FSIN issues layoff notice to staff
- EFN Staff | January 30, 2014
The uncertainty of First Nations political funding reared its ugly head on Wednesday as the FSIN sent layoff notices to its entire staff, potentially putting many good people out of work in a month or two.
The drastic move comes just before an anticipated cut of over a million dollars in funding for the Treaty rights organization. The funding cuts were announced last year, but the harsh reality is kicking in as Indian New Year, April1, is just around the corner. If the Federation didn't give notice now, they would have been on the hook for severance down the road. If money is found, people can be called back.
The current Federal Government has stated repeatedly that they want to fund programs and services, not politicians. This has left the FSIN evaluating different ways to replace the funding. A proposal to have the bands remit 6% of their SIGA gaming dollars back to the Federation did not get any traction with the Chiefs. Other proposals included dropping the four Vice Chief positions and going with only one Chief. The debate has been hot and heavy and is expected to receive a lion's share of the attention at the FSIN Winter Assembly February 12-13 at the Dakota Dunes Casino.
Last year the Federation went through about $20 million, of which over $7 million was salary and benefits. According to a CBC interview, FSIN Chief Perry Bellegarde says the organization needs about $1.5 million to $2.5 million, to deal with funding cuts. That's a lot of smoke signals.