Conservatives 'throw stones in a glass house' on First Nations transparency, chief says

Superior Morning4:17The Politics of First Nation's Financial Transparency

Dozens of First Nations in Ontario failed to meet the government deadline for filing their financial statements. We hear fromthe Ontario Regional Chief on transparency and politics.The majority of First Nations in Ontario did not meet last week's deadline for filing their financial statements, according to the federal government's website.

Under the First Nations Financial Transparency Act, First Nations have to submit to the Canadian government their audited financial statements for the past fiscal year, including the salaries and expenses of their chiefs and councillors.

Last year, the first year the law was in effect, 98 per cent of First Nations complied. But this year, many communities are choosing to resist, according to Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day.

"Those bands protesting against the federal government and not producing their financial information should be acknowledged for their efforts, not for withholding information, but resisting the extremely inconsistent and inhumane policies of the federal government," Day said.

Day said the Conservatives "live in a glass house" when it comes to accusing First Nations of not being financially accountable and transparent.

'Double standard'

"The number of accountability shortfalls at the hands of the Harper Conservatives is staggering," he said. "Lack of lawful consultation, squandering over $1 billion of First Nation allocations, spending more money to fight First Nations in the courts — that's the big double standard story of the decade."

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt said funding for non-essential services will be withheld from First Nations that don't file their financial audits, beginning Sept. 1.

"Let me be clear, our government will take action, according to the provisions of the law, against First Nation governments that do not follow the law," Valcourt said in a written statement last week. 

Both the NDP and Liberals say, if elected, they would review and potentially repeal the First Nations Financial Transparency Act.

Day says he's not concerned that First Nations accountability will get kicked around as a federal election football.

"It's like a boomerang," he said. "It's going to come back to [the Conservatives] and its going to do more damage to them than it is First Nations, because clearly at the end of the day we are accountable to our community members."