Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister, you said in August 2023 that your department wouldn't cut spending and that services for first nations, Métis and Inuit would not be impacted. Nevertheless, Indigenous Services Canada's 2024-25 departmental plan clearly shows that service delivery will be greatly impacted by budget cuts or similar reductions.
The department is planning to spend about $20.7 billion on indigenous well-being and self-determination, in other words, all indigenous service areas, in 2024‑25 and about $16.3 billion in 2025‑26. That's a year-to-year reduction of 21.04% in expenditures directly related to service delivery. Spending on internal services will go from $282 million in 2024‑25 to $265 million in 2025‑26, a drop of some 6.2%.
The 2024‑25 departmental plan, specifically the message from you, the minister, at the beginning of the report, says that you want to close the infrastructure gap by 2030. That includes the education facility gap. However, the 2024‑25 departmental plan includes just under $146 million for education facilities, which is 10 times less than the estimated $12.6 billion needed to close the current gap. Just $3.9 million is going towards major renovations or construction of education facilities for first nations in Quebec.
Can you defend these spending cuts to essential services for first nations, Métis and Inuit communities? Eight months ago, you said reductions like these would not be made. How, then, do you explain the reductions in the department's forecast spending?