MNBC Fails to Comply with its own Legislation in Failing to Post Annual Expenditure Report
(June 3, 2024) The 11 member Board of Directors of Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) has failed to comply with the Métis Nation Governing Assembly Act’s requirement to post the annual Expenditure Report by June 1st.
Article 9.2.1 of the MNGA Act is explicit and clear saying (in part) “Each year the Expenditure Report of the entire previous fiscal year’s expenditures of MNBC elected members and executive staff shall be posted on the MNBC website by June 1st.” The legislation also states the following shall be included: “…shall contain all spending by MNBC elected members and the Executive Director/CEO including but not limited to: remuneration, travel costs, accommodation costs, per diems, honoraria, legal and professional fees, consultant and contractor fees and reimbursed expenses.”
So where is the report and why was it not posted as required? Given that it is only 3 months before the MNBC General Election, all MNBC Citizens will want to see how much this Board has spent on their own salaries and travel expenses, as well as on consultants and contractors. For the 12 month fiscal period ending in March 2023 this Board spent more than $1.7 million on these categories, and for this year ending in March 2024 the total number may hit a record $2 million given their increased salaries and travel.
Failure to post the Expenditure Report by June 1st, is a blatant breach of the MNGA Act. The Board’s own Code of Conduct regarding integrity states that they are to “Carry out responsibilities in accordance with the Constitution, Legislation, other relevant statutes, and Board policy.”
Candidate for the MNBC Presidency Clara Morin Dal Col asks, “Why did this Board fail to follow the legislative requirements of posting this information?” She says, “They have their own Code of Conduct and a fiduciary duty to the MNBC Citizens to uphold the Constitution and requirements of the MNGA Act but yet the information has not been posted?”
Ms. Morin Dal Col also notes that the current Treasurer of MNBC Patrick Harriott, when he was President of the Victoria Métis Community and not on the MNBC Board of Directors pushed for the requirements that now exist in Article 9.2.1. She asks, “Why isn’t he as Treasurer along with his Board colleagues complying with the requirement now?”
The former MNBC President says, “All the expenditures should have been posted by June 1st. The mere fact that they haven’t been suggests to me that the numbers are embarrassingly huge. The MNBC Citizens have a right to know what those numbers are.”
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