The Trudeau government has pledged about $4.7 billion over the next five years to meet Indigenous priorities.
This includes $1.4 billion to improve services for Indigenous children and another $1.4 billion to help advance specific claims negotiations.
The budget also contains about $1 billion in new spending to improve water, emergency response and long-term care services on First Nations reserves.
Other highlights of the budget include $334 million for promoting and revitalizing Indigenous languages and $129 million in support for Indigenous business development.
There is also $127 million for a national council for reconciliation, $25 million for an Inuit suicide prevention strategy and $10 million for a national day for truth and reconciliation.
The government also says there is $328 million over five years for a First Nations post-secondary student support program and $362 million over 10 years for a Métis Nation-led post-secondary education strategy.
The Métis Capital Corporations will receive $50 million over five years and $30 million will be put toward recognizing Métis veterans.
The budget makes about $23 billion in new spending commitments over five years and estimates a deficit of roughly $15 billion this fiscal year.
The government will spend about $940 million dollars on Indigenous priorities in this fiscal year.
This will be the last federal budget before voters head to the polls for a fall election
(PHOTO: Finance Minister Bill Morneau. Photo courtesy bmorneau.liberal.ca.)