Some big questions about MNBC’s $79 million budget

(March 26, 2021) The Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) Board of Directors yesterday announced approval of a $79 million operating budget for fiscal year 2021/22 but it raises some big questions. The biggest question is – where is the money coming from? The budget document only uses general revenue headings and does not specify which federal (or provincial) funding program is providing the dollars and what amount is being provided by each government in the current fiscal year. MNBC’s annual budgets in the last couple of years have ranged between approximately $24 million and $30+ million, so how is it that this year’s budget is more than $40 million higher?

Here are some other questions that need answers:

· $2.67 million in consulting, professional fees and honoraria – Is this where the salary increase for Board Directors that nine of them have been pushing for will be included?

· $1.7 million in media, promotions and communications – Why is more money being spent on media and PR, than communities are receiving?

· $13.4 million in salaries and benefits – The cost of salaries and benefits is rising enormously in this budget. Just two and half fiscal years ago, salaries and benefits for MNBC cost about $3 million. What happens if future funding from Canada gets cut and you can no longer afford the big cost for salaries and benefits?

· $15.4 million in Centralized Services – Where exactly is this money coming from because there is no $15.4 million federal funding program specifically for “Centralized Services”?

· $8.8 million in administration – Really? No mention of this $8.8 million line in MNBC’s big budget announcement yesterday. What will this be used for because the budget already has salaries and benefits for staff and office leasing costs covered off on other budget lines? Normally, most of the “administration” budget line is unallocated so what is it going to be used for?

· $2.4 million on a 4- year homelessness needs assessment – Why would it cost $2.4 million and take 4 years to carry out such an assessment?

MNBC President Clara Morin Dal Col supports the proposed $1.48 million in funding for Chartered Communities but in addition to the above-noted questions she is concerned that some of the planned expenditures, especially at head office and Centralized Services need to be explained and accounted for. She points out that the huge expenditures in some budget areas cannot be sustained because MNBC does not receive $79 million in one year from the federal government.

President Morin Dal Col notes that MNBC’s increased funding from Canada over the last few years comes as the result of the signing of the Canada – Métis Nation Accord in April 2017, and because of strong support and advocacy for MNBC from Métis National Council (MNC) Minister of Finance David Chartrand and MNC President Clément Chartier. Eight of the eleven current MNBC Board members did not hold elected positions on the Board in April 2017 when the Accord was signed, and were only elected in September 2020.

Actions of nine MNBC Board Directors on January 18, 2021 effectively removed President Morin Dal Col from office. The President is seeking to have the Supreme Court of British Columbia nullify the actions of the nine Board Directors. President Morin Dal Col has maintained that the actions of the nine Board Directors amount to a thinly disguised attempt to overturn the results of MNBC’s election of just six months ago, in which she was re-elected by a significant margin by MNBC Citizens.

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For further information:

Contact President Clara Morin Dal Col

Email: cmdalcol@gmail.com