Assessment and Investigation Services Branch (AISB)

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About Us:

Within the Audit and Evaluation Section at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC), the Assessment and Investigation Services Branch (AISB) functions primarily as an entity that offers auditing and forensic services to First Nations and other recipients of departmental funds in order to fulfill our commitment for greater transparency and accountability for its programs.

Our Mandate:

AISB’s conducts financial reviews and investigations into allegations of financial mismanagement and any other reported fraudulent misuse of public funds provided by CIRNAC and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC). AISB’s purview only includes departmental funds included within Contribution Agreements and does not include allegations involving funds by band-owned entities, etc.

Overview of Our Responsibilities:

Both Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) take allegations of financial misuse very seriously. As such, the Assessment and Investigation Services Branch (AISB) is mandated to investigate allegations and complaints pertaining to the management of funding provided by the Departments.

The Department has a process in place to ensure any allegations submitted to us from the public and other entities are examined properly by an analyst, and that appropriate action is taken when required. In general, when an allegation is received, the Department’s Audit and Evaluation Sector (AES), through AISB conducts additional reviews, up to and including forensic audits. Requests for these types of audits, will be referred to AISB for analysis to determine a course of action. AISB ensures that all allegations received by the public, ISC regional offices and other entities are examined properly by investigators and/or analysts through a series of reviews, interviews, assessments and exercises, including field work, risk assessment and forensic audits to determine if the allegation warrants further investigation.

A third-party accounting firm may be retained and contracted to perform forensic work on behalf of the department. In those instances, the exercise is closely monitored by AISB’s forensic audit manager through a series of reviews and recommendation.

In the event that the inquiry does not involve financial misuse or the allegation is without merit for lack of evidence, hearsay, or fall outside of AISB’s mandate the file is thereafter either referred to another government body or officially closed.

Complaints involving status card inquiries, program and service issues, governance, transparency and election concerns are not retained with AISB and instead, are referred to other entities within the department. As CIRNAC and ISC are not law enforcement or judicial agencies, legal and criminal matters should be reported to the policing authorities directly by the complainants as they fall outside of AISB’s mandate.

Privacy:

All information provided to AISB is protected and can only be accessed as per the provisions of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act (ATIP). Information requests can be made on the ATIP website via an online form: Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Online Request (apps.gc.ca) Make an access to information or personal information request - Canada.ca Contact Indigenous Services Canada (sac-isc.gc.ca)

Allegations and Complaints Process:

Contact Us:

By mail: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) / Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), Assessment and Investigation Services Branch, 10 rue Wellington - Suite 1455, Gatineau, QC K1A 0H4

Toll-free: 1-855-504-6760

Fax: 819-934-2352

Email: cnap-nacc@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca