DIAND funding to increase

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While many federal departments face significant cuts after Finance Minister Paul Martin's budget, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development will see marginal funding increase over the next three years.

Ron Irwin, the minister responsible for DIAND, announced increases of six per cent for fiscal year 1995-96 and three per cent increases for each of the next two years. The total gain for the department will be about 12 per cent from a starting point of more than $5 billion in 1994-95.

"All federal government departments and segments of the Canadian population, including First Nations and northerners, will be affected" by the government's fiscal restraint program, Irwin said when he made the announcement on Feb. 27.

He assured Natives that DIAND had carefully assessed its internal funding through a program review which will ensure the money will go where it is needed in the Aboriginal communities.

"DIAND must maintain its core roles and responsibilities to address poor conditions in many First Nation communities," he said. The Aboriginal population is growing twice as fast as Canada's and is younger. A DIAND document highlights the eventual need for funding which will be caused by the aging of one-third of the on-reserve population which is now under 15 years old.

Internal funding shifts will pull some $15 million budgeted for the northern affairs program during the three years; $4.5 million this year.

The biggest program area gain will be in basic services - education, housing, social assistance, local government support funding and infrastructure - which will increase $218.6 million. According to DIAND, spending will not be allowed to go over the budget amount. The department release emphasized tighter band audits and careful review of band debt management.

Land claims settlement will be allocated an additional $69.1 million. B.C. First Nations have been specifically earmarked some $19.3 million for their part of the negotiations through the B.C . Treaty Commission.

Post-secondary educational funding for Indian and Inuit students will be increased by $34 million. DIAND partially or wholly funded education support for nearly 24,000 students in fiscal year 1994-95.

The Liberal government congratulated itself on not decreasing funding and on maintaining "a place we make for Aboriginal peoples in the development of Canada."

The increases are, however, still a curtailment of anticipated spending. In DIAND's words, "growth in funding to Canada's Aboriginal people will be moderated."

So will funding to DIAND bureaucrats, to the tune of $20 million over the three years. Staff will be cut form 3,237 by about 300, bringing the total job eliminations since 1993-94 to nearly 750. The rest of the $20 million will be found in small cuts to transportation, communications, professional services, supplies and equipment expenditures.