‘Alarmist’ tax watchdog ‘intentionally’ distorted FNs politico salaries: AFN

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation “intentionally” manipulated chief and band councillor salaries to make First Nations leaders look bad, the Assembly of First Nations said in an analysis aimed at discrediting information recently released by the tax watchdog group.

APTN National News
OTTAWA
-The Canadian Taxpayers Federation “intentionally” manipulated chief and band councillor salaries to make First Nations leaders look bad, the Assembly of First Nations said in an analysis aimed at discrediting information recently released by the tax watchdog group.

The AFN took aim at claims by the group that 50 reserve politicians were being paid more than the prime minister and that 160 made more than provincial premiers. The AFN said no reserve politician makes more than the prime minister’s $315, 462 salary and only 21 make more than premiers, mostly in Alberta.

“Certainly by focusing on the exceptions, the CTF (Canadian Taxpayers Federation) is intentionally working to create negative impression about First Nation salaries,” said the AFN analysis. “Grand comparisons with the salaries of premiers and the prime minister help to further distort the reality.”

The AFN said the CTF’s decision to include revenue sources outside of remuneration, including travel and per diem allocations, distorted the true picture of chief salaries. With those categories excluded and only using salary and honoraria, the AFN said the country’s highest paid reserve politician made $247,000.

“Did former (Newfoundland and Labrador) premier Danny Williams’ fortune get calculated into his salary as premier?” said the AFN analysis, titled Straight Goods on First Nations salaries.  “Did revenue from Canada Steamship Lines get calculated into former prime minister Paul martin’s salary? Of course not and it’s not appropriate to do so with First Nations elected officials either.”

The CTF could not be immediately reached for comment.

The analysis also tried to poke holes in the CTF’s attempt to measure on-reserve salaries by calculating their equivalent taxable amount. By doing this, the CTF concluded that 600 reserve politicians “received an income that is equivalent to over $100,000 off-reserve.”

 The AFN said on-reserve tax free salaries have their roots in the “original relationship” between First Nations and the Crown under the treaties and is part of the Indian Act.

“It is inaccurate and unnecessarily alarmist to calculate First Nations salaries in this way,” said the analysis.

The AFN analysis also concluded that the average salary for reserve politicians fell at about $36,845, below the $46, 345 national average in Canada.

“It’s important to be clear about what the facts are,” said AFN national Chief Shawn Atleo, who spoke to reporters Tuesday on the first day of the special chiefs assembly at the Hilton Hotel-Casino complex in Gatineau, Que.

Atleo also backed a resolution expected to be debated by chiefs as early as Tuesday calling on all reserve politicians to publish their salaries.

“The chiefs are clear that we will not be distracted from our focus to transform the lives of people in our communities,” said Atleo. “We will just confront it directly.”

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10 thoughts on “‘Alarmist’ tax watchdog ‘intentionally’ distorted FNs politico salaries: AFN

  1. Might these be the “outside radicals” Jacques Poitras refers to in his reports? RCMP better get a handle on these people before they hurt someone.

  2. It is just sun news and their minions, they posted a screen shot of your article to their FB page. laughing they claimed ‘it has gone national to 163 people’. Not to worry, they post the usual garbage.

  3. on nov 14th, there was an oil pipeline explosion in milford, texas that evacuated the small, entire town while the oil company decided to let it burn. it was caused by a drilling puncture from a workcrew. but, hey, chevron has apologized so I guess that makes everything okay.

    “We wont attempt to blow out the flame, per se,” said the chevron rep, “we will let the 10-inch pipe burn out.”

    Chevron also revealed the neighboring 14-inch pipeline next to the one on fire continues to have high-pressure gas run through it.

    “Up to this point, we’ve kept product in that line to keep it as cool as possible because that product in it will help cool it,” Barnum explained.

    He said the company couldn’t guess how long the fire will burn since engineers don’t know the size of the rupture. The pipeline on fire stretches 2,295 miles and carries high pressure liquified petroleum gas from southeast New Mexico to Mont Belvieu, which is just east of Houston. “The biggest concern right now is the pipelines that are around to make sure there’s not going to be additional explosions,”
    If we don’t stand up to this nonsense, then who?

  4. You can see the racism and stereotypes from all who made these ignorant comments; actually promoting violence upon another human being-seriously?. Instead they (haters) should be re-educating themselves in regards to history, colonialism, residential schools, treaties, politics, geography, culture, languages, human rights, women’s rights ect…and stop being a sheep to mainstream media…Let’s just see how these “haters” fair when their drinking supply is poisoned and it’s no longer safe for human and animal consumption!

  5. No surprise that many of the comments are against the Indian people. People hate Indians and they will use any excuse to bring out the hate, regardless of the issue. People are short sighted. Never mind the Earth’s future. Just about now and me! So run over those Indians if you want. The Indians are still here after all the attempts of running them over by kCanada.

  6. Isn’t it illegal to utter threats, re: the publicly identified folks publishing comments about running people over purposefully? Have you asked the RCMP for comments? Perhaps it’s time we remind them that it’s their job to protect the safety of the protestors as zealously as they protect corporate property!!!

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