Glooscap chief defends band salaries

The chief of a small Nova Scotia native reserve is defending the compensation she and her band's councillors receive.

Glooscap First Nations Chief Shirley Clarke called reporters to the band offices outside Hantsport Tuesday to respond to a report from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation on compensation paid to reserve politicians.

"The documents provide an inaccurate perception that we are unjustly overpaid," she said.

The federation released data Monday showing that in 2008, 222 aboriginal chiefs across Canada earned more than their provincial premiers and 82 made more than the prime minister.

The report singled out First Nations chiefs and councillors in Atlantic Canada, including one councillor who earned $978,000, tax-free. The chief on that reserve earned about $250,000 and two other councillors took home more than $200,000.

The report only identified reserves by population and federal funding. The figures for the highly paid Atlantic Canadian reserve both exactly matched Glooscap.

Misleading documents

Clarke refused to say whether Glooscap is that reserve. She said the federation's report is misleading because it does not provide a breakdown of what the compensation covers.

"The document numbers do not provide the necessary details breaking down the figures, including reimbursement for travel and accommodation costs," she said. "We do not receive vehicle allowances, pensions, benefits, insurance or dry-cleaning reimbursements."

Clarke ended the news conference after delivering her prepared statement and refused to take questions from reporters. She would not say how much she and the councillors are paid.

"I believe they are talking about my reserve," said Jessica Hat, a long-time critic of the Glooscap leadership. "Our audit reports through the last years have shown that they do make a lot of money and it's due to the positions they hold."

Hat said some leaders hold multiple positions on the reserve, earning salaries for each job.