OTTAWA — Hundreds of First Nations across Canada will have to make public the salaries of their chiefs and band councillors under new legislation expected Wednesday from the federal government.
Aboriginal Affairs parliamentary secretary Greg Rickford will introduce “An Act to enhance the financial accountability and transparency of First Nations” on behalf of Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan. Duncan will outline details of the bill in Saskatchewan Wednesday afternoon.
The legislation revives a bill from a Saskatchewan Tory backbencher who died when the election was called last March.
Kelly Block’s bill required First Nations to include details of chief and councillors salaries and reimbursements for expenses in annual audited financial statements. If the information isn’t made public by the end of November each year, the minister would have legal authority to release it.
Block said she was introducing her legislation because she had heard from too many Canadians who could not get information about their band’s finances.
Block said she was introducing her legislation because she had heard from too many Canadians who could not get information about their band’s finances.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper pledged during the election to reintroduce Block’s bill as a government bill and it’s expected the bill will be quite similar and have the same objectives as Block’s legislation.
Duncan’s office would not comment on the legislation until after it is introduced.
Colin Craig, prairie director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said the bill is welcome.
“We’ve been pushing hard on this issue for two years so it’s good the government is following through,” said Craig.
Last fall, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation released a report detailing salaries of hundreds of chiefs and band councillors from across Canada alleging too many of them make more than they should.
The report found 600 chiefs and band councillors earned more than $100,000 in 2008-09 and 50 took home the tax-free equivalent of more than the prime minister’s salary of about $315,000.
First Nations leaders criticized the CTF for the report and said it was misleading because some of the amounts included costs such as travel expenses and per diems. The AFN said actual salaries showed no chiefs earned more than the prime minister and only 21 leaders earned more than their provincial premiers.
The average band leader’s salary was $36,845.
However, the CTF report garnered a lot of attention and many chiefs saw it as a distraction from more important issues. So at an AFN general assembly in December 2010, chiefs from across Canada unanimously endorsed a motion to make band finances more transparent. That motion was non-binding and it’s unclear how much of an impact it has had on bands since then.
The AFN and other aboriginal leaders did not support Block’s bill because it was legislation that would be imposed on First Nations without consultation. Craig said he wouldn’t be surprised if similar criticism comes this time, despite the motion calling for more openness.
“Chiefs don’t like having things imposed on them,” said Craig.
A spokesperson for the AFN said the organization would have no comment until the legislation is tabled.
Courtesy: Postmedia News
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