Indigenous women’s groups said federal budget funding of $3.6 million for Indigenous women is not enough to meet safety and community support needs.
The Story
Indigenous women’s groups are calling for more federal investment, saying a new budget does not include targeted funding for violence and community support services for the people they represent.
Native Women’s Association of Canada president Josie Nepinak said Indigenous women’s safety should not depend on short-term funding cycles or be treated as a secondary factor in broader programs. She also said Indigenous women and Indigenous women’s organizations need sustained investment and a meaningful role in implementing it.
The federal budget identifies $3.6 million in funding for Indigenous women, including money aimed at addressing the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and funding for an alert system designed to help find women who go missing. Nepinak said that while some of the budget funding is welcome, more needs to be done to ensure “Indigenous women are not an afterthought.”
Other groups speaking on the issue in Ottawa on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026 included Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak (LFMO), Femmes Autochtones de Quebec (FAQ) and the Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA).
Crown-Indigenous Relations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
← More stories