The Federal New Democratic party is sickened and outraged over a billion dollar shortfall in spending in the aboriginal affairs department budget. Niki Ashton is the aboriginal affairs critic for the party. She represents a Northern Manitoba riding and has been riding the government hard over the last week over its spending on first nations.
“It’s sickening, it made me angry”. She says.
What made her so upset was documents obtained by the CBC that indicates the department of aboriginal affairs has underspent its budget by about 218 million dollars a year over the last five years.
The grand total is over a billion dollars, destined for first nations social programs. Niki Ashton got a good look at the numbers and was outraged.
“The minister sits by, this one and the previous minister, sit by and re-pocket that money into government coffers, it’s unconscionable.” She says.
The total budget for the department of aboriginal affairs and Northern Development Canada is about 8 billion dollars a year, but the governments long term plans are to cut it by about a billion dollars by the year 2018. The NDP is also pushing the department to expand the “Nutrition North” food subsidy program to include dozens more remote Northern communities in Northern Canada including five in Saskatchewan. A motion calling for the expansion and review of the program will go to a vote on Monday. Ashton wants immediate changes to the program.
“You know it’s in your face, the hunger people face, the food insecurity, and yet this government doesn’t see any need to act or any sense of urgency.” She says
During debate on the motion yesterday, the government indicated the program is being reviewed, and it will take its direction from a Northern advisory committee which has been set up.
The subsidy program currently costs about 60 million dollars a year. The NDP says it would cost about 7.5 million to expand it to cover an additional 46 communities.