Vote On FNUC Task Force Recommendations Delayed

Vote On FNUC Task Force Recommendations Delayed

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 14:48

 

 

A vote on the future of the troubled First Nations University of Canada did not take place this morning at the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations’ assembly in Saskatoon, as was expected.

 

FSIN Vice Chief Morley Watson and FNUC President Charles Pratt laid out the current situation at the school to the chiefs present.

 

Both said things are good right now — claiming enrolment is up and that there is no sign of the controversy that plagued the university last year.

 

However, Watson would not allow recommendations submitted to the assembly by a task force that was assigned to improve the school’s governance to be voted on by the chiefs in attendance.

 

Watson said more time is needed to inform chiefs at the band level about how the recommendations will be implemented, and to get feedback from youth and elders.

 

Among the recommendations put forward by the task force were calls to drastically reduce the size of the university’s board and to cut down the number of First Nations leaders appointed to the body.

 

As part of his address this morning, Pratt defended the practice of putting political appointees on the school’s board of directors. He claimed 41 of 66 university boards across Canada carry political appointees, and that the FNUC is being singled out for no reason.

 

The FSIN’s chiefs will apparently be allowed to vote on the recommendations at the next legislative assembly in June.