Indigenous leaders in the London region express little shock over the recent critical federal auditor general’s report on Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). Auditor general Karen Hogan highlighted the department’s significant delay in implementing various recommendations from previous audits, despite a nearly doubled budget since 2019. Consequently, Indigenous communities, particularly First Nations, continue to encounter persistent challenges in accessing essential services such as healthcare, clean water, and emergency management.
As per the report, sustained efforts from ISC to revamp service delivery methods and enhance collaboration with First Nations are deemed crucial for addressing these longstanding issues, enhancing outcomes, and promoting reconciliation. Joel Abram, the Grand Chief of the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians in London, echoes the sentiments of many First Nations by emphasizing the urgent need for a comprehensive overhaul of a broken system that fails to empower Indigenous communities.
One poignant example highlighted in the report is the long-standing drinking water advisory faced by Oneida Nation of the Thames since 2020, along with 35 other First Nations communities, including neighboring Chippewas of the Thames and Munsee-Delaware Nation. Despite securing $43 million in federal funding in 2023 for upgrading their water system, Oneida’s advisory is not expected to be lifted until fall 2026, as per ISC’s project timeline.
Critically, the report underscores the absence of legislative measures ensuring clean drinking water access for First Nations, coupled with a lack of enforceable water quality standards. Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty defended her department’s collaborative approach with partners, emphasizing the need to build upon successes while acknowledging the report’s guidance for continued improvement.
The report also highlights a lack of sustained attention from management, inadequate support for enhancing First Nations’ program delivery capacity, and a disjointed approach to community support. Joe Miskokomon, Chief of Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, concurs with the findings, emphasizing the need for transparency in departmental spending and a shift towards empowering, rather than micromanaging, Indigenous communities.
Despite a notable 84% increase in spending on Indigenous programs from 2019-20 to 2024-24, amounting to $24 billion, ISC has fallen short in implementing about half of the audit recommendations spanning from 2015 to 2022. The call for a fundamental reevaluation of the current system, focusing on empowering First Nations and fostering prosperity, resonates strongly among Indigenous leaders grappling with persistent systemic challenges.