b'TAXATIONwith the provincial and federal govern- The creation of economic developmentThere are similar stories across the menttoaccessfundingfromtheprovides employment for our peoplecountry, all thanks to a piece of legislation Building Canada Fund for infrastruc- resulting in healthier choices and buildsthat gives First Nations more autonomy ture, with each of the three players a strong community.in deciding their economic future. But WDFN, the province of Saskatchewanthere is still plenty of work to be done. and the federal governmentcontrib- Whitecap Dakota First Nations now plansFirst Nations and the federal government uting a third.to move to the next stage of fiscal self- need to cultivate a more complete fiscal determination by securing full taxa- relationship, one that clearly defines who The impact on the community has beention jurisdiction and building govern- does what within the tax jurisdiction, substantial. Unemployment in WDFNment-to-government partnerships fornotes Jules. We need to create a better has dropped from 70 per cent to five persharing taxation powers. This will enableconnection between local revenue juris-cent since the inception of our land codefull implementation of taxation powersdiction and local service jurisdiction that and property tax system, says Bear.through their inherent rights. is not financed solely by government transfers. Instead, the system should function with a core of clear revenue authorities (fiscal powers) and be supple-mented by transfers.Unemployment in WDFN has dropped from 70 per cent to five per cent since the inception of our land code and property tax systemChief Darcy BearWhitecap Dakota First NationAnother challenge is finding a solution to the cumbersome process that regis-tered communities face when accessing Indian monies collected earlier by the A shared vision of growthfederal government on their behalf. A series of amendments was introduced to the FNFMA last December to address and prosperity this and speed up the process. The key changes are that communities can now have their Indian monies transferred to them by setting up approved financial A vision that is deeply rooted in Indigenous administration laws, obtaining legal and culture, benefiting businesses and communities financial advice on risks of the payment, and holding a successful membership for generations to come. vote to approve the payment. On a final note, Jules says its impor-tant to remember that the FNFMA was not put in place to create power uniongas.com brokers among First Nations commu-nities, but rather to empower commu-nities to develop sustainable, thriving economies. Many are on the right path, Proud to be recognized as an Aboriginal Procurement Champion but there are far more communities that by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. have yet to take that first step. As such, the ultimate barometer of the success of the FNFMA legislation still lies ahead.24A CCAB PUBLICATION2019'