A Winnipeg-based think tank is encouraging First Nations on the Prairies to embrace the federal government’s new financial transparency law.
The Frontier Centre for Public Policy carried out its annual Aboriginal Governance survey from 2011 to 2012.
The survey is an annual initiative that asks reserve residents about the quality of governance and service citizens receive from their band.
The results indicated that about a quarter of respondents felt they definitely could not get financial information about their chief and council.
Nearly 80% of the roughly 3,000 people who responded said they felt that information should be available to everyone.
What’s more, the survey found that about 20% of respondents said they were definitely afraid their chief and council could force people to leave the community through a band council resolution.
In an interview, policy analyst Joseph Quesnel said this is troubling, as the best-governed First Nations are always the ones with open books.
He said the government’s Financial Transparency Act, Bill C-27, could help change this:
“This type of law will help to create that relationship of accountability. This law requires First Nations to post all its information – like audited financial statements on a website. What we found in our surveying is that First Nations that do well already post this kind of information”.
Quesnel says that Bill C-27 wouldn’t take away the band’s ability to set salaries and benefits for elected officials.
However, he feels members should have that information.
The survey involved more than 3,000 band members in 32 communities across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
This included the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, and the Montreal Lake, Ahtahkakoop, Onion Lake, Red Earth, Mistawasis, Hatchet Lake, Kawacatoose, Big River, Black Lake, Peter Ballantyne and the James Smith First Nations.