Bill C-17 Appropriations 3

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C-17 An Act for Granting to His Majesty Certain Sums of Money for the Federal Public Administration for the Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2026

Short Title: Appropriation Act No. 3, 2025-26

Bill Type: House Government Bill Appropriation

Bill Sponsor: President of the Treasury Board

Status: Royal Assent — December 11, 2025. This Bill is now Law.

What is this Bill For?

Parliament approved an extra $10.8 billion in spending for the 2025–26 fiscal year. This money covers costs that weren't included in the original Budget — things like Indigenous services, health, defense, rail, housing and dozens of other Federal departments and agencies. The funds come out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund and were authorized by Royal Assent on December 11, 2025.

WHO GAINS POWER

Treasury Board — gains authority to redirect money across departments without returning to Parliament for approval.

Ministers — gain flexibility to spend beyond original Budgets through compensation adjustment top-ups.

Government — retains authority to approve agreements, transfers and debt write-offs without additional Parliamentary votes.

WHO LOSES POWER

Parliament — once this Bill passed, the spending was authorized; no further vote required on how individual departments use the funds.

Taxpayers — no direct mechanism to challenge how the $10.8 billion is allocated across departments.

WHO GAINS MONEY

  • Indigenous Services & Crown-Indigenous Relations — $2.6 billion+
  • Department of Health — $1.6 billion
  • Department of National Defense — $1.1 billion
  • VIA Rail — $944 million
  • Department of Citizenship and Immigration — $621 million
  • Windsor-Detroit (Gordie Howe) Bridge Authority — $107 million
  • Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation — $101 million
  • Parks Canada — $97 million

WHO LOSES MONEY

  • Taxpayers — $10,848,320,356 drawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund
  • Three First Nations — $9.5 million in court-ordered debts formally written off; Government absorbs the loss

THE CATCH

⚠️ Backdated authorization — Section 3 deems all spending transfers authorized as of April 1, 2025 — eight months before Parliament voted. Government spent first, Parliament approved after.

⚠️ No per-department vote — Parliament approves the full $10.8 billion in a single vote. Individual departments are not voted on separately, meaning no single line item can be rejected without defeating the entire Bill.

⚠️ Treasury Board compensation top-ups — Vote 15b grants Treasury Board $315 million to supplement any department's Budget for compensation adjustments without returning to Parliament for approval. The amount and recipients are determined by Treasury Board, not Parliament.

⚠️ Two-year spending window — Schedule 2 funds ($185.7 million, primarily CRA) can be spent across two fiscal years — 2025–26 and 2026–27 — reducing accountability to a single Budget cycle.

⚠️ Court-ordered debt write-off — Indigenous Services Vote 15b writes off $9,549,976 in debts owed by three First Nations pursuant to two court decisions. Taxpayers absorb the loss without a separate Parliamentary vote.

⚠️ Defense blank cheque — DND Vote 1b authorizes Government to commit to $86.7 billion in future spending obligations — contracts and procurement that will come due in future years — with only $1.1 billion appropriated now. An estimated $52.9 billion comes due in future years without Parliament voting again when the Bills arrive.