Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) says it has received requests from The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) about a controversial audit report, and will be sharing some information with FSIN ‘as soon as possible’.
The federal forensic audit of FSIN — an organization representing 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan — deemed tens of millions of dollars in transactions as ‘questionable’, with a major focus on COVID-19 expenses and funding received by the federation between April 2020 and March 2023.
In a statement earlier this week, FSIN said it has given its full cooperation to the audit process, but that ISC — which ordered the audit after alleged lack of transparency over the federation’s expenditures — had not responded to requests for the full report.
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An ISC spokesperson confirmed to Global News that those requests have been received, and while full audit reports aren’t shared with funding recipients — citing privacy concerns due to the sensitive nature of the information — the FSIN will be receiving more details.
“We will share with FSIN the line by line of the audit samplings — which is a different document — as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said, “and not the full audit report completed by KPMG.”
In an open letter Thursday, FSIN fourth vice-chief Craig McCallum said transparency will be important for the organization going forward, and that the audit raises serious questions.
“I will advocate for independent oversight and stronger accountability mechanisms so that we, as executive, cannot act outside of our established policies and procedures,” McCallum said in the letter.
“I will also work to create a healthier environment within FSIN, one rooted in respect where open dialogue is welcomed and lateral violence and silencing is not tolerated.”
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