APTN National News reports Aboriginal Affairs is “playing politics” with project funding in the millions of dollars

APTN National News reports Aboriginal Affairs is “playing politics” with project funding in the millions of dollars for First Nations organizations and reporter Jorge Barrera said the Assembly of First Nations executive is planning a “counter-attack”. Minister Bernard Valcourt is said to be sitting on 14 proposals from the AFN, well past the department’s own April 1 promised deadline for a response.  Of $7.1 million worth of proposals, only $888,720 has been approved. In an email obtained by APTN News “widely distributed” to officials with First Nations organizations the AFN writes “The federal government has not kept its promise to respond to all funding proposals by April 1 and has politicized approval process, despite their assurances of transparency and accountability.” The email also reports that the department rejected 16 proposals out of 34, including those dealing with murdered and missing Indigenous women, treaties, housing, emergency management and infrastructure, with 14 awaiting decisions. APTN writes “There is a widespread belief the department is playing hardball on project funding as a result of the AFN’s rejection of the Harper government’s proposed bill for First Nation education.”