Should Native Bands be audited, or should the Government's Ministry of Indian Affairs?

If the government is giving billions of taxpayer's dollars to Native bands every year, then where is this money going? How much is tied up with in the Ministry of Indian and Northern Affairs? How much money do Native communities really get?

These are questions that everyone is asking, and yet there are no answers because no one wants to admit that money is being mis-managed some where by someone in some department or some reserve. It is time that the books were made available to see just where these billions of dollars are going.

First of all, the Ministry should be audited to find out where money is going, how much is going to what community, and how much is being spent in the office as well as outside the office. How much is being spent of "pet projects" of ministry officials and the final question; what really goes out to the Native communities that many of them are still in poverty?

Secondly - all Native bands must show their books for audit as well. I know that many bands refuse to let their books be audited by government officials, even though they themselves may have their books audited just the same. I believe that if anyone, Native or non-Native, who receives taxpayer's money from any ministry of government, should have their books audited yearly or no longer receive funds.

We also know that money has been spent on reserves, but has been wasted because there are not infrastructures available in the first place. An example that I am thinking about is a Native reserve in Northern Ontario that I wrote about once, who received pipes, a pumping station, water purification system and sewage treatment equipment. Only a hand full of homes received the benefits while no one else did. The reasons were varied: a change in government, no one there to install the equipment, no one qualified to look after the equipment, are just a few of the excuses given.

In this day of demanded accountability - where are the governments and the Natives on being accountable for the money being given and spent? Why the fear of having books audited? Some would say that if the books were audited, they would show the wide spread abuse of funds by both Government and Natives. If this is true, then their fear is rightly justified to hide the truth form Canadians and Natives alike.

The fact is, we know some reserves are in poverty and some are not. The fact is that we know over 12 billion plus dollars is given to reserves yearly. The fact is also known is that very few people know where those billions of dollars are going and who's getting them. The fact is also known that, especially northern and isolated reserves, many Native people live in poverty.

If no one is willing to open their books for an audit can only mean that there is something to hide.