Editorial: Holding First Nations leaders accountable for earnings

Last week, the federal First Nations Financial Transparency Act became law, requiring every First Nation to post salaries for elected officials by midnight July 29. A week later, the majority of First Nations, including those on Vancouver Island, have not yet filed reports.

Whether the non-compliance stems from the bureaucratic tangles or defiance of the legislation is not clear — the measure has not been popular among First Nations leaders, who bristle at the Victorian tone of the new law. There will probably be some wrangling between some First Nations and the federal government, which says it will use court orders to enforce disclosure.

The salary of one B.C. chief has attracted national attention after his salary was posted on the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada website. Ron Giesbrecht, chief of the tiny Coquitlam First Nation, was paid more than $900,000 in 2013-14. His chief’s salary is $4,800 a year, but he is also the economic development officer, for which he received a salary of $80,000 and a bonus of more than $800,000, his commission on more than $8 million worth of construction contracts in which his band is involved.

The band received $8.3 million from the provincial government, but an official refused to give details, saying it was the result of an economic benefit agreement. The government does not disclose details of such agreements without the consent of the First Nations involved, the official said.