If Trudeau becomes PM, should he scrap the First Nations Financial Transparency Act?

[Rerun]

So if everyone, except the chiefs and council members (yes... those council members get paid pretty well too, when you look at their base salaries and what they claim on expenses), are getting screwed why do the band members put up with it?... especially since so many of them are barely getting by?

Can anyone answer this?

Fyi... I looked up the Blood tribe as they were one of the few who had submitted the required Transparency Reports and band council members (there were 12 of them made a salary of $88,630 per year and some claimed travel and per diem expenses of over $84,000 per year ... all tax free.

http://www.cjocfm.com/news-and-info/...f-and-council/

[Canehdianman]

The few instances that I know of, they get voted in by their friends and relatives.

In a small tribe, it isn't too hard to be related to enough people to get elected.

Then, once you are elected, you may sure that some of the money flows downhill. Maintenance contracts, cushy jobs, etc...

At that point, it's not any different from any other elected position. Except it has much less transparency.

[vanisleflamesfan]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

If the GQ boy becomes PM this will be the least of Canada's (outside of Ontario and Quebec) worries. This kid may make Paul Martin look like a solid PM in comparison.

Oh lordy... let me guess, you also believe the myth that the Cons are some kind of 'economic superheros', diligently protecting the money of all Canadians and that Liberals are wasteful spendthrifts?

Hogwash. From 1996-2006 under Liberal governments, Canada's national debt fell every single year. Since 2006, under a Conservative government, Canada's national debt has climbed rapidly back up and now exceeds pre-1996 levels.

Take a long look at the history of THE HARPER GOVERNMENT policies enacted regarding First Nations and you will begin to notice a trend. Their ridiculous stance on First Nations comes straight from the work of disgraced 'academic', unabashed racist, and former Harper advisor Tom Flanagan. This legislation has very little to do with the noble idea of 'protecting Canadian tax payers' and everything to do with making it much more difficult for First Nations to get the money that they are contractually owed. It is backhanded, slimy, and unnecessary.

If you think the Conservatives are this concerned with documenting where other forms of government spending go, you are living in a dream world and you need to put down your copy of The Sun, and re-think your position.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Rerun

So if everyone, except the chiefs and council members (yes... those council members get paid pretty well too, when you look at their base salaries and what they claim on expenses), are getting screwed why do the band members put up with it?... especially since so many of them are barely getting by?

Can anyone answer this?

Fyi... I looked up the Blood tribe as they were one of the few who had submitted the required Transparency Reports and band council members (there were 12 of them made a salary of $88,630 per year and some claimed travel and per diem expenses of over $84,000 per year ... all tax free.

http://www.cjocfm.com/news-and-info/...f-and-council/

Most bands are dominated by a couple of families, the band council has the power to decide who works and who doesn't, who gets a house and who doesn't and who gets kicked of the res, anyone complains they get screwed, no house no job no services for their family.

Trust me, while I believe the First Nations have a right to financial compensation I an painfully aware the band system is utterly corrupt, and the Feds like it that way and helped set it up, if you had real change on the res they would get a sight more demanding of the rest of canada, it is in the Feds interest to pay off the ruling families so they keep the rest of the band quiet when we decide we want to frack or mine in their territory.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

Most bands are dominated by a couple of families, the band council has the power to decide who works and who doesn't, who gets a house and who doesn't and who gets kicked of the res, anyone complains they get screwed, no house no job no services for their family.

Trust me, while I believe the First Nations have a right to financial compensation I an painfully aware the band system is utterly corrupt, and the Feds like it that way and helped set it up, if you had real change on the res they would get a sight more demanding of the rest of canada, it is in the Feds interest to pay off the ruling families so they keep the rest of the band quiet when we decide we want to frack or mine in their territory.

So this Federal Transparency Act is a good thing then? Its revealing some of the secrets and showing all band members where their money is being spent.


... as in, take for example the Blood tribe.... over $1.75 million went to the 13 band council members last year.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Rerun

So this Federal Transparency Act is a good thing then? Its revealing some of the secrets and showing all band members where their money is being spent.


... as in, take for example the Blood tribe.... over $1.75 million went to the 13 band council members last year.

I have spent years working with native kids, the crap that goes on at band level is mind boggling, and yes while I think it's probably not legal I do think the transparency act is a good thing, personally I'd like to see the money going to individual band members and make the council get money from them through taxation

[T@T]

If I can be re-born I want to be a native on a band council.

[SebC]

The treaties are a bad deal pretty much any way one might choose to look at them.

[smoothpops]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

I have spent years working with native kids, the crap that goes on at band level is mind boggling, and yes while I think it's probably not legal I do think the transparency act is a good thing, personally I'd like to see the money going to individual band members and make the council get money from them through taxation

While i agree with you, IMHO, the PM is seeking retribution on FN's for the Idle no More movement and their threats to derail the northern gateway pipeline. It's 2014 and the age of the internet, we should have transparency like we've never had before, and it starts with the PM's office. Finance wise, they have limits on what they have to be transparent about, and this government has the slowest (if they actually answer at all) turn around time for Freedom of Information requests. Will Trudeau handle FN's payments better and/or transparency better? I have no idea, that really hasn't been discussed so far so it's all conjecture, but it certainly can't get much worse seeing how we're still under Canadian law.

[Rerun]

Just read this on the CTF website:

The new law requires elected band council politicians to do what municipal, provincial and federal politicians have had to do for years – disclose their pay to the public. The legislation also requires aboriginal communities to post their band’s financial statements online; just like other governments in Canada currently do.

“We have heard some very heartbreaking tales from people on reserves who have been bullied, harassed and assaulted for daring to ask questions about where public funds are going in their communities,” said CTF Prairie Director Colin Craig. “The new First Nations Financial Transparency Act allows them to go on the Internet and view their community’s financial statements anonymously, without fear of reprisal.”

Marvin Joe, former chief and current band council member of the Kwikwetlem First Nation in British Columbia told the National Post that nobody, not even the Kwikwetlem band council, would have known Chief Giesbrecht received an extra $800,000 bonus: “…if it wasn’t for this new transparency act, I don’t think we ever would have known.”

“We urge Mr. Trudeau to reconsider his position,” added Craig. “Of all the issues to try and score political points on the Harper government this is not the one. There are too many grassroots people living on reserves who are depending on this legislation.”

http://www.taxpayer.com/news-release...ansparency-law

[Canehdianman]

As a follow-up to my "did he really earn it" post

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/08...-of-8m-payout/

Ron Giesbrecht, the chief of an 85-member First Nation who ranked as Canada’s highest-paid politician last year, collected most of his nearly $1-million income by abandoning a land claim in exchange for an $8-million payment from the Province of B.C.

Rough details of the arrangement were revealed to the National Post by the B.C. Ministry of Finance, which said the Kwikwetlem First Nation was paid to “extinguish” future claims on a plot of Crown land that was being sold off by the province.

As far as I'm concerned, this is EXACTLY why the FNFTA is necessary.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

As a follow-up to my "did he really earn it" post

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/08...-of-8m-payout/

Ron Giesbrecht, the chief of an 85-member First Nation who ranked as Canada’s highest-paid politician last year, collected most of his nearly $1-million income by abandoning a land claim in exchange for an $8-million payment from the Province of B.C.

Rough details of the arrangement were revealed to the National Post by the B.C. Ministry of Finance, which said the Kwikwetlem First Nation was paid to “extinguish” future claims on a plot of Crown land that was being sold off by the province.

LOL.... this just gets better and better. I'm sure this guy could teach Teresa Spenser's husband some new tricks.

[afc wimbledon]

If memory serves me right the res the Kwikwetlem band lives on is by the forensic psych hospital in Poco just east of Vancouver, it used to be twice the size but in the 60's the son of the chief married a local white girl who suggested they transfer half of the bands land over to the family, essentially they stole all the land east of the river, with the blessing, of course, of Indian affairs.
The land was useless scrub brush then, of course 40 years on the area has exploded and lo and behold the family are making millions selling the land off to developers.