The following highlights all Education budgets from Budget 2016 through Budget 2021 from the Government of Canada.
| 2016 + 2017 & 2018 Top-ups | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Total |
| Addressing Immediate Funding Needs | 35.8 | 85.5 | 143.6 | 206.7 | 276.0 | 747.6 |
| Language and Culture | 55.0 | 55.0 | 55.0 | 55.0 | 55.0 | 275.0 |
| Literacy and Numeracy | 20.0 | 20.0 | 20.0 | 20.0 | 20.0 | 100.0 |
| Special Needs | 115.5 | 115.5 | 115.5 | 115.5 | 115.5 | 577.5 |
| Implementing Transformation | 46.6 | 91.4 | 132.8 | 234.3 | 319.0 | 824.1 |
| Innovation, Research, Measurement & Evaluation | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 37.5 |
| Martin Family Initiative | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 30.0 |
| Administrative Costs | 1.1 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 9.0 |
| TOTALS | 287.5 | 382.9 | 482.4 | 647.0 | 801.0 | 2,600 |
1st Term: $1,799.8 = 69% of budget: 31% after 2019 election
Budget 2017
Budget 2017 funding for post secondary education support is only available for 2 years and the Budget 2018 allocation of $815M over 10 years to extend the funding is actually LESS then the 2017 budget: $81.5M annually vs $90M annually
Budget 2019
Budget 2019 announced $815 million over 10 years, starting in fiscal year 2019 to 2020, and $61.8 million ongoing in support of Indigenous post-secondary education. This includes:
- $327.5 million over 5 years to support First Nations post-secondary students and the development of regional education strategies
- $125.5 million over 10 years and $21.8 million ongoing to support an Inuit-led post-secondary strategy
- $362.0 million over 10 years and $40 million ongoing to support a Métis-Nation strategy
Budget 2021
Budget 2021 proposes to invest $1.2 billion over five years, and $181.8 million ongoing, including:
- $112 million in 2021-22 to extend COVID-19 support so children on reserve can continue to attend school safely, including PPE for students and staff, laptops to support online learning, and more teachers and other critical staff.
- $726 million over five years, starting in 2021-22, and $181.8 million ongoing:
- to enhance funding formulas in critical areas such as student transportation;
- ensure funding for First Nations schools remains predictable from year to year; and
- increase First Nations control over First Nations education by concluding more Regional Education Agreements.
- $350 million over five years, starting in 2021-22, to expand access to adult education by supporting First Nations people on reserve who wish to return to high school in their communities and complete their high school education.
Supporting Indigenous Post-secondary Education
The pandemic continues to affect Indigenous post-secondary students and institutions. To help Indigenous students complete their studies and ensure that Indigenous-led post-secondary institutions can provide online services and continue to implement health and safety measures:
- Budget 2021 proposes to provide $150.6 million over two years, starting in 2021-22, to support Indigenous students through the Post-Secondary Student Support Program and the Inuit and Métis Nation Post-Secondary Education Strategies. Many students are facing financial difficulty during the pandemic, as young people have suffered some of the worst job losses. This support would help offset lost income that many Indigenous students rely on to pay for tuition, books, housing, and other living expenses. The federal government knows that young people need support to get through this crisis so they can complete their education and succeed in their chosen fields.
- Budget 2021 also proposes to provide $26.4 million, in 2021-22, through the Post-Secondary Partnerships Program and the Inuit and Métis Nation Post-Secondary Education Strategies to support Indigenous postsecondary institutions during COVID-19.
New First Nations Policy and Funding Approach
Jan. 21, 2019 – The Government of Canada and the AFN announce new policy and funding approach for First Nations K-12 education on reserve to take effect as of April 1, 2019 to support First Nations control of First Nations education, and ensures more predictable and sufficient funding that will better support the needs of First Nations students on-reserve. As of April 1, 2019, the new funding approach:
- replaces outdated proposal-based programs with improved access to predictable core funding
- ensures base funding is comparable to provincial systems across the country while working towards additional funding agreements based on need to better account for factors such as remoteness, school size, language, and socio-economic conditions
- provides First Nations schools with $1,500 per student, per year, to support language and culture programming
- provides new resources which will support full-time kindergarten in every First Nations school for children aged 4 and 5
- ensures special education funding is more predictable, with fewer application-based requirements