicators that measure progress toward these results.
Core responsibility: Indigenous Well-Being and Self-Determination
Actual spending: $46,140,030,260
Actual human resources: 6,187
Departmental results achieved
Health Service Area
Departmental Result 1: Indigenous Peoples are physically well
- Jordan's Principle: Provided over 6.37 million products, services, and supports to First Nations children since 2016, with nearly $8.1 billion invested since 2015.
- Inuit Child First Initiative: Delivered more than 226,000 supports to Inuit children from April 2019 to March 2024.
- Addressing Anti-Indigenous Racism: Supported over 150 Indigenous-led projects addressing racism in health systems, including the hiring of 22 Indigenous health system navigators and establishment of two new Indigenous health professional associations.
- Health Equity Fund: Budget 2023 committed $2 billion over 10 years for the Indigenous Health Equity Fund supporting distinctions-based, Indigenous-led approaches to health care services.
Departmental Result 2: Indigenous Peoples are mentally well
- Mental Wellness Support: $650 million in annual funding supported culturally relevant and community-based mental wellness programs, including suicide prevention and trauma-informed services.
Departmental Result 3: Indigenous Peoples have access to quality federally-funded health services
- Eliminating Tuberculosis: Budget 2023 allocated $16.2 million over three years to help eliminate tuberculosis in Inuit Nunangat by 2030.
- Health Workforce: Implemented Nursing Health Human Resources framework to retain front-line health workers, particularly in remote and isolated communities.
- Long-term and Continuing Care Framework: Continued co-development of the framework with First Nations and Inuit to support home care, preserving community ties and independence. Options for the Métis segment are expected to be developed by Winter 2025.
- Non-Insured Health Benefits: Budget 2023 invested $810.6 million over five years to continue providing supplementary health benefits, such as mental health services, dental and vision care, and medications, to First Nations and Inuit.
Children and Families Service Area
Departmental Result 4: Indigenous Peoples are culturally safe and socially well
- Child and Family Services Compensation: In April 2023, a $23.3 billion settlement was reached to compensate First Nations persons harmed by the Child and Family Services Program and Jordan's Principle. This agreement was confirmed by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal in July and approved by the Federal Court in October 2023. On February 9, 2024, the Supreme Court affirmed Indigenous communities' right to care for their children under the Act respecting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children, youth, and families.
- Child and Family Services Reform: $334.7 million provided to nine Indigenous governing bodies to support the exercise of jurisdiction over their child welfare systems under the Act respecting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children, youth, and families. To date, 10 Indigenous governing bodies have brought their laws into force since 2020, exercising jurisdiction over child and family services.
- Income Assistance: Allocated $320 million for on-reserve Income Assistance in 2023-24 to address rising living costs.
Education Service Area
Departmental Result 5: Indigenous students are progressing in their education
- Secondary School Graduation Rates: First Nations on-reserve students had an on-time graduation rate of 30% in 2023-24, up from 26% in 2022-23, with an extended-time graduation rate of 49%.
- Post-Secondary Graduates: 2,311 First Nations students graduated with a post-secondary degree, diploma, or certificate in 2023-24, an increase from 1,148 in 2021-22.
- Regional Education Agreements: 10 agreements were signed, supporting nearly 25,000 students in five provinces.
Infrastructure and Environments Service Area
Departmental Result 6: Indigenous communities have sustainable land management and infrastructure
- Housing: $12.31 billion invested in 11,037 infrastructure projects since 2016, including the construction or renovation of 36,022 homes (increased from 16,999 in 2022-23).
- Drinking Water Advisories: Supported First Nations partners to address and left 144 long-term drinking water advisories lifted from public systems on reserves since 2015, with 28 remaining as of March 31, 2024.
- Land Management: $30 million from Budget 2023 to relaunch the Reserve Land and Environment Management Program, featuring $70,000 base-level funding and a revised entry process.
Economic Development Service Area
Departmental Result 7: Indigenous communities are progressing in their business and economic growth
- Economic Reconciliation Framework: Budget 2023 allocated $5 million to support the co development the Framework to increase economic opportunities for Indigenous Peoples, communities, and businesses.
- Indigenous Procurement Target: 745 Indigenous businesses were added to the Indigenous Business Directory, totaling 2,633. ISC awarded 13.44% of its contracts to Indigenous businesses.
- Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program: Continued co-redesign to improve program delivery and support Indigenous business growth.
Governance Service Area
Departmental Result 8: Indigenous communities have governance capacity and support for self-determination
- Governance Capacity: Budget 2023 allocated over $76.3 million to strengthen First Nations governance, plus $400 million for sustainable Indigenous governments through capacity building programs.
- New Fiscal Relationship Grant: 13 new First Nations signed Grant agreements, bringing the total to 143 First Nations under this funding model.
- Transformational Approach to Indigenous Data: Improved data governance and sharing with Indigenous partners by standardizing data request handling, conducting training, and administering Information Sharing Agreements. Though engagement on the National Outcome-Based Framework was delayed, a strategy was developed to create a Policy on External Data Sharing in 2024-25
- Transition away from the Indian Act: Supported First Nations through legislative efforts such as Bill C-61 regarding water management and continued work on Bill C-38 to address inequities in registration and membership. Progress was also made in helping First Nations adopt alternative election systems and strengthening governance support. Additionally, ISC contributed to the release of the UN Declaration Act Action Plan in June 2023, following two years of consultation with Indigenous partners to address systemic barriers, combat racism, and promote greater equality and prosperity for Indigenous Peoples.
More information about Indigenous Well-Being and Self-Determination can be found in the "Results - what we achieved" section of the full departmental results report.