The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Chief Terry Nelson of ManitobaÕs Roseau River recently declared that an Òact of terrorismÓ had been carried out against his reserve by the Pembina Valley Water Cooperative. The Òact of terrorismÓ supposedly occurred when, after four months of not paying their water bills and receiving several warnings, the water cooperative cut off water supply to Mr. NelsonÕs reserve. While the chief was quick to play the race card and decry the move, a more appropriate description might be an act of accountability. Go figure, if donÕt pay your bills, there will be repercussions. Unfortunately, it was the residents of the Roseau River First Nation who were caught in the middle of their chiefÕs defiance. This doesnÕt appear to be the first time that band members have fallen victim to their band councilÕs stunts. In fact, residents have aired serious concerns as to how taxpayer dollars are being spent on the reserve. Allegations have surfaced that the band council has written cheques to individuals, including Chief Nelson, on top of their regular salary for services that were part of their regular duties. Because band spending is a secretive matter, neither band residents nor taxpayers at large could learn whether the allegations are true. Worse yet, even the department of Indian Affairs doesnÕt yet know if theyÕre true. The only way to discover the truth is with an audit of the bandÕs finances. Taxpayers and natives living on reserves, of course, understand this problem is not isolated to the Roseau River reserve. One reason for a lack of accountability on reserves is the fact that up until now, no one (even the department of Indian and Northern Affairs) could audit individual reserves and track how funds were being spent. Over the last 141 years, the federal government has been unable to ensure that the hundreds of billions of tax dollars it has transferred to First Nations are used properly. Thankfully, as of July 1, Ottawa is now able to audit the spending activities of First Nation communities. This will bring them in line with other agencies that receive funding from the government. ItÕs not a silver bullet solution to one of CanadaÕs most shameful legacies (the whole reserve system), but it is a step in the right direction. All taxpayers will hopefully gain greater insight into how our dollars are being spent. And finally, reserve members will gain greater comfort knowing the spending decisions made by their chiefs and elected officials will be subject to greater transparency. This is an edited version of an editorial by Colin Craig, Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
