Manitoba Métis Federation 'appalled' budget has no Métis-specific funding

Manitoba Métis Federation President David Chartrand says he is "appalled" that the 2026 federal budget contains no Métis-specific funding. The word Métis appears once in the budget, for Indigenous child and family services legislation, and the federation says Ottawa claims it has no mechanism yet to fund Métis under that law. Chartrand said he is in talks with Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty about adding distinctions-based language and investments, arguing broad Indigenous funding is unmeasurable. The Métis National Council also expressed disappointment, while the Assembly of First Nations welcomed $32 billion over 10 years for First Nations housing and infrastructure.