Bill C-6 Financial Appropriations

Bill C-6 Cartoon

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. 1, 2025-26

Bill Type:  House Government Appropriation Bill 

Sponsor:  President of the Treasury Board Shafqat Ali

Status: This Bill received Royal Assent on Thursday, June 26, 2025

Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

What is this Bill For?

Bill C‑6 authorizes $149.77 billion in voted spending for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026. It provides full supply for the 2025–26 Main Estimates after deducting $73.45 billion previously authorized through two Governor General Special Warrants. Its Schedule provisions are deemed effective from April 1, 2025.

WHO GAINS POWER

  • Government used two Governor General Special Warrants issued on April 1 and May 2, 2025 to maintain operations while Parliament was dissolved for the Federal election. Special Warrants can be used only when Parliament is dissolved, a payment is urgently required for the public good and no other Appropriation is available. C‑6 grants the remaining Main Estimates amounts after deducting the money authorized through those Warrants.
  • Treasury Board gains authority to allocate $6.27 billion through central votes, including $1 billion for urgent or unforeseen spending. Government publishes allocations from Treasury Board central votes, but Parliament does not approve each allocation through a separate vote before the money is transferred.
  • The Canada Revenue Agency and Canada Border Services Agency receive two-year spending windows totaling $5.54 billion — longer timelines than standard annual approvals given to other departments

WHO LOSES POWER

  • Parliament cannot amend this Bill — the vote is yes or no on the entire $149.7 billion. No MP can reduce, redirect or challenge an individual line item
  • Parliament could not vote on the $73.45 billion authorized through the Special Warrants while Parliament was dissolved. Each Warrant was required to be published in the Canada Gazette and a report was required to be tabled after Parliament returned.

WHO GAINS MONEY

  • National Defense — $23.46 billion (operations, capital, grants and contributions; total multi-year commitment authority: $86.76 billion)
  • Indigenous Services — $15.36 billion (housing, health, education, infrastructure)
  • Employment and Social Development — $13.14 billion (includes $197.2 million for student loan debt forgiveness)
  • Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs — $13.07 billion
  • Health — $10.30 billion (primarily Provincial transfer payments)
  • Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development — $8.29 billion (includes international assistance)
  • Housing, Infrastructure and Communities — $5.60 billion
  • Citizenship and Immigration — $5.47 billion
  • RCMP — $5.35 billion (operations, disability and health benefits)
  • Public Works and Government Services — $4.71 billion (accommodation, IT, procurement)
  • Consulting firms, defense contractors, construction companies, settlement service providers and international development organizations receive funding embedded across multiple departmental budgets

WHO LOSES MONEY

  • Taxpayers fund $149.7 billion in annual spending with a single yes or no vote — no mechanism exists for Parliament to redirect, reduce or challenge individual line items
  • Future generations bear debt servicing costs if spending is deficit-financed
  • Canadians who did not attend post-secondary education or who repaid student loans without forgiveness programs receive no benefit from the $197.2 million student loan debt forgiveness allocation

THE CATCH

Bill C-6 is how Government funds everything it does for a full year — and Parliament gets one vote on the entire package with no ability to change any part of it.

The structural gaps in plain language:

  • Parliament votes yes or no on $149.7 billion as a single block — no line-item review, no amendments, no veto on individual spending decisions
  • Government committed billions through Orders in Council before Parliament debated the Bill — Parliament's approval was retroactive, not preventive
  • $1 billion in contingency funds has no project-specific accountability requirement — Government can spend it without explaining what it was used for
  • Treasury Board may use the $3 billion Operating Budget Carry Forward central vote to supplement eligible departmental Appropriations based on unused operating funds from the previous year. Departments cannot automatically carry forward every unspent dollar.
  • The Act approves spending authorities and does not set a separate result target for each allocation. Government reports spending and results through the Public Accounts, Departmental Results Reports and other reporting systems.

⚠️ Retroactive Parliamentary Approval— Two Orders in Council authorized billions in spending before Parliament voted on Bill C-6. Parliament's role was to approve spending already committed, not to review it before it happened. This is a standard mechanism used by every Government at the start of a fiscal year — departments cannot stop operating while Parliament debates the budget. What is worth noting is the length of the gap: the current Government took office in March 2025 and Royal Assent was June 26, 2025 — roughly three months of spending authorized by Orders in Council before Parliament voted. The mechanism is normal. The size of the gap is worth knowing.

⚠️ No Line-Item Accountability — Parliament votes on $149.7 billion as a single block. No MP can reduce or redirect a specific allocation. The only check is defeating the entire Bill — which would shut down Government operations.

⚠️ Contingency Fund Without Oversight — $1 billion in Government contingency funds has no project-specific accountability requirement built into the statute. Government can allocate these funds without Parliament knowing in advance what they will be used for.

⚠️ Operating Budget Carry Forward — Treasury Board may allocate up to $3 billion to eligible departments based on unused operating funds from the previous year. These allocations are reported publicly, but Parliament does not vote separately on each transfer.

⚠️ Results Reported Separately — C‑6 authorizes spending but does not include a result target for each allocation. Government reports results separately through Departmental Results Reports, the Public Accounts and other reporting systems.