At the time the audit was initially presented to FSIN leadership, the gates at the office building in Saskatoon were closed. (Image Credit: Submitted photo)

By Nigel Maxwell

Financial transparency

FSIN ordered to pay over $28 million: audit

Mar 21, 2026 | 1:34 PM

While signaling a near three week window to respond and provide documentation, Indigenous Services Canada has concluded their financial audit and has informed the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) they owe over $28 million dollars.

The letter to the FSIN, dated March 13, is the latest update to a story that dates back almost two years, and comes after months of back and forth between the federal government and the organization that represents 74 Saskatchewan First Nations.

The essential findings of the revised audit, which covered the time period from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2024, are the total amount of ineligible and unsupported expenses of $4,805,760.58 and $23,938,821.07. The majority was attributed to COVID-19 expenditures.

Rob Louie, President of the Band Members Alliance and Advocacy Association of Canada (BMAAAC) received an unredacted copy of the letter. He said he has been most troubled by the way the FSIN chiefs have downplayed the significance of the audit’s findings.

“I found it troubling because if this happened in let’s just say, a non-native, or a white organization or the government of Saskatchewan, heads would roll. You know, law enforcement would be brought in. There’d be a shakeup and a turnover.”

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Another area covered by the audit was travel expenses, and a further $1.2 million spent on fleet vehicles could not be supported with documentation.

“This is very heart wrenching because we have a lot of our people that are homeless on the streets. who will never see a used vehicle, let alone a new one.”

Another expenditure that stood out for Louie was the over $100,000 paid out to a former employee’s consulting company, and over $240,000 paid out to the employee herself. The woman in question who ran the company was identified as Dawn Walker, who made the news when she left Saskatchewan, claiming she was fleeing an abusive relationship.

“It turned out to be a complete sham. It was phony and she ended up being stopped in Portland, Oregon. The problem with that is that FSIN continued to to pay for her business or consulting so you know, there’s a lot of this financial hanky-panky happening here.”

Other expenses mentioned in the audit are $1.9 million in ineligible administration costs, over $808,000 spent on a new FSIN office building, and $410,795 on internal charges and cost allocations.

When asked how the association was able to get the letter, Louie explained the association is a registered national nonprofit and works with a number of different lawyers. A former forensic accountant providing pro bono services recommended that they set up a whistleblower hotline, and confidential contact for those chiefs and financial clerks at band offices.

“So we did that, and [Thursday] night, I received probably the bombshell of all bombshells in the last month, and that was this unredacted forensic audit that was connected on FSIN,” Louie said.

Going forward, Louie added he hopes there are real consequences and not just recommendations.

Confirmation from Indigenous Services Canada

According to a statement provided by Indigenous Services Canada, a letter was sent to the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations on March 13.

They explained once a forensic audit is finalized, the Department communicates a summary of the findings to the funding recipient. Following this, the Department’s regional office works with the funding recipient to action any recommendations and potential recoveries.

“We are unable to disclose whether any sanctions or monetary recoveries are being pursued, as this information relates to contractual obligations between Canada and the audit recipient,” they said.

According to the letter received by Band Members Alliance and Advocacy Association of Canada, the FSIN has until April 2 to respond, which may include supporting documents.

paNOW reached out to the FSIN for comment but has not yet received a response.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell