The federal government is asking Parliament to set aside $3 billion in anticipation of several out-of-court settlements with Indigenous people.
The government is also seeking $1.5 billion to help provinces and territories pay for disaster relief and recovery efforts.
The requests are detailed in a supplementary spending plan tabled in the House of Commons this afternoon.
The tabling of such plans is a regular feature in the parliamentary calendar and is designed to respond to new and emerging government priorities.
The government says it wants Parliament to approve an additional $20.8 billion in total spending, much of which is designed to address promises laid out in April’s federal budget.
That would represent a five per cent increase, bringing total planned spending for the fiscal year ending in March to around $433 billion.