A federal program offering free snowmobiles to Arctic residents cost $32 million last year, new records show. The cost was four times the $8 million budgeted in 2022.

“The total budget investment in this programming is $96,789,000 over three years,” cabinet wrote in an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons. “Funding was accessed in 2023. The full amount of this investment has been committed to 24 recipient organizations.”

The figures were tabled at the request of Conservative MP Ziad Aboultaif (Edmonton Manning) who asked, “What was the total amount of funding committed through the Harvester Support Grant Program?” The program was introduced in 2020 to promote traditional Indigenous hunting and berry picking.