The deadline for first nation bands in Canada to post their finances publicly online is long gone.
The vast majority of Canada’s 582 first nations have complied with just 38 yet to file. 12 of those are in BC.
Missing the deadline will have a big impact on those bands and all non essential funding has been cut off by the Government of Canada.
Mark Strahl is the parliamentary secretary to Canada’s Minister of Aboriginal affairs. He made it clear the funds held won’t affect essential services;
“We’ve maintained funding for health and social programs because we don’t want to punish the very individuals that this is designed to help; the grassroots members on reserve. But for those chiefs and councils that have not complied yet we have withheld non-essential funding”
Strahl says things like “workshops and band administration funds” are what the government is targeting.
He went on to say that there is no excuse for not meeting the deadline;
“We gave them a 120 day extension from the original deadline and reminders at 90, 60 and 30 days and again at the deadline, so there are going to be consequences and non-essential funding will cut off until such time that they do comply”
The Takla Lake Nation, who has an office in Prince George, is one of the dozen who have not filed and have had their funding held. When we spoke to them last month on deadline day they assured that they would file by Christmas but didn’t offer any explanation as to why they hadn’t done so already. As of Monday evening they were still listed on the federal government’s list of 38 who have not filed.
Repeated calls to their chief and offices have gone unanswered.
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