First Nations checkup: Bands now held accountable online – National Post

July 31, 2014

The Department of Aboriginal Affairs & Northern Development has begun posting online the financial statements of First Nations bands across Canada, including the salaries and expenses of chiefs and band councils. The information, available on the department’s website, is published for the first time under the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. The National Post’s Sammy Hudes reviews some of the key revelations.

Work in progress
Financial statements of more than 50 First Nations bands have been posted. But that’s just a small fraction of the hundreds that have yet to see their information go public. The deadline for sending in the financial statements was Tuesday, but most are still in the mail, said Valerie Hache, an aboriginal affairs spokeswoman. Submissions will still be accepted so long as they are dated July 29 or earlier, she said.

Nuts and bolts
First Nations bands are required to publish their financial information under the Nations Financial Transparency Act, passed November 2011. This gives them 120 days from March 31 to submit audited financial statements for the previous fiscal year, including the salaries and expenses of their chiefs and councillors. First Nations were already required to submit this information to the government to receive funding, but the legislation makes the information public for the first time.

Read more: http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/07/30/first-nations-checkup-bands-now-held-accountable-online/