Yukon's Liard First Nation fights to regain control from feds

TheLiard First Nation based in Watson Lake, Yukon,is asking the Federal Courtto restore its control of the funding it receives from the federal government.

The First Nationhas been under third-party management for two years.The condition was imposed after it fell more than $700,000 in debt and failed to abide by the Federal First Nations Transparency Act.

The third-party manager is an Aboriginal-owned B.C.,company calledGanhada. The firm saidit does not comment on cases, but its relations with the Liard First Nationhave been rocky. When it was first appointed it took seven months for Ganhada's workers to gain access to First Nationoffices in Watson Lake.

With a new federal government, the condition should be removed, said Chief Daniel Morris.He wants a 'reset' of therelationship and what he calls a new nation-to-nation dialogue.

Across the country, the federalgovernment has reinstated some fundsfrozen under the controversial First Nations Financial Transparency Act.

The Indigenous and Northern Affairs department however,has re-appointed the LiardFirst Nation's third-party manager.

First Nation locked out says chief

A statement from INAC says third-party managers likeGanhadaare supposed to "work with the First Nation to remedy the underlying issues," and help guide nations back to self-government.

According to Morris,thathasn't been happening.

He said Tuesdayhe's received no estimate for when the managers' term would end.

"They're telling their staff not to have anything to do with Chief and Council, not to answer," he said.

But Morris is also facing opposition withinhis own First Nation.Two of the fourcouncillors have recently quit and some community members have formed a splinter group called "Kaska Concerned about Land Protection and Good Government" and disavowedthe Chief.

Asked if the First Nationcould handle its own finances, Morris admitted itwas not in a position to do so alone.

"We don't have the capacity. We need to build the capacity for the First Nation to handle its own programs," he said.

Morris wants the federal government to replace Ganhada with a new model of co-management, which would see the Chief and Council work with a new accounting firm.

"We're talking to Deloitte and we have a firm that's willing to sit down with council and put a work plan together. We don't have the same relationship with the third-party (manager) that's there now," he said.

Court documents also show that the federal government intends to contest the First Nation'srequest for a federal court review.

CBC Newshas contacted the Indigenous and NorthernAffairs departmentfor comment.