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
This Bill received Royal Assent on Thursday, June 26, 2025
What is this Bill For?
Bill C-6 authorizes $149.7 billion in Federal spending for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026. It is the main annual budget approval for Federal Government operations. It received Royal Assent on June 26, 2025 — but was made effective April 1, 2025, meaning it retroactively approved spending that had already started before Parliament voted.
Status: Royal Assent — June 26, 2025. This Bill is now Law.
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WHO GAINS POWER
- Government gains authority to spend through Orders in Council before Parliament votes. Two Orders — issued April 1 and May 2, 2025 — authorized spending before Bill C-6 was passed. The amounts in C-6 represent the balance after deducting what Government had already committed through those special warrants
- Treasury Board gains control over $6.27 billion in discretionary funds — including $1 billion in contingency money — with no requirement to report publicly on how those funds are used on a project-by-project basis
- 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
- Opposition parties had no opportunity to scrutinize or challenge the billions already committed through Orders in Council before Parliament debated the Bill
- Provincial Governments and Indigenous communities have no direct input into how $28.43 billion allocated across two Indigenous affairs departments is prioritized or delivered
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
- Departments that don't spend their full budget can roll unspent funds into the next year without justifying why the original budget wasn't used as planned
- No statutory requirement exists to report what results were achieved for each departmental allocation — Parliament approves inputs, not outcomes
⚠️ 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.
⚠️ Carry-Forward Without Justification — Departments can roll $3 Billion in unspent operating funds into the next year without explaining why budgets were not used as planned. Unspent money does not return to taxpayers.
⚠️ No Outcomes Reporting Requirement — Parliament approves what Government plans to spend — not what it achieves. No statutory requirement exists to report results for each departmental allocation.
[Source: Bill C-6 — Appropriation Act No. 1, 2025–26, Royal Assent June 26, 2025]