For Chief Theresa Spence and the crisis-ridden Attawapiskat First Nation, a sharply critical audit of their handling of federal funds could not have surfaced at a worse time. Spence’s hunger strike has called attention to the challenges faced by native communities across the country as the Idle No More protest movement gathers force.
She even succeeded in shaming Prime Minister Stephen Harper into agreeing to meet native leaders on Friday, to discuss grievances that range from the outdated Indian Act to disregard for treaty rights to wretched living conditions and poor education. Yet the audit by Deloitte, requested by Ottawa to ensure that the $104 million it gave to Attawapiskat from 2005 to 2011 was spent as it should have been, has been unable to confirm that the money was properly handled.
After probing more than 500 transactions, auditors found that more than 400 lacked proper documentation. “We were unable to determine if the funds were spent for their intended purposes,” Deloitte wrote in a letter to Spence. The auditors found “no evidence of due diligence in the use of public funds” for housing, infrastructure, education and health. They called for better management controls, accounting and filing systems.
This criticism will unsettle some who are sympathetic to Spence’s protest and the plight of native communities. They speak to poor management of taxpayers’ funds, in Attawapiskat at least, at a time when native leaders are lobbying for more federal help. But in fairness, the findings need to be kept in perspective.
Much has been written about mismanagement, lack of accountability, cronyism, waste and worse in some communities. But during the audit period the Attawapiskat First Nation was under “co-management.” The government can’t credibly claim to have been blindsided by deficiencies when Ottawa and the band had to agree on a co-manager with signing power. There’s blame enough to go around.
Moreover, without whitewashing Attawapiskat’s management failings it’s worth bearing in mind that evidence of sloppy bookkeeping is not proof of wrongdoing, or even waste. That remains to be shown.
While the audit should spur reform, it should not become a pretext for denying the wider problem. Canada’s 1.7 million indigenous people have faced a century of prejudice, abuse, marginalization and paternalistic neglect that has too often led to social breakdown and shameful living conditions. The Idle No More protesters demand better. As the Harper government presses native leaders for more effective governance, it must be prepared as well to address their legitimate grievances and provide redress.
Original Article
Source: the star
Author: Editorial
She even succeeded in shaming Prime Minister Stephen Harper into agreeing to meet native leaders on Friday, to discuss grievances that range from the outdated Indian Act to disregard for treaty rights to wretched living conditions and poor education. Yet the audit by Deloitte, requested by Ottawa to ensure that the $104 million it gave to Attawapiskat from 2005 to 2011 was spent as it should have been, has been unable to confirm that the money was properly handled.
After probing more than 500 transactions, auditors found that more than 400 lacked proper documentation. “We were unable to determine if the funds were spent for their intended purposes,” Deloitte wrote in a letter to Spence. The auditors found “no evidence of due diligence in the use of public funds” for housing, infrastructure, education and health. They called for better management controls, accounting and filing systems.
This criticism will unsettle some who are sympathetic to Spence’s protest and the plight of native communities. They speak to poor management of taxpayers’ funds, in Attawapiskat at least, at a time when native leaders are lobbying for more federal help. But in fairness, the findings need to be kept in perspective.
Much has been written about mismanagement, lack of accountability, cronyism, waste and worse in some communities. But during the audit period the Attawapiskat First Nation was under “co-management.” The government can’t credibly claim to have been blindsided by deficiencies when Ottawa and the band had to agree on a co-manager with signing power. There’s blame enough to go around.
Moreover, without whitewashing Attawapiskat’s management failings it’s worth bearing in mind that evidence of sloppy bookkeeping is not proof of wrongdoing, or even waste. That remains to be shown.
While the audit should spur reform, it should not become a pretext for denying the wider problem. Canada’s 1.7 million indigenous people have faced a century of prejudice, abuse, marginalization and paternalistic neglect that has too often led to social breakdown and shameful living conditions. The Idle No More protesters demand better. As the Harper government presses native leaders for more effective governance, it must be prepared as well to address their legitimate grievances and provide redress.
Original Article
Source: the star
Author: Editorial
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