Financial reporting for First Nations: transparency or witch hunt?

Chief Arlen Dumas of the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation is a typical chief, according to reports that are coming in under the 2013 First Nations Financial Transparency Act (FTA).

His salary is reasonable, like most other chiefs.

More important, Chief Dumas and his council have always made audited financial statements available to citizens of the MCCN without requiring an outside government to force them.

What makes Dumas atypical is a unique idea he has that goes far beyond the routine tasks of financial reporting.Dumas realized that even though the grassroots people of his nation had access to financial records like audited statements, few citizens of any community know how to read and understand such things.

Dumas maintains that leaders of any nation are most relevant and effective when they know what the grassrootsmembers of theircommunity really need and desire.Dumas knew that he needed to empower those citizens with information so they could provide realistic advice and direction.

A key to achieving this would be for the citizens of MCCN to learn how to read and understand MCCNs financial statements.

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Ideas like this might come to fruition someday if we can stop getting mired down in unnecessary politics and posturing by seeking truth that is based on the factsinstead of using exceptions to the rule, which created the redundancy of the transparency act in the first place.

As the reports roll in, it has become readily apparent that most of the salaries paid to chiefs are reasonablebut too many people choose to fixate on chiefs who appear to be overpaid.Under self-government, the vast majority of chiefs are transparent and accountable to their nations.

Those who havent been or arent were being dealt with by the chiefs themselves, who were developing a system of financial reporting which would be relevant and effective to indigenous cultures.

Outside system imposed

Instead, the federal government imposed an outside system that was developed without consulting with the people who were being ordered to implement it.

And that brings politics into play.Under self-government, which is the law of the land according to the Canadian Constitution, First Nations do not have to report to an outside government.So we have First Nations rightfully refusing to comply with the new Act,and chiefs like Dumas support that.

Itssomewhatlike the choice an American president has to make when congress wants to shut down the government,causing war veterans not to receive their benefit cheques ortheir Medicaidpayments.

There are disabled elders in MCCN who need care, among other programs,andthese are servicestheMCCNgovernment provides.

Dumas has opposed the FTA since it was introduced,saying the government was already getting all the financial information the new Act requires,and the new forms just add more work to the hundreds of other forms his community has to file.

Witch hunt

Dumas has called the law an effort to create negative stereotypes about First Nations governments, claiming the FTA isn't about fairness, its more of a witch hunt.He has often accused the government of trying to hide its chronic underfunding with a smokescreen that makes First Nations look corrupt.

So far, Manitoba has the greatest number of First Nations who have not filed reports by the July 29, 2014,deadline and many say they will fight back with blockades and other economic barriers if the federal government follows through with a promise to cut funding from nations who refuse to comply with the new Act.

First Nations leaders were (and are) willing to develop a system of accountability and transparency, including such basic reporting as audited financial statements, to the people of their community.

They have questioned why we need the First Nations Transparency Actat all, especially when we need innovative ideas like trying to create the kind of financial literacy Dumas wants to develop.

Don Marks is a Winnipeg writer and the editor of Grassroots News