The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) says it has launched legal action after rejecting Indigenous Services Canada’s (ISC) final decision in a long-running dispute over millions of dollars in spending.
In a statement released Wednesday, the FSIN said it does not accept the federal government’s conclusion or its claim that close to $12.4 million in expenditures are ineligible.
“ISC may have concluded its process, but this matter is not concluded for the FSIN,” Chief Bobby Cameron said in the statement.
The decision marks the latest development in a dispute that earlier this year saw Indigenous Services Canada identify $28.7 million in ineligible and unsupported expenses between April 2019 and March 2024.
That figure stemmed from a forensic audit conducted by KPMG that reviewed the FSIN’s use of federal funding for compliance with funding terms, conditions and accountability standards.
The FSIN, which represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan, has consistently disputed the findings and defended its spending.
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In its latest statement, the organization said it participated fully in the federal review and held extensive line-by-line discussions with a negotiation team appointed by Indigenous Services Canada.
The FSIN said the two sides had substantially narrowed the amount in dispute by June 12.
According to the FSIN, federal representatives had confirmed that all purchases of personal protective equipment, accounting for almost $8 million of the current $12.4-million claim, were substantiated as purchased and delivered and had been removed from the list of ineligible or questionable expenditures.
The organization said it was surprised those expenses were subsequently added back to the amount being claimed.
The FSIN said the remaining approximately $4.4 million is mainly related to administration fees, and alleged Indigenous Services Canada has failed to provide policies supporting its position.
The dispute over pandemic-related spending has been a major part of the audit process. In March, Indigenous Services Canada identified more than $23.2 million in COVID-19-related expenditures among unsupported costs, saying at the time there was insufficient documentation to validate purchases of personal protective equipment and their delivery and distribution to First Nations.
The FSIN disputed that position, saying it had documentation supporting the rollout, including sign-offs from chiefs on deliveries. Cameron said at the time that the organization believed it had followed appropriate financial procedures.
“We fully believe that we don’t have to repay a dime,” Cameron said in March.
In Wednesday’s statement, Cameron said FSIN staff had co-operated with the federal government and provided the requested records.
“We remain confident that when this matter is subjected to a fair and independent review, that all expenditures will be proven eligible and the allegations proven false,” Cameron said.
Indigenous Services Canada confirmed the letter to Global News but did not provide a comment.
— with files from Vanessa Tiberio
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Nobody is rooting for fsin on my reserve, the fact they’re trying to take this to court shows how out of touch they’ve become handling money meant for the reserves. Take the Dawn Dumont Incident with her election’s fraud scandal, nobody forgot that. Yet people still put worth into fsin
Audit every single band in the country!
Taxpayers demand some accountability.
Canada owes you nothing
Give us more welfare
I guess we aren’t all equal citizens of this country and some just want hand out after handout
While the cupboard is bare
The handouts need to end permanently
Its been 170 years of this nonsense
When is everyone in canada actually going to be equal?
Abolish all special interests
Someone has to eventually tell this people NO! That or else you’re going to be self destructing just to show how progressive and a doormat you are.
Just allowing a tiny group now people to hold this country hostage.
The piece I just wrote is to combat the misunderstanding of the Treaties and First Nations status in Canada. It’s an educational piece to combat the racism of this site. I hope Global doesn’t delete it like my other educational pieces! Thank you
FSIN states they are Sovereign Nations. Then act like it, instead of being Indian Act Nations! The Royal Proclamation of 1763 (RP1763) recognizes and affirms First Nations are sovereigns prior to colonization.
When the colonies of Britain decided to create the nation state of Canada in 1867: the instant Canada was born meant that Canada was obligated by the RP1763 to recognize existing
sovereigns here time immemorial. Thus Canada signed Treaties with the existing sovereigns known today as First Nations. Therefore, Canada expanded west by signing Treaties 1-11. I defy anyone to show me where in Treaties 1-11 that it says First Nations sovereignty was extinguished. It’s not in there because it would have been illegal and contrary to the RP1763 to state sovereignty was extinguished. The RP1763 protects First Nations sovereignty forever! 10 years after Canada was created: 1876; Canada enacted the illegal Indian Act to suppress First Nations and make them wards of the state. I defy anyone to show me in the Indian Act where it states First Nations sovereignty is extinguished. The Indian Act was and is prevented from stating this by the RP1763. The Indian Act is the sole source of Treaty Rights in this country and forces First Nations to be accountable to Canada. Thus, the audit by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). But this was not the deal between Her Majesty and the Treaty 1-11 Nations. The Treaties created every ounce of wealth in this country by First Nations agreeing to share the land. In return, Her Majesty guaranteed the sovereignty of First Nations by the very act of signing Treaties 1-11 and guaranteeing First Nations to count on the bounty (wealth share) and benevolence (freely gifted) of her Majesty in order to live in peace and goodwill [to paraphrase the spirit and intent of the Treaties]. This means to live as sovereigns with their own wealth to look after themselves; no Treaty Rights needed; no living in poverty under the illegal Indian Act! No audits needed. First Nations are to have a share of their own wealth they created for the Crown. No taxpayers money needed. But for the Indian Act, the 640 First Nations in Canada are forced to rely on a paltry 23 billion annual ISC budget. But as of this year, Canada gifted Europeans under NATO 150 billion annually and growing based on 5% of GDP wealth. The wealth the Treaties created so that Europeans can live in peace and goodwill.
Therefore, if Canada ditched the Indian Act and adopted full Treaty Implementation; and said: Here is a share of the Crown’s bounty to live on in peace and goodwill; we gifted Europe 5% of GDP; we will gift 640 First Nations 10% of GDP as per our procurement policy or 300 billion annually to live in peace and goodwill on. And this number grows as GDP wealth grows just like Europe’s gift of 5% will grow.
In Treaty 1-11, there are about 212 Sovereign Nations with about 50% of First Nations population in Canada. So per capita; Treaty 1-11 Sovereign Nations would receive 150 billion annually instead of 13 billion of the annual 26 billion ISC budget as dictated by the Indian Act.
And, most important of all this is the deal the Treaties represent and First Nations are not dependent on taxpayers money. It is a share of their own wealth to live in peace and goodwill, as stated in the Treaties. And, to stand as equals on level ground and live with dignity as stamped on the Treaty Medals! This is the legal seal that binds Canada to the deal.
But as we can see in this FSIN story; First Nations Chiefs today have abandoned the fight to exist as Sovereigns as guaranteed by the RP1763 and have been indoctrinated to fight for Treaty Rights under the Indian Act regime.
This will never work because the Indian Act is a brilliant piece of apartheid policy at work today. The Indian Act suppresses the guaranteed sovereignty of 640 First Nations in Canada. But the constant fighting for Treaty Rights in Canada lets Canada off the hook in the eyes of the world. It makes it look like Canada is a humanitarian country. And the rest of the world don’t get it either because they ask; how come First Nations live in third world conditions in Canada.
The answer is; the Indian Act forces First Nations to beg for a pittance of their own wealth that the Treaties created for Canada.
If the world understood this reality of Canada, then the world would call out Canada to abolish the Indian Act and implement the deal in the Treaties!
No more audits; no more black eyes for First Nations fighting the treaty rights battles. Treaty Implementation means First Nations live as sovereigns to run themselves with their own wealth. Taxpayers money does not exist on the First Nations side of the treaty tables and neither does accountability to Canada and its taxpayers wealth distribution system!
Cheesewiz Christ you look dumb as fock with your feather hat, hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha 🤣
Here is a crazy idea. How about we let the indigenous pay taxes….wow….treat them like equals and everything. Maybe even let them vote.
Two of the most corrupt entities fighting about lost taxpayers money.
Laughing out loud at how pathetic we have become.
First Nations chiefs living the good life while the rest of the people on the reserves struggle along and can’t have decent drinking water and Federal MP’s living it up on taxpayers money and the rest of us struggling to put food on the table.