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The federal government is constantly under immense amounts of scrutiny when it comes to spending taxpayer's money. They must always ensure that it is done wisely and responsibly. But this often leads to various levels of governmental bureaucracy each tasked with double-checking the other. Unfortunately, this became the case in the federal initiative to fund repairs for first nation infrastructure. Take for example water systems on reserves. In 2011 a report was published that stated the majority of water systems were low risk. One year later another report was published that found that 39 percent of first nations water systems are high risk affecting 25% of the population living on reserve. Ottawa would need $1.2 billion in repairs, better infrastructure and training to fix the problem, as well as an additional $4.7 billion over 10 years to keep pace with growing demand. First Nations chiefs have complained repeatedly that they are subject to countless layers of accountability and federal bureaucracy while their communities grow poorer. So the federal government is under pressure to back off and allow band chiefs and councils more leeway to spend federal allotments as they see fit. But giving sole power to chiefs would make it very difficult for the government to make sure taxpayers money was being spent appropriately. The government is not the only problem, however. There have been accusations towards native organizations for mismanaging funds. The combined effect of governmental and native mismanagement has lead to target standards being inconsistently applied and often ignored throughout reserves. As a result, the quality of life on reserve have drastically dropped. The issue of how to reduce bureaucracy and increase efficiency has plagued governments for decades. A viable solution for this problem relating to reserves can be created by the close collaboration of government officials and first nations people. By doing this long-range plans can be funded and become reality. This would enable reserves to prevent future problems from happening instead of just fixing the current issues. There are always multiple sides to any story and it is fundamental to take them into account when analyzing problems that face this country. Solutions need to be created that help all groups within Canada, we can not afford to alienate members of out society.

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Two government audits show Ottawa is earmarking about a billion dollars a year to build and repair First Nations infrastructure, but its myriad of officials are not keeping proper tabs on how the money is spent.

Even as Prime Minister Stephen Harper accuses the Attawapiskat First Nations of mismanaging federal funds, the internal audits posted recently suggest the criticism could apply to the federal bureaucracy as well.

The audits say there are "significant gaps" in how the on-reserve infrastructure funding is controlled, and that the financial reporting system is riddled with inconsistencies.

The audit of on-reserve community infrastructure says targets, standards and compliance systems are often ignored or inconsistently applied, leaving the government with an unclear picture of how well its money is working.

When it comes to water and waste water, for example, the report notes the department has ranked many water systems to be low risk.

At the same time, there were no inspections for more than a year on these water systems -- at least not until a national assessment of First Nations water systems prompted some regions to undertake testing.

"As a result, there is a risk of inaccuracy of data reported in the departmental performance report related to the risk levels of water and waste water systems," the audit says. The national assessment, published in July, found that 39 per cent of First Nations water systems were at high risk of being unsafe, affecting 25 per cent of people living on reserves.

It said Ottawa would need $1.2 billion in repairs, better infrastructure and training to fix the problem, as well as an additional $4.7 billion over 10 years to keep pace with growing demand.

But the continued monitoring by Aboriginal Affairs officials didn't thoroughly define such a widespread problem because they didn't properly apply the monitoring systems they had set up, the audit says.

The audit of money for First Nations water, sewage, schools, electrical power, roads, bridges and fire protection was completed in February 2011 but only posted recently on the department's website.

It concludes that management of major capital projects is "adequate", but that "there remain gaps" in governance, risk management and control frameworks for projects of all sizes. As for minor projects, and spending on operations and maintenance, "significant gaps remain over the management of funding."

In 2010-2011, the federal government put $1.2 billion into on-reserve infrastructure. That amount will drop to just below $1 billion this fiscal year because extra one-time funding from the federal stimulus program will expire.

First Nations chiefs complain repeatedly that they can't do any long-term planning for infrastructure improvements because funding arrangements are too short-term and too strictly defined.

First Nations leaders also say they are subject to layers and layers of accountability and audit, even as the federal bureaucracy in Ottawa grows larger and the communities grow poorer.

So the federal government is under pressure to back off and allow band chiefs and councils more leeway to spend their federal allotments as they see fit, while also under scrutiny to spend taxpayers' dollars wisely.

"We are committed to ensuring that transfer payments are managed in a manner that respects sound stewardship and the highest level of integrity, transparency, and accountability," said Michelle Yao, spokeswoman for Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan.

A second recently posted internal audit looked at how officials managed $668 million in stimulus funding earmarked for housing and infrastructure on reserves.

That audit, also completed in February, found that officials tacked the new money onto existing programs so they could get the funding out the door quickly and efficiently.

But they did not add any extra risk management or monitoring to keep a close eye on the additional money.

As a result, "there is an increased risk that projects will not be completed as intended, that funds may be expended for ineligible activities, and that funds available for re-distribution will not be identified in a timely manner," the audit says.

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First Nations funds mishandled by Ottawa, audits show | CBC News

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Two government audits show Ottawa is earmarking about a billion dollars a year to build and repair First Nations infrastructure, but its myriad of officials are not keeping proper tabs on how the money is spent.

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The crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women is fast becoming another sad chapter in the Canadian Governments treatment of their aboriginal citizens. The article I chose exams a report published by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The report strongly suggests the Canadian Government needs to take more serious measures in preventing the crimes against aboriginal women. The report sheds light on how the police have failed to adequately protect these indigenous people and puts forward a very worrying statistic that 16% of the victims of female homicides in Canada are aboriginal women while they account for barely 4% of the female population. However, it is easy to jump to conclusions and immediately blame the government for prioritizing other groups of Canadians over aboriginals. This would be falling victim to a single story. Granted the Canadian Government has a terrible past with native people, but it is actively trying to improve. In 2014 the  Government authorized a five-year plan to address the violence against aboriginal women and girls. Although this is clearly not enough and there needs to be a continued effort to increase what is being done to protect aboriginal women and girls. To do this, the report put forward a number of recommendations. They include providing safer public transport, mandatory training for government employees in how to prevent gender-based violence, and a national public inquiry in consultation with indigenous peoples. There are typically over 600 homicides a year in Canada including the approximate 30 a year to do with aboriginal women. This no doubt makes it difficult for the Canadian police force to handle all homicide cases thoroughly. The question remains how many of these proposed actions the government will follow through on, but it is a good start to a long process. The crisis of missing and murdered aboriginal women begs the question: how did society slip into this mess? Societal values have no doubt impacted the way in which crimes against certain groups of people get handled. In the case of missing and murdered aboriginal women, it is all too likely that these cases were shunted to the side and ignored. This is not to say this was the police officers fault, but rather societies as a whole. There are constant examples of how minorities within our society are constantly being put down. A study found that people with white-sounding names were more likely to obtain interviews for jobs than those with foreign sounding names. We must endeavor to dispose of our predisposed judgments of minorities as who are we to put a value on life?

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A report into missing and murdered indigenous women in B.C. is breathing new life into an acrimonious debate between advocates of a public inquiry and the Canadian government, which says it is taking action to address the problem but refuses to call an inquiry.

The report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), which is affiliated with the Organization of American States, said it "strongly supports the creation of a national-level action plan or a nationwide inquiry into the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls."

The report came to several conclusions, including:

The high numbers of missing and murdered aboriginal women in B.C. are concentrated in Prince George and the Downtown Eastside.

The police have "failed to adequately prevent and protect indigenous women and girls from killings and disappearances."

Multiple policing jurisdictions in B.C. have resulted in "confusion" between the RCMP and Vancouver police.

The report acknowledged the steps already taken by Canadian governments at both the federal and provincial levels to address some of the problems and challenges that indigenous women face.

Last fall, the federal government committed to a five-year plan to address violence against aboriginal women and girls.

Today, the office for Kellie Leitch, the minister for the status of women, said the government was reviewing the report.

"Our government has received the IACHR's report and is reviewing the report's findings, comments and recommendations."

The report's recommendations include calls for:

Providing a safe public transport option along Highway 16 in Prince George.

Mandatory training for police officers, prosecutors, judges and court personnel "in the causes and consequences of gender-based violence."

A national plan or public inquiry in consultation with indigenous peoples.

NDP aboriginal affairs critic Jean Crowder said it was "unconscionable" for the government to ignore growing calls for a public inquiry.

"It is time for the prime minister and [Aboriginal Affairs Minister] Bernard Valcourt to stop ignoring the sociological phenomenon of missing and murdered indigenous women and take federal action to address the crisis," Crowder said in a written statement.

Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett also urged the government to heed the report's recommendations.

"The prime minister's shocking indifference to this ongoing tragedy is not only a national disgrace, but an international embarrassment," Bennett said in a written statement.
Mobile users, view a chart of homicide rates among Canadians vs. aboriginal women
The IACHR has been studying the issue for more than two years.

Its investigation was requested by the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) and Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA) in March 2012.

At a press conference in Ottawa to respond to the report, Dawn Harvard of the NWAC called it "truly groundbreaking."

"This report is the first in-depth examination of the murders and disappearances by an expert human rights body. These women and girls are being stolen from our families, from our communities, and it is time that somebody is taking it seriously," Harvard said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in reaction to the recent slaying of Tina Fontaine that the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women was not part of a "sociological phenomenon," but rather a crime and should be treated as such.

Holly Johnson, of the Feminist Alliance for International Action, said the commission has spoken "loudly and clearly."

"Canadian governments have a lot of work to do," she said. "Contrary to our prime minister's assertion, that this is not a sociological phenomenon ... [It] goes way beyond policing. Social and economic factors must also be addressed."

The report includes recommendations on how governments at both the federal and provincial/territorial level can address the situation.

The Conservative government has so far refused calls for a national public inquiry on the issue, saying it is more interested in taking action. Last month, when CBC's Peter Mansbridge asked the prime minister about launching a public inquiry, Harper said: "It isn't high on our radar, to be honest."

"The actions Harper is prepared to engage in are very slim, uncoordinated," said Shelagh Day, chair of the FAFIA human rights committee, at a press conference held by FAFIA and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs. Day said the report makes it clear that the consultation and participation of indigenous women and associations is essential.

At the press conference, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said the fundamental issue is racist attitudes toward indigenous women and girls. "We are going to continue to pursue this issue until there is justice," said Philip.

Canada's premiers are expected to hold a national roundtable on murdered and missing aboriginal women on Feb. 27 in Ottawa.

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International group supports inquiry into missing, murdered indigenous women | CBC News

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A report into missing and murdered indigenous women in B.C. is breathing new life into an acrimonious debate between advocates of a public inquiry and the Canadian government, which says it is taking action to address the problem but refuses to call an inquiry.

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WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find distressing.
The discovery of what is believed to be the remains of 215 children at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., has stunned Canadians and renewed focus on what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called a "dark and shameful chapter of our country's history."

It is also another reminder for Indigenous peoples living in Canada of a painful history they've known about all along.

The Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation said last week that preliminary findings from a ground-penetrating radar survey at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School detected the remains, a confirmation of what the community already understood from oral history.

Since the news broke, CBC readers have reached out with questions about Canada's residential school system and its aftermath. Below are answers to some of your questions.

How many children were forced to attend these schools?

More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were forced to attend church-run, government-funded schools between the 1870s and 1997.

Amendments to the Indian Act in 1894 authorized the government to remove an Indigenous child from their family if it was felt they were not being properly cared for or educated and place them in a school. Subsequent amendments to the act in 1920 further reinforced compulsory attendance at the schools.

Children were removed from their families and culture and forced to learn English, embrace Christianity and adopt the customs of the country's white majority.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation examining residential schools has identified the names of, or information about, more than 4,100 children who died while attending these schools, most due to malnourishment or disease.

Former senator Murray Sinclair, who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) examining residential schools, has said he believes the death count could be much higher because of the schools' poor burial records.

How many schools were there? Where are they?

The Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) has recognized 139 residential schools across Canada. However, this number excludes schools that operated without federal support, such as those run solely by religious orders or provincial governments.
Click here to see a larger version of the map of residential school locations.

The 139 schools operated in all Canadian provinces and territories except Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. (There were residential schools in N.L., but they weren't included in the IRSSA.)

In 1931, at the peak of the residential school system, there were about 80 schools operating in the country.

The last one to close, in 1997, was Kivalliq Hall in Rankin Inlet, in what's now Nunavut. (It only became a IRSSA-recognized school in 2019, which is why earlier accounts describe the last school closing in 1996.)

Who is being held accountable?

Many of the children at residential schools were physically, sexually or psychologically abused in a system described by the TRC in its landmark 2015 report as cultural genocide.

In 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a formal apology in the House of Commons on behalf of the government of Canada over residential schools and the damage they did to Indigenous people.
WATCH | Harper apologizes for residential schools in 2008:

The apology came nine months after the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement took effect. The comprehensive class-action settlement - which involved survivors, the federal government and churches that ran the schools - included the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

It also included financial compensation, which took two forms: a common experience payment for all students who attended the schools, and an independent assessment process to adjudicate claims from students who had suffered abuse at the schools.

More than $3 billion has been paid to 28,000 victims of residential school abuse, according to a report released this past March.

What has the Vatican said or done about this?

The Catholic Church operated roughly 70 per cent of Canada's residential schools, including the Kamloops residential school from 1890 to 1969 before it was taken over by the federal government to serve as a local day school until 1978.

While other churches, like the Anglican and United churches, have formally apologized for their roles in the residential school system, the Catholic Church has so far refused to do the same.

The closest it came was in 2009, when Pope Benedict XVI expressed "sorrow" for some of the "deplorable" conduct of church members. In 2018, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said Pope Francis "felt that he could not personally respond" to the request for an apology for residential schools.

However, many individual Catholic church leaders in Canada have made apologies, both and the discovery in Kamloops.

The Catholic Church has also refused to release many of its residential school documents, which could shed light on unmarked burial sites, citing privacy laws.

Meanwhile, NDP MP Charlie Angus, the party's critic for Indigenous youth, says the church has dodged paying survivors compensation.

As part of the IRSSA, Catholic groups were required to pay tens of millions of dollars - $29 million in cash to the now-defunct Aboriginal Healing Foundation, $25 million in "in-kind" services, and to use their "best efforts" to fundraise $25 million for healing programs. However, a controversial court ruling in 2015 let the groups off the hook after they raised only about $4 million of the $25-million goal.

Is there an inquiry?

The TRC released 94 calls to action in its landmark 2015 report, including a section on missing children and burial grounds.

It called on the federal government to work with churches, Indigenous communities and former students "to establish and maintain an online registry of residential school cemeteries, including, where possible, plot maps showing the location of deceased residential school children."

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett said Wednesday the government already earmarked some $33 million in its 2019 budget to implement the TRC's burial-related recommendations.

However, little of that money has been spent so far, with $27 million still available. Bennett said the money "will be distributed on an urgent basis" in partnership with the Winnipeg-based National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and Indigenous communities that have site searches planned or underway.

Are other schools being investigated now?

The TRC concluded in its 2015 report that the bodies of the majority of students who died at the schools were not returned to their home communities.

The commission has records of 51 children dying at Kamloops Indian Residential School. In light of the recent discovery, Trudeau has pledged federal support in preserving grave sites and uncovering potentially more unmarked burial grounds at other former residential schools.

However, he and his ministers have stressed the need for Indigenous communities to decide for themselves how they want to proceed.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said Wednesday that Ottawa is "walking at the pace of communities" and is intent on developing culturally appropriate protocols to honour the lost children.

Where are the leaders of these schools now?

The University of British Columbia said this week it is reviewing an honorary degree given to the now-deceased Catholic bishop, John Fergus O'Grady, who served as principal of the former Kamloops residential school.

The discovery in Kamloops has also increased calls across Canada for cities and institutions to rescind honours given to those who were involved in setting up the residential school system.

In P.E.I., a statue of John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, was removed following a vote by Charlottetown city council.

Toronto's Ryerson University is being urged to change its name and remove a statue of Egerton Ryerson from its campus. The university's school of journalism has already stated it will rename two of its publications.

Meanwhile, Calgary's board of education has passed a motion to rename Langevin School, which is named after Hector-Louis Langevin, one of the Fathers of Confederation who is considered an architect of the residential school system.
Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools, and those who are triggered by the latest reports. A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.

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Your questions answered about Canada's residential school system | CBC News

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CBC readers have reached out with questions about Canada's residential school system and its aftermath following the discovery of what is believed to be the remains of an estimated 215 children at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.

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The tale of residential schools in Canada is becoming more well known and there have been positive steps to make up for what was done to around 150,000 thousand native Canadians. The article by the CBC A history of residential schools in Canada recounts what Residential Schools were, the effect on the native population, and what is or has been done to make up for them. Residential schools were predominantly, church run, government funded industrial institutions with the aim of aggressive assimilation of the young native population. The government's hope was that natives would learn English or French, adopt Christianity, and embrace what they viewed as Canadian Customs. However, this goal was pursued in a shock harsh manner as Children from the ages of 4-16 were taken from their families and forced to attend boarding schools all year round. They were often subject to physical, emotional and even sexual abuse. Although the aim was to allow native children to be successful they were taught substandard skills that made it difficult to function in urban settings. The devastating effect on the children's heritage and culture meant if they returned to a reserve, they felt as if they didn't belong. In some cases, they didn't even know the language well enough to communicate with their parents. Residential Schools are no doubt a dark time in Canada's past, but the consequences are still very much present. So what is being done to help those that were affected by these schools? In 2007 the federal government formalized a $1.9 billion package that will provide compensation for those that were forced to attend residential schools. Much of this money has been used already to compensate over 100,000 cases, but the remaining money will go to foundations that support the learning of aboriginal students. This combined with formal apologies from the Prime Minister of Canada in 2008 and over five churches in Canada that took part in residential schools in Canada. However, this is not enough apologies and financial contribution can not make up for what some call cultural genocide. New efforts must be made to give opportunities to learn about aboriginal history and culture. So far there has been a good start as there are programs in school that focus on aboriginal studies, and foundations that support learning of aboriginal culture.