AMC Raises Concerns Over Federal Cuts to First Nations Services
July 11, 2025
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba
AMC Communications
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba — The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) is expressing deep concern following internal communications from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) revealing plans for budget reductions of up to 15 percent across its programs and operations. These cuts, paired with ongoing departmental restructuring, are not just administrative; they represent a troubling contradiction in Canada’s stated commitments to reconciliation and Treaty partnership.
“These decisions reflect a disturbing truth,” said Grand Chief Kyra Wilson. “Canada extracts wealth from our lands and territories, transfers those resources to the provinces, and First Nations are left out entirely. We don’t see a share of those dollars, then Canada turns around and cuts our program funding to balance its budgets. It’s a vicious cycle that keeps our Nations in a state of dependency while others benefit from our resources. This is not a partnership, it’s policy hypocrisy, and we will not accept it in silence.”
At the same time Canada seeks First Nations’ cooperation on major infrastructure, energy, and resource projects, it is threatening the very programs that allow our communities to remain safe, healthy, and resilient. This double standard reveals a broader structural imbalance in how economic benefits are distributed and who is expected to carry the burden of austerity.
This contradiction is especially glaring in Manitoba, which will receive $7.3 billion in major federal transfers for the 2025–26 fiscal year, an increase of $442 million from the previous year. While the province continues to benefit from the development of resources sourced from First Nations territories, our Nations are being asked to absorb funding cuts to core services such as health care, education, infrastructure, and child welfare. That is not reconciliation. It is systemic inequity.
True partnership requires more than consultation. It requires a shift in how fiscal decisions are made and how resources are allocated. First Nations must be at the table, not as stakeholders, but as rights holders – with the ability to determine how investments support our citizens, both on and off reserve.
“We are ready to work with Canada to establish a new fiscal relationship, one that respects Treaty obligations, upholds First Nations jurisdiction, and ensures our communities have the resources to thrive,” said Grand Chief Wilson. “If there is to be true partnership, it must be reflected not just in words, but in action and in where the money goes.”
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For more information, please contact:
Communications Team
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
Email: media@manitobachiefs.com
About The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs:
The AMC was formed in 1988 by the Chiefs in Manitoba to advocate on issues that commonly affect First Nations in Manitoba. AMC is an authorized representative of all 63 First Nations in Manitoba with a total of more than 172,000 First Nations citizens in the province, accounting for approximately 12 percent of the provincial population. AMC represents a diversity of Anishinaabe, Nehetho / Ininew, Anisininew, Denesuline, and Dakota Oyate peoples.