Indigenous women’s groups call out Ottawa over funding in new federal budget

Posted November 12, 2026 3:27 pm.

Last Updated November 12, 2026 3:45 pm.

OTTAWA — Indigenous women’s groups say the new federal budget is harming the people they represent by not including funding targeted at violence and community support services.

Native Women’s Association of Canada president Josie Nepinak says the safety of Indigenous women must not depend on short-term funding cycles or be treated as a secondary factor in broader programs.

She says Indigenous women need sustained investment and Indigenous women’s organizations need to play a meaningful role in implementing that investment.

The federal budget identifies $3.6 million in funding for Indigenous women, including money to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and to fund an alert system to help find women who go missing.

Nepinak says while some of the funding in the budget is welcome, more needs to be done to ensure “Indigenous women are not an afterthought.”

Crown-Indigenous Relations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2026.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press

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