Frankly, I have blogged myself to death on this dude. But the scandal surrounding Senator Patrick Brazeau continues. I don't have anything left to add. Let's wait and see if "Bad Anon" comes a trolling to try to defend this one.
Bill Curry
Ottawa — From Saturday's Globe and Mail
Friday, Sep. 11, 2009 10:34PM EDT
Members of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples expressed shock over the “disturbing” financial situation left behind by Patrick Brazeau as they gathered for the first time since their former national chief was appointed to the Senate.
Delegates of the off-reserve aboriginal organization met in Ottawa Friday to elect a new national chief, but the vote was overshadowed by a report showing the congress posted a major deficit last year after a federal department demanded it pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses that had been ruled ineligible.
Beyond the mounting debt, delegates expressed concern when told Mr. Brazeau received severance when he left the organization, that he routinely flew first-class on congress business, and that a big-screen television for his office was originally described as a gift from the organization's auditor and then later paid for by the congress as an expense.
In a financial report tabled Friday at the congress meeting, national vice-chief Betty Anne Lavalée wrote that she first saw the organization's finances in February and found them “very disturbing,” a view she later voiced publicly in presenting her report to the delegates.
Ms. Lavallée wrote that she uncovered cheques that were issued without the required approval of the board of directors.
“Also, valuable items had been given away or removed from the building,” she wrote.
She clarified in an interview that the items were pieces of aboriginal art and one Inuit carving that was donated to charity.
“This entire situation, quite frankly, makes me ill,” she wrote.Delegates were still voting for a new national chief late Friday night. It is a position that involves taking part in first-ministers meetings and raising off-reserve issues with the prime minister and federal ministers. The congress receives about $5-million a year from Ottawa.
Ms. Lavallée was elected chief last night on the second ballot. The three other candidates for national chief included Kevin Daniels, Brad Maggrah and Alvin Chartrand. All four supported the need to advocate for improved social conditions for off-reserve aboriginals and to fight for the congress's provincial affiliates that are looking for federal funds.
The Globe and Mail reported in January that Health Canada has frozen its funding to the congress and was demanding repayment of up to $260,000 in expenses that were deemed ineligible. According to Ms. Lavallée, who took over responsibility for the congress's finances as interim vice-chief in January, that story led other departments to launch similar audits.
One of those audits by a branch of Indian Affairs called the Office of the Federal Interlocutor concluded that the congress must pay back $529,880 in expenses from the fiscal years 2004 to 2006. Mr. Brazeau worked at the congress from 2001 to 2008. He was elected vice-chief, with responsibility for the organization's finances, in 2005 and became national chief in 2006.
In an e-mail, Mr. Brazeau, who was named a Conservative senator nine months ago, said delegates were informed of the audit findings at last year's gathering. He said the television was not a gift from an auditor and that it remains the property of the congress. He also defended his first-class flights.
“As per standard policy and practice at CAP, executive members of the Congress often flew business class and/or utilized upgrade certificates,” he wrote.
“Ms. Lavallée, along with all other board members of the congress were given a full, open and transparent quarterly report regarding the financial state of affairs of the Congress,” he wrote. “All board members were given financial updates and had the opportunity to ask questions on the financial management of CAP's affairs.”
Mr. Brazeau built his reputation as national chief as an advocate for financial accountability among native leaders. He was particularly critical of native chiefs and the Assembly of First Nations, the larger national native group made up of chiefs from Canada's more than 600 reserves.
Mr. Brazeau has said that he was aware of the government's financial concerns and worked as national chief to improve the accountability of the organization.
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