Yellowknife, NWT – Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus says First Nations across Canada are divided when it comes to revealing financial sources, including income, to the federal government and Canadian public.
Erasmus made those comments after the Financial Transparency Act officially came into effect yesterday, which requires bands to post that information online.
He says he doesn’t have an issue with accountability, he simply doesn’t like the way the bill has been structured.
“It should be done in a different way. I don’t think anyone has a problem being accountable and I don’t think anyone wants to hide information. People are quite open with the way they’re spending and the resources they get. We need to account that money to our own membership and not necessarily the federal government or Canadian public.”
Erasmus says he’s also concerned for First Nations businesses that will also have to open up their books.
He doesn’t believe there’s a need to get rid of the bill entirely, though he says he’d like to see some other mechanism put in place to release information.
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