Ottawa is pumping an additional $650 million into First Nation, Metis and Inuit communities to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says the federal government has a responsibility to provide direct health care in some First Nations communities, and this money enables the government to live up to the commitment to provide quality care and support. $285 million of the new funds is earmarked for a rapid public health response to the pandemic.

The new funding is on top of the $305-million Indigenous Community Support Fund, which the federal government created in March.
So in total, it amounts to just under $1 billion.

[cjgx may 29 2020]