Trudeau promises ‘historic investments’ for First Nations

ROBERT FIFE AND BILL CURRY

OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Tuesday’s budget will deliver “historic investments” to improve the living conditions of Canada’s First Nations.

The focus on aboriginal issues will be a key part of a budget aimed at launching a decade of unprecedented spending on new and aging infrastructure across the country.

“These are things that we are making a priority,” Mr. Trudeau told the House of Commons when asked if the budget would end the gap on health, water and education for aboriginal children.

“[Tuesday’s] budget will feature historic investments in First Nations and indigenous Canadians right across the country to begin to make it right, [which] we have not done for so many decades in this place, in this building.”

During the election, Mr. Trudeau promised to end boil-water advisories on reserves and remove the 2-per-cent cap on annual funding increases for reserve programs and services.

Aboriginal leaders say they’ve been impressed with the level of consultation in the runup to the budget, raising expectations that long-standing requests will be granted Tuesday.

“What the Prime Minister said is huge. It will go a long way to close the gap in our living standards,” Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde told The Globe and Mail.

Tuesday’s budget is expected to forecast a deficit of about $30-billion due to a mix of new spending and projections for economic growth that are considerably lower than what had been assumed at the time of last year’s federal election.

Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose warned that the Liberal budget will pile on debt and will ultimately lead to higher taxes.

“I think that the Prime Minister should keep his promise. He promised to run a $10-billion modest deficit and balance the budget within four years and he’s broken both those promises without any real explanation,” Ms. Ambrose told reporters.

“All we know is that he said that’s what Canadians voted for but guess what? It’s not. They did not vote for that. They voted for a modest $10-billion deficit and a balanced budget in four years and he’s broken both those promises.”

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said he wants to see the Liberals deliver on promises to enhance Employment Insurance. The NDP campaigned on a promise not to run deficits, but he said Monday that the priority is helping Canadians in need.