Accountability for Indians and Land Reserved for Indians

Abstract

According to the Auditor General of Canada in his report to Parliament in 1991, the federal policy of "devolution" of control of Indian affairs to Indian bands has been so poorly implemented that questions of accountability must be raised, not just in terms of fiscal accountability to Parliament but in terms of accountability to Indian people. Accountability in general terms is founded on particular and specific information, and a major shortcoming has been the failure to develop in­ formation systems. In this article, the scope of Indian governments' legislative au­thority is compared with the concerns with which chiefs and councils must deal on a day-to-day basis, in order to illustrate the range of Indian government infor­mation needs. The argument is put forward that the present situation, expressed in terms of "devolution," is one of the continuation of containment and control of Indians and Indian land. There is an immediate need for the creation of com­prehensive information systems, controlled and maintained by First Nations people, in order for there to be substantive change. These systems must be or­ganized in terms that are culturally appropriate. There are clear First Nations ed­ucational implications, particularly at the secondary and postsecondary level.