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Transcript

National Indigenous News August 25 · National Indigenous Newscasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is a look at your National Indigenous News.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Daryl Stranger.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: The federal government is still waiting for the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations to explain years of spending.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: Indigenous Services Canada Minister Mandy Gilmasty said the FSIN has not responded to the findings of a forensic audit which identified$28.7 million in ineligible and unsupported spending from 2019 to 2024 to be repaid.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Golmasty said accountability is important and she wants to ensure her office is doing its part to keep First Nations accountable with how public dollars are used.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: In a letter from the ISC to FSIN chief Bobby Cameron and the organization's CEO in March, Ottawa established April 2nd as a deadline to provide adequate proof of spending to lower the$28.7 million repayment.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: More than$23 million of the flag spending was COVID-19 related funding,$2 million of administrative spending was deemed ineligible, and more than$1.2 million to buy new fleet vehicles was also ruled ineligible.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Ottawa issued eight recommendations last September when the initial audit findings revealed more than$34 million of muddled finances prior to holding meetings to reduce the amount to the$28.7 million in spending audities.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Golmasty wouldn't say if FSIN has been receptive to those recommendations, but she further maintained the importance of accountability and transparency for public funds.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: The U.S.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Federal Bureau of Investigation has established a minimum reward of$25,000 in cases where people went missing or were killed in Indian country, part of a broader effort to address high rates of violence affecting Native American communities.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: The new minimum applies to more than 50 unsolved homicides and missing person cases in tribal communities.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Most of the cases are less than 10 years old, though a dozen have been unsolved for more than two decades.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Victims' families and experts are unsure the higher amounts will be enough to get tipsers to come forward, citing people's fears and distrust of the federal government.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: The FBI investigates federal crimes on nearly 200 Native American reservations along with the U.S.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Bureau of Indian Affairs.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: At the end of 2025, the FBI's National Crime Information Center recorded just under 1,500 active cases involving missing Native Americans, though not all become federal cases.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: A new multimillion dollar facility is ready to welcome thousands of Indigenous students home at the University of Alberta.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: The new 40,000 square foot First People's House opened on the university's North Campus Monday, offering students a place to connect with elders, smudge, cook together, or access mentorship.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: It also houses a gym, a healing room, and spaces for ceremony and studying.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: The$16.8 million facility took three years to build and replaces the much smaller First People's House previously located in the Students Union Building.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: First People's House is a student service center, and the programming it holds is practical, like learning specialists, writing mentors, and tutoring services.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's also a university access program for First Nations, Metis, and Inuit students who aren't positioned to enter a faculty through regular admissions.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: There are four secured residence options offered jointly with resident services, and elders and knowledge keepers are on staff.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: There is also cultural and language programming, including Crete tutoring, and the university has described First People's House as a home away from home for a community of more than 1,400 Indigenous students.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's a look at your National Indigenous News.