The federal government is still waiting for the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations to explain years of spending. Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) Minister Mandy Gull-Masty says the FSIN has not responded to the findings of a forensic audit, which identified $28.7 million in ineligible and unsupported spending from 2019 to 2024 to be repaid. “We are waiting for information to be responded to,” Gull-Masty said last Thursday at Dakota Dunes. “I will leave it at that.” Gull-Masty said accountability is important and she wants to ensure her office is doing its part to keep First Nations accountable with how public dollars are used. While she awaits FSIN’s response, she’s giving time and space to see how the 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan who make up the FSIN want to handle the audit findings. “I’m not going to answer further questions until we’re able to really get clarity on what is going to be the next step forward and how chiefs are going to take their decisions,” she said. In a letter from ISC to FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron and the organization’s CEO in March, Ottawa established April 2 as a deadline to provide adequate proof of spending to lower the $28.7 million repayment. More than $23 million of the flagged spending was COVID-19 related funding; $2 million of administrative spending was deemed ineligible and more than $1.2 million to buy new fleet vehicles was also ruled ineligible. In 2013, the federal government enacted the First Nations Financial Transparency Act requiring annual audited financial statements to be publicly disclosed. In 2015, the act was no longer being enforced as the federal government switched to working with nations more closely on accountability frameworks. Gull-Masty says she has no intentions of reinforcing the policy. “The endeavor was to suspend it and to go to community and work with them to develop something that was, you know, conducive to their needs and ensuring that the accountability between leadership and their community members is defined,” she said. “I really believe in that space.” Gull-Masty says the FSIN has an obligation — like any other First Nations government — to represent its people and be accountable to them. “Everybody who’s in a leadership role, this is part of your mantra. You’re not just being folded into a role. Your role is to make decisions and to support the community in making progress to what the vision is that they want. And they expect their members to deliver for them,” she said. Ottawa issued eight recommendations last September when the initial audit findings revealed more than $34 million of muddled finances prior to holding meetings to reduce the amount to the $28.7 million in spending oddities. Gull-Masty wouldn’t say if FSIN has been receptive to those recommendations, but she further maintained the importance of accountability and transparency for public funds. “Doing the good governance work I think just provides that clarity, provides the information for it to be understood, and most of all, holds that accountability for not only the public but also for First Nations members,” she said. “They want to be sure that they are being served in the best capacity.”
