Part II Summary: What We Learned About the Distribution of Federal Grants and Contributions for Aboriginal People - Our Conclusions
As previously noted, Treasury Board attempted in 2004 – 2005 to map out Aboriginal expenditures. That effort generated an “Aboriginal Horizontal Framework” in 2005, which laid out spending for Indian, Metis and Inuit people. 8 Our analysis attempted to add a further break down of grants and contributions by recipient type in order to assess the distribution of Aboriginal program funds across reserve boundaries.
The results of our review suggest there is a disproportionate allocation of resources between on and off reserve recipients. However, we believe that there is an urgent need to further both approaches. Allocation and tracking of federal program funds on the basis of existing distinctions between Indian, Metis, and Inuit people is quickly becoming an anachronism that may not be sustainable in light of court cases such as Corbiere, 9 Powley,10 McIvor,11 or Lavigne. 12 Additionally, the mobility of the Aboriginal population and the increasing number of families with multiple Aboriginal identities suggest that grant and contribution programs which limit eligibility on the basis of residency or status may in fact be discriminatory.
Funding formulas that are structured on the basis of entitlement for “Registered” Indians, without an adjustment process to account for actual residency, create service gaps that ultimately lead to the disturbing statistics which plague both Governments and Aboriginal people in Canada.
To put this in context, one needs to consider the implications of the federal government providing funding to the Province of Newfoundland in order to provide specific programs and services to Newfoundlanders who live in Alberta. The on/off reserve question needs to be answered, so that appropriate distribution of program funds can be achieved, and the opportunity for different results created. Our analysis attempted to clarify the on/off reserve distribution of funds but the inconsistencies in the current Proactive Disclosure system are a barrier to the completion of this effort.
Data relating to off reserve expenditures and program availability (in actual as well as theoretical terms) is necessary to proceed with informed and evidence-based discussions with Provinces, Territories, Municipal Governments and Band Councils.
Finally, the Congress believes that more accurate information is required about the nature, type and number of recipients. Many recipients receive federal funding from a single source. At the other end of the funding spectrum, one Provincial/Territorial Organization had fourteen contributions reported from five different departments. This suggests that different types of funding instruments may be appropriate to different types of organizations.
