CTF pushes for chief, councillor salaries to be made public

The $180,000 salary given to Chief Harry Sharphead, of the Enoch Cree First Nation, is the high end of what Alberta First Nation chiefs earned in 2009.

According to figures provided by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, the range of salaries for chiefs of 44 First Nations in Alberta went from $26,700 to Sharphead’s $180,000.

Sharphead’s high earning is one reason why the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is pushing that elected band officials’ salaries be made public, not only to their own band members, but to the general Canadian public as well as taxpayers pick up the federal portion of the salary.

It’s an issue the CTF has taken up because “we’ve been selected by concerned whistleblowers on reserves right now,” said Scott Hennig, Alberta director with CTF.
In recent weeks, Hennig said CTF was the recipient of “brown envelopes” from band members who were “somehow able to obtain financial and salary documents for us to make public.”

INAC requires band councils to make annual financial audited statements available to members, but the CTF says this isn’t happening.

Hennig said that not only do band members have difficulty getting salary information from their councils, but they become frustrated dealing with INAC as well.
Genvieve Guibert, media relations officer with INAC, said if band members can’t get the information from their council, INAC “works with the First Nation government to ensure that the information is released.”

Guibert didn’t elaborate on what steps INAC takes.
CTF recently launched the web site www.reservetransparency.ca “. . . to help you know your rights and how to receive information” according to the web site.

Joseph Quesnel, a policy analyst with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, views the web site as a valuable tool to walk First Nations members through the process of getting the information they want.

“A lot of band members report difficulty getting the financial data for the salaries of their chief and council,” said Quesnel, whose organization conducts an annual Aboriginal Government Index study in which band members of participating First Nations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are asked to comment on transparency and administration.

“Members need to know that their leaders are getting paid what the community feels is just,” said Quesnel. Since the community doesn’t directly pay their chief and council and since each band council votes for its own salary, transparency is that much more important.

“As much as possible (salary) information should be able to be published, but they still need to be respectful of private business dealings,” said Quesnel.

According to INAC’s website, 2008-2009 figures saw on the national level an average honorarium for chief at $60,000, ranging from $0 (volunteer) to $250,000; and for councillor an average honorarium of $31,000, ranging from $0 to $216,000.

In Alberta, councillor salaries range from $3,139 to $180,000.

According to INAC’s web site: “There are a number of factors that are typically considered by a First Nation in determining the remuneration for their elected officials including: their responsibilities and duties; the size of the community; the complexity of the business operations in the community; the own-source revenue of the community, etc.”