thank you tammi!!we so often see first nation chiefs piss away the money,then blame everyone else,or its us against them!do you guys really care about your people and their education?or is is all.."hey,i gotta job for you sis'...free money.no accountability!!!"
why can't they accept the fact they screwed up big time,without whining someone is taking away their rights?treaties stated money for education!not the crap tammi has pointed out,or records will show,,,not to mention,...what is not on record!
grow up and become responsible!and lets get these students into classes somewhere so they can prove they are much wiser than their elders!they deserve so much more than this!!

Just out of curiosity, why does an organization have a VP of Finance and Admin AND a Chief Financial Officer. Wouldn't that seem to be a redundant position?

Wow. I can just imagine you pounding on your keyboard and swearing at the monitor as you wrote this Tammy. I have to say that I think this is the best blog entry of yours that I have ever read, and I have read your blog for quite some time. Informative and passionate. Nice work!

Excellent post Tammy. congratualtions to Norris it is about time someone stood up to the blackmail and threats. The sense of entitlement, unaccountability and absolute corruption on display by the group running the FNUC is appalling. Until the FSIN, and I think Chief Lonechild wants to do it, totally changes the culture and shows professionalism and displays accountability and builds trust in their abilities nothing will change.

its a bout time that gong show was shut down too bad the students have to suffer same mentality here like on a lot of first nations chief lives large and the people suffer

Excellent work Tammy... I couldn't agree with your closing statement more. I am absolutely gobsmacked that the provincial government is "denying treaty rights" in this way... I mean how dare they stop the hemorrhaging we refer to as the FNUC!... (rolls eyes)

I gotta say, I usually disagree with every single one of your blog posts, but you nailed this one. Thank you for laying out all the shenanigans on one page for all to see. The FNUniv is a disgrace. The students deserve better than what they have been receiving.

That the naysayers will read this... cry foul and spout off "Racism!"... and take nothing from it.

You might as well be arguing with a wall.

Based on the way this board has acted from the start they could shorten the institutions acronym to FU. If they can get a board together that is and acts professional, I have no problem with returning to funding it. But this time they need to prove that have fixed the problems. And by that I mean at least 2 years of honest accounting and spending, not just changing up which grade school educated chiefs are on the board.

I applaude the Government for stepping up to the plate for cancelling the funding to the FNUC, ITS ABOUT TIME!!! I am still hopeful that the FNUC is shut down permanently and that the University of Regina takes over. I do not believe that the First Nations people should have a separate University to educate our people nor do I believe that "Indian Politics" has a place in post secondary education. I have a degree from the U of S, I was accepted and "made it" on my own merit, I did not need a First Nations University to obtain my degree, I did not need to be segregated from non-Aboriginals because I wanted to be educated with the same standard of education as our non-Aboriginal people because they are the people that I have to work with, get along with, to compete with in the job market and to co-exist with in todays society. I am very tired of our people always blaming others for their wrongs, blaming the residential school system, which by the way I am a product of, but I CHOSE not to let my experience drag me down, I CHOSE to move forward in my life and make something of myself rather than sit back and continue to blame others for what was done to me. I am embarrassed by the actions of our "leaders" at yesterdays FSIN assembly. Although I was not present, I do listen to the news and was very sorry to hear about the treatment of the Indian & Metis Affairs Minister by our so-called "leaders". Not once did I hear of any of our "leaders" take responsibility for all the mis-management of funds, and other problems that have plagued the FNUC since 2004, I also did not hear of anyone mention or acknowledge the Government of all the chances they were given to rectify their problems. Quite frankly, they were given 1 too many chances and I am of the opinion that the Government should have taken action sooner than this week. Indian Politics has absolutely NO PLACE in the education system. Those First Nations Chiefs that were very vocal and angry need to step back and think about supporting their people to obtain a good, quality education and if their people are required to attend a "normal" university, then so be it and they need to support their people to do so. Thank goodness Guy Lonechild abolished the current board and lets hope the next board are not Indian politicians but academics who know their business and have the ability to manage FNUC if in fact FNUC continues to exist after this final and embarrassing fiasco. And Indian people wonder why "white people" say all kinds of things about us and put us all in the same pot??? Hello!! Its situations such as this that makes us all look bad. Its time for our "leaders" to step up to the plate and take responsibility for their mistakes, learn from it and make this Province a better place for all of us.

Why is it that the wrong people are always placed in these positions where they can misappropriate funds and other things ?

YOu hit it dead on Tammy, The closed the schools because of one sole reason financial irregualarities. They cant account for how money is being spent. There is money being paid to these school from the Sask taxpayer that cant be accounted for. THis is the right thing to do because if this problem is left to continue money that should go to education goes in places it shouldnt at great expense to the Sask taxpayer (us/me). This is no different than the Sasktel employes who can canned because the were using taxpayer dollars to line their own pockets and fill their interests. This is not a race or treaty issue, It simply is being accountable with taxpayer dollars we all pay being used in the right manner. Brad Wall said that the funding may be reinstated if money earmarked to these schools is accounted for in a proper and responsible way ....

With all the mud/s__t being flung it sticks to everyone and the topic of First Nations education gets damaged. I am not saying that minister Norris had any other option but to end funding. It sure got the attention of everyone from the student, who from the media reports seem to accept it as necessary, to the chiefs and underlings who have been milking the system for years. Many good people work in first nations education and do a great job. I wonder how much more could be done if the Head Honcho's were on board with getting the students out with the best possible results and not with covering up the fact that some are taking advantage of their positions. Aboriginal education is the way out of poverty for first nations as a whole not just the leaders getting what they can on the backs of the students that they are charged with helping.

I never read such a damning blog in such a long time...good for your Tammy!

The one point that needs to be continually re-iterated from now until the next chapter begins "Total Tear Down/Hard Reset". This statement alone is long over due and couldn't come at a better time (down turn in the economy). The free market is and continues to self adjust itself for ignorance and over speculation. I saw all the signs of this recession but no one listened to me and I had also seen the signs that this "hard reset" needed to happen.

The next chapter begins! I'm glad the government's pulled their funding. Governance restructuring is so messy and this is part of the restructuring process. In the not so distant future we will see a true working Board of Governors/Directors who will start the rebuilding process.

I would like to see a entrenched set of processes for accountability and transparency to be modeled after both Federal and Provincial Government's in Canada. This is what the government's have wanted for so long and this is the perfect example/timing for this to begin.

In closing, you blog highlighted the need for true governance overhaul within this institution. I'd suggest the institution should look into the First Nation's Governance Institution housed in the Carleton University or, my favourite, the Harvard Project based out of Cambridge MA that has striking similiarities on governance rebuilding/restructuring for the Reserve Model's in Canada.

I think this outcome for this institution is a reflection of the society it was suppose to mirror, it's value's and ideology. Personally, I'm going to sit back and watch this pan out and offer my suggestions what they should be doing to benefit educational pursuits now and well into the future. I'd be so willing to step into the pit and put up rather than sit on the sideline and contribute words in a blog/article.

Great blog Tammy, but you forgot this point in your timeline: Minister Norris threatens to pull funding which everyone but the board takes seriously. The students give a heartfelt plea for the board to take the threat seriously and dissolve the current board. The board shrugs it off, being there for the students and their education and all, and ONLY when the gov't goes through with their promise does the board dissolve (only thanks to Chief Lonechild I would imagine).