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By Shari Narine
Windspeaker Contributor
BIGSTONE CREE NATION, Alta.
Bigstone Cree Nation Chief Gordon Auger says Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada is welcome to the First Nation’s consolidated audited financial statement, but be ready to pay.
“We accommodate them, but this time it’s going to be a little different story,” he said. “They haven’t given us a cent for everything (when) we accumulated interest in borrowing money before we received a red cent for operations from INAC…. They better be prepared to pay every nickel of interest that we have to borrow just to keep up our operations. They better be prepared to pay one hundred per cent of our audit fees if they want this… We’re prepared but they better be prepared to have an open cheque book as well.”
Bigstone Cree Nation member Travis Gladue has been pushing for the release of financial information for Bigstone Cree Nation, and has informed Indian Affairs that the 60-day deadline for receiving that information has passed.
“If we can find out where the funds are going, we can kind of pin it down to those parties and make them be accountable for that,” said Gladue. He has compelled a resolution to the matter and Bigstone either releases the information or INAC will respond.
While Gladue is firm that he doesn’t represent anyone, he does say he is joined by a “big network” of on and off reserve members who want access to the band’s financial records.
On Nov. 28, 2016, Gladue requested a copy of the consolidated audited financial statement from council along with documentation that would show how hiring and firing of personnel is carried out and how contracts are awarded. According to the funding agreement INAC has with bands, council is obliged to provide the requested information within a 60-day period.
When Gladue didn’t get a response from council, he and others met with INAC to put the next step into motion.
“I think once (INAC) saw the numbers, it actually kind of showed them that these people are serious about it and want to pursue it,” said Gladue.
INAC sent a letter stamped April 11, 2017, to chief and council saying they had 30 days to comply.
As far as Auger is concerned, transparency is not an issue. Any band member, he says, can go into the band office and request the consolidated audited financial statement.
“We make audits available every year to our membership,” he said. He also added that membership meetings with the band’s auditors attract no more than a handful of members.
As far as Auger is concerned those band members, who take issue with transparency and accountability, are “trying to create problems…. There’s a handful of s--t disturbers in every nation.”
Gladue believes that at the heart of his network’s concerns is not knowing how the money received by the band is spent. There are concerns of conflict of interest, “family nepotism…bully and harassment tactics,” he alleges in his Nov. 28 letter.
Gladue is also concerned about “lateral violence coming back to people” who are now pushing for band council transparency.
Gladue is “grateful” that INAC has contacted chief and council, but he says he is “50/50” as to whether the information will be provided.
If it doesn’t, INAC does have other options under the funding agreement. The federal department could withhold funds or appoint a third party funding agreement manager.
Gladue says any third party manager should come from membership. He said there are members with financial savvy, who can act as interveners, be transparent and go through the books.
“The word is” that a membership meeting has been called for May 3 in Wabasca, says Gladue, but nothing has officially gone out to membership.
Auger says the meeting is May 5.
There is no meeting notice posted on the band’s website as of yet.