SASKATOON — An advocacy group representing First Nations in Saskatchewan is firing back after a forensic audit found more than $34 million in questionable, unsupported or ineligible spending over five years.
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations says it has a robust system of financial management, accountability and transparency.
It says it hasn’t received the full audit report, despite sending multiple requests to Indigenous Services Canada, and isn’t able to provide rationale for each finding.
The independent audit, conducted on behalf of the federal government, examined funds provided by Indigenous Services Canada to the group representing 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan.
The audit suggests $25 million of $30 million the organization received in COVID-19-related funding was spent in a questionable way, some travel expenses were ineligible, and overpayments in salaries and contracts were issued to a former employee.
The organization says all COVID-19 funding was accounted for and clerical errors led to overpayments that were later corrected.
