Feds plan to audit FSIN spending after allegations of misused public funds
Indigenous Services Canada won't detail allegations, but says it takes them 'very seriously'
Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is set to conduct a forensic audit of the funding it has given the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) over a nearly five-year span and how it has been spent.
The FSIN represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan.
CBC News obtained a letter sent by ISC to the FSIN executive, dated March 15. In it, ISC says it intends to review how the FSIN spent money provided by the ISC in several funding agreements from April 1, 2019, to the present and that the dates in question could expand depending on the auditor's findings.
In response to questions from CBC, ISC spokesperson Randy Legault-Rankin said in an email that the organization is "aware of the allegations brought forward regarding the [FSIN]."
"The Department takes allegations and complaints regarding the misuse of public funds very seriously. To that end, the Department has put a process in place to ensure these allegations and complaints are examined properly and that appropriate action is taken."
It is unclear what allegations sparked ISC's interest. Legault-Rankin said in his response the ISC would not be providing information on the status of the audit and does not comment on specific allegations or complaints other than to confirm they have been received.
International professional services company KPMG has been contracted to conduct the audit, according to the letter.
Multiple attempts by CBC to contact the FSIN for this story received no response.
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