Feds moving too slow to process First Nations status applications: AG – National [Video]

Canada’s auditor general says Indigenous Services Canada has failed to process applications for registration under the Indian Act within the required six-month timeline — leaving many First Nations people unable to access on-reserve housing, financial aid for post-secondary education and health benefits.

In an audit released Tuesday, Karen Hogan found that more than eight in 10 applications processed by the department exceeded the six-month service standard. Some of those were priority applications for older people or those with health issues.

Examining a sample of 140,000 applications submitted between April 2019 and March 2024, Hogan concluded it took the department nearly 16 months on average to make a decision on an individual application, and nearly three years to process appeals.

Hogan also found a backlog of nearly 12,000 applications, including 1,500 that were more than two years old.

“It is important that Indigenous Services Canada makes proper and timely decisions to …